Bloom in Asgard
by Winxclubrocks
Summary: What if Bloom was sent to Asgard instead of Earth when the Three Ancestral Witches attacked Domino? Warning: modified rewrite of the Nickelodeon version. Season timings are switched around slightly to fit with the movies, Bloom is OOC, stuff is added in that does not happen in the cartoon. Please review if you want! Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or any Marvel movies. PS. LONG!
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

The planet Domino is under attack by three witches.

They are looking for power, power enough to take over the entire magical dimension, and destroy anyone who opposes them.

The oldest princess, Daphne, cursed to be without her body by them, is carrying a small bundle in her arms while running, or rather floating, away from the three witches.

They look like three old hag-like women, with long stringy gray hair and wrinkly pointed faces, but each of them are very powerful on their own. Together they are more than a match for almost everyone they face.

But Daphne is not almost everyone, she is the former holder of the Dragon Flame, the most powerful source of magic in the whole galaxy - and the reason the three witches are attacking Domino.

They want the Dragon Flame and will do anything to get it.

But Daphne will do anything to protect it and the bundle in her arms, her year-old baby sister, Bloom.

The baby princess means more to Daphne than anything else in the whole galaxy, including the source of power that is the baby girl's destiny.

Bloom, the second princess of Domino, is the next holder of the Dragon Flame. And it is already inside her, Daphne transferred it to her when the witches arrived and now is doing the only thing she can to protect her baby sister.

She is sending her to another planet in another galaxy.

She casts a barrier spell to slow the witches down and teleports to another room down the corridor.

The castle is crumbling and there is mass panic as the Three Ancestral Witches make their assault, with a wizard that they literally made from a piece of the Dragon Flame that mixed with darkness.

They called this wizard Valtor, and he is keeping the king and queen busy while the witches go after the princesses.

Daphne knows that the spell won't hold them back forever, she looks at her baby sister, maybe for the last time.

The baby princess is wearing a dark blue outfit with her name in bright orange on the front, her hair is as orange as a flame and she has cyan eyes. Daphne made her a necklace made to help her control her magic, keep her from accidentally doing something, like burning something down from a nightmare.

The necklace is made of a dark orange tinged metal, about the size of the palm of a hand, it has an engraving of a dragon breathing fire, and at the center is a gem, like liquid fire, as bright orange as Bloom's hair.

On the back of the necklace is a symbol, glowing orange; it is the source of the necklace's power, it means "control".

She begins the spell to send Bloom out of harm's way and the witches' grasp or knowledge.

Daphne runs her index finger on the ground and fire follows where her finger was, she traces a circle of fire around her baby sister and then symbols for where she is leaving and where she is going to end up.

The first half of them describe where she is now, the second half describe where she is going.

Daphne is almost finished with the spell, but the witches arrive before she can add the final symbol, the one that means the planet Earth.

Without it, the spell will put her at the biggest source of magical power in that galaxy, though to Daphne's knowledge that would still be on Earth somewhere.

The spell can take her away from the destruction and chaos, so Daphne activates it and holds the witches off while it works.

Bloom disappears, the only proof she was even there, or the spell was done, is a circle surrounded by symbols, which if you don't know what they mean look like nonsense, burnt into the floor.

* * *

 ***Asgard***

Seconds later, on a place called Asgard, the All-father and Queen Frigga are summoned to the Bifrost, the single most powerful object in the Nine realms.

Something completely unexpected has happened: a baby girl, one Heimdall has never seen before, has suddenly appeared in a circle of dying flames, surrounded by burning symbols inside the magical bridge!

The baby girl has fiery orange hair, and cyan eyes, in a blue outfit, with a pendant on a chain at her feet.

She is trying to catch the embers of the flames, and is not being hurt when she does.

Their two sons, Thor and Loki, also came.

Thor is tall, with pale hair, dark blue eyes, and is carrying Mjolnir, his magical hammer, and is very strong.

Loki is also tall, but he has black hair, gray eyes, and a small dagger; and while he isn't as strong as Thor, he does have illusions and his wits.

Loki can feel something in the little girl, though he has no idea what; all he knows is that she no ordinary baby girl.

He kneels by the baby girl and casts a small spell, a ball of fire for her to look at while they look at the symbols around her.

She surprises all of them when the ball of fire changes to the form of a girl, ghostly, but unmistakably there.

The baby girl says one word, a name "Daph-ne?" while looking at her, then begins to cry when she disappears.

Loki made the fire girl disappear, in fact he had been so startled when she formed that he let go of the spell - so the girl was sustaining it.

Frigga picks her up and comforts her, and notices the name on her outfit "Bloom".

She asks "Is that your name? Bloom?"

The baby doesn't speak another word, but falls asleep.

They decide to raise her, and because they have no clue where she came from or what the symbols mean, they don't tell her about the fact that she is adopted.


	2. Growing Up

_**Growing Up**_

Bloom doesn't speak again until she is three years old, and has no memory of coming to Asgard.

She is closer to Loki than to Thor growing up, for one there is something about them that's the same, they use their heads instead of their muscles to solve problems, and neither of them loses their temper like Thor. Thor also has an ego that is as big as the room sometimes.

She always wears the necklace, and nothing ever happens with any illusions again, until one day when she is five years old, and nearly falling asleep at breakfast.

* * *

She was dreaming about what happened on Domino, though to her they are just nightmares, though very frightening.

She stayed up as long as she could and now is nearly asleep again.

She starts dreaming again, and the necklace chain slips over her head, the necklace falling into her lap.

She begins dreaming about the attack on Domino, and the sister she doesn't know about. And about the Three Ancestral Witches chasing her and the baby girl in her arms down a corridor.

Loki realizes what's happening first when he notices the torches flickering and then when a familiar figure is suddenly there.

It is the girl, transparent and trailing ribbons from her wrists, and cradling something in her arms.

He gently shakes Bloom awake and the girl immediately vanishes.

Thor noticed the torches as well, and raised an eyebrow like _"Was that you?"_ Loki shakes his head slightly in response then nods toward Bloom.

She is awake now, and is putting her necklace back on.

Afterwards, they ask her about it, and she says that she had a nightmare the night before and couldn't go back to sleep, but Loki thinks it's more she wouldn't go back to sleep.

Then they ask about the girl, and the three old hag-ladies, and she freezes.

She clearly has no idea about the torches showing the four figures.

Then she turns around so fast her necklace flies off, and stares at them in shock.

When she describes the dream, she gets scared all over again and the torch closest to her bursts into flame suddenly.

There's no doubt that she has magic in her now, even from Thor - who doubted that she had any since she had not done anything even remotely magical since the day they found her.

A couple more torches flare to life after the first, because Bloom was shocked at first.

But when she got curious about them, the flames died down to a lower height, since at first the flames were higher than any torch they had seen before.

Loki shows her an illusion and asks her if she could copy it.

She says "You mean like this?" and suddenly all the torches in the corridor light.

She is extremely curious now, about how it is happening, and why it feels like it's coming from her.

Loki suggests that she think of something specific, she closes her eyes and suddenly a small dragon is in the flames of the closest torch when she opens her eyes.

A few seconds after she opens her eyes, the little dragon disappears.

A few days later, she can light a fire by looking at it, and she tells Loki something: she can tell when and where a fire is lit, covered or open, and when someone is close.

They don't know it, but she can sense sources of heat.

In a few weeks, she can tell how many people are in a room with her eyes closed, if they aren't so close together they are pressed against one another.

She could find the real Thor in a group of his illusions the first time.

They show Frigga and Thor, but he isn't very impressed, until she tells them that his friends are coming 10 seconds before they open the door.

After that he doesn't doubt that she can do this, or that it could be useful.

Bloom and Loki make a game up where they change the same illusion, until one can't top the other.

Bloom learns to use a sword, but she also learns not to rely on brute force, and 'think with her head instead of her muscles'.

She ages unlike anyone on Asgard, but like a human being, except no human has magic.

They still have no clue where she came from, and not for lack of trying.

They looked all through the library on Asgard, but they know nothing about the symbols that apparently brought her there.

They are like nothing in the nine realms, and so they forget about them after a while.

Bloom shows a gift for battle strategy, something that she can actually do right in Thor's opinion.

Despite what Thor says, she has a gift for weapons - though she's too sweet-natured to hurt someone.

She learns things in months that usually take years - she must have inherited the skill from a blood-family member.

* * *

By the time she is fifteen she knows how to use a sword, make illusions - and do it so that someone thinks it is her - and can plan a large-scale battle.

She learned illusions from Loki, but learned more magic on her own than he could have taught her, including invisibility, and learning to use that sense of heat to her advantage.

She doesn't know the limits of her powers, all she knows is that they react to her emotions violently when her pendant is not around her neck.

When her necklace is on, which is most of the time, she can use her powers deliberately but nothing ever happens by accident; nothing too dangerous anyway. However, when it is off, her magic will react according to her emotional state; she doesn't even realize it, but her two brothers do.

The necklace usually falls off when she trips - she trips a lot but her pendant stays on usually - and Thor makes some stupid comment about it.

Or Thor is feeling really full of himself and starts something, and Bloom is looking at her necklace when he does.

When this happens, she argues with him and gets upset.

The three of them are all extremely stubborn and arguments escalate fast, but Bloom looks up to both of them and Thor can get to her easily.

When this happens and the necklace chain isn't actually around her neck, torches flare up, fireplaces suddenly burst into flame, any fires nearby get twice as high, and the room actually gets warmer until she leaves.

Loki always goes and calms her down, and she stays away from Thor the rest of the day.

She has been to Vanaheim and Alfheim, and has talked with Heimdall about his powers.

She was curious about what he can and cannot do, and she had heard rumors about him having incredible powers of sight and hearing.

He told her that they have some truth to them, but are greatly exaggerated.

He can see all the Nine Realms, and everyone in it, every living thing in Yggdrasil, but no further than that.

If someone left the Nine Realms, he would not see them, would not be able to find them.

Her pendant is roughly the size of the palm of her hand when she stops growing, and she is a good head shorter than her brothers - but for the most part they ignore this.


	3. A Coronation Gone Wrong

_**A Coronation Gone Wrong**_

It's an hour before Thor's coronation, and he is in a very good mood.

Everyone is dressed for the ceremony, in full armor.

He has a drink and then throws the empty cup in a brazier saying "Another!" Another Asgardian tradition Bloom never got the point of.

Loki walks out from behind a column and asks Thor if he's nervous.

They start talking about battles that happened before Bloom was born, and Thor makes a comment about some people doing battle while others only doing tricks.

Then a servant comes with Thor's drink, and Loki turns his hand towards him.

He doesn't know what Loki is doing, until snakes come out of the top of the cup.

He immediately drops the cup, and the snakes slither out.

Then Loki waves his hand to make them disappear, but they slide together and burst into flames, and a fiery bird appears.

Thor and Loki turn around looking for Bloom, and when they are both looking away from her she turns visible before they turn around to find her in front of them, grinning hugely.

She was there the whole time the two of them were talking, but invisibly, something they don't know she can do.

The servant picks up the cup he dropped smiling back at her, she never plays tricks like Loki.

The three of them laugh, but Bloom is a little more subdued.

She congratulates Thor as well, then a guard hands him his helmet.

He is looking at it when Loki says "Ooh, nice feathers."

"Do you really want to start that argument again, cow?"(Loki's helmet has big horns on it)

"I was being sincere!"

"Loki, you are incapable of sincerity."

Bloom says "Loki, if there is one thing I've learned from growing up with you as a brother, it's that you don't have a sincere bone in your body. Thor, can I see your helmet for a second?"

The helmet has these big wings, and when he hands it to her, she holds it with both her hands and stares at it.

And then the wings start moving, flapping, and it rises up in the air exactly like it is alive.

Thor says "Hey!" and jumps trying to catch it.

When he finally grabs it, it passes through his fingers.

She was holding it the whole time, and trying very hard not to laugh while he was jumping around trying to grab an image of it.

Bloom and Loki are laughing now, Thor is to, even though the joke was on him.

Before Thor puts the helmet on, Loki says "Brother, I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. I may get envious sometimes, but never doubt that I-" Bloom interjects "we" "-love you."

Thor says "Thank you both of you."

Bloom says "Well I don't envy you the throne, couldn't imagine sitting there all day like father does, I'm happy for you Thor."

They don't understand it, but Bloom never wanted to rule Asgard, she always said that she couldn't imagine herself on that chair all day, every day, managing nine different realms.

They can both tell that she means this completely, and is genuinely happy for Thor, and partly relieved for herself.

* * *

The ceremony starts and they get in place in the hall.

Bloom and Loki are with the queen, Frigga.

Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun are lined up on the other side of the throne.

Sif is medium height, has long black hair, and is the fiercest warrior in Asgard. She has a fierce love for battle, and won't pull any punches in a fight.

Fandral is Sif's height, has short blonde hair, and likes to be with women.

Volstagg is a tall man, and the fact that he likes to eat is no secret from anyone, including strangers; he is as wide as he is tall.

Hogun is the shortest, with short black hair, a dark skin tone, and a mace at his side.

Odin, the All-Father, is sitting on the throne, and Thor is at the door.

He walks down the aisle, milking the moment for all its worth, made by people clapping and cheering him and kneels at the throne.

Odin says "Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn, wielder of the mighty hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, a fitting symbol for a king, as it can build as well as destroy. Do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambitions?"

"I swear."

" Do you swear to protect the nine realms with your life?"

"I swear!"

"I Odin All-Father name you-"

Odin stops suddenly, right as Bloom senses something new in the home she's lived in for as long as she can remember.

* * *

While the ceremony was going on, three frost giants snuck into the weapons vault, and tried to take a casket that once was theirs.

They grab it, but when they turn away from the pedestal, the wall behind them disappears, and a huge automaton steps out from behind it.

The robot is three times as tall as the frost giants, who are twice as tall as Asgardians.

It blasts the giants to little ashes, and then steps back behind the wall, and it reappears as Odin, and his three children get to the vault.

Bloom looks around and there are frozen guards, the entire room is covered in frost and ice, and some scorch marks where the Destroyer hit the frost giants - along with the casket lying on the floor.

Bloom tried to touch it once, but it sort of shocked her and she never went remotely near it again.

Odin puts it back where it was, and Thor says " The Jotuns must pay for this."

Odin says " They have paid, with their lives. The Destroyer did its work, the casket is safe, and all is well."

" They broke into the weapons vault! If they had stolen even one of these relics-"

"But they didn't."

"Well I want to know how they got in here."

"We will find the breach in our defenses, and seal it. I have a truce with Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, I'll go talk to him and-"

"They just broke your truce! This was an act of war-"

"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail. What would you do?"

Thor doesn't hesitate to answer "March into Jotunheim as you once did. Break their spirits and teach them to fear me so that they will never again dare to attack us again."

"You are thinking as a warrior, not as a king. Have you forgotten all I have taught you about a warrior's patience?"

"While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms burn. As king of Asgard-"

"But you're not king. Not yet."

Bloom and Loki stay silent through the whole thing, and watch as Thor and Odin argue.

Thor goes off in one very bad mood because the day that he's been waiting for, for years, has just been ruined.


	4. Going to Jothunheim

_**Going to Jotunheim**_

Thor goes, and in a fit of rage, turns over the table with the feast on it.

Loki watches this behind a column, Bloom watches invisibly behind him.

When Thor sits down in front of the column, Loki sits down next to him.

As he does Thor says "It is unwise to be in my company now brother."

"Who said I was wise?"

"This was to be my day of triumph."

"It will come, in time. If it's any consolation, I think you're right. About the Jotuns, about Laufey, all of it."

Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun walk in and Volstagg says "What happened here?!" then he takes a plate.

Loki looks at them for a second and turns back to Thor saying "If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once, who's to say they won't do it again - this time with an army?"

"Exactly."

"There's nothing you can do without defying father."

Thor turns to Loki for a second, and he gets a look that both Loki and Bloom know all too well; he usually gets it when he gets a really bad idea.

Loki says "No. No-no-no-no, I know that look, stop right there."

Thor is already standing, and when Bloom peeks out from behind the pillar, she sees the exact look she was hoping not to see.

It's the one that means he has an idea that could very well get him-and anyone with him-killed.

He says "It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders."

"Thor its madness."

Volstagg asks "Madness? What madness?"

But Bloom already knows the answer - she can read her two brothers very well.

Loki says "It's nothing, Thor was merely making a jest."

"The safety of our realm is no jest. My friends were going to Jotunheim."

Loki puts pinches the bridge of his nose, as Fandral laughs saying "Wh-h-at?"

Sif says "Thor, of all the laws of Asgard, that is the one you must not break."

Fandral adds "This isn't like going to Earth, summoning a little lightning and the humans all worship you as a god. This is Jotunheim!"

"My friends, have you forgotten all that we have done together? Fandral, Hogun, who led you into the most glorious of battles?"

Hogun answers "You did."

"Yes! And Volstagg, who brought you the most succulent delicacies, so much so that you thought you died and went to Valhalla?"

"That was you."

"And who proved wrong, all who laughed at the idea that, a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors in all of Asgard?"

Sif replies "I did!"

"True, but I supported you. My friends you're not going to let my brother and I have all the glory, are you?"

Loki asks "What?" He didn't think for a second that Thor would include him on his suicide mission.

Thor asks "Well you are coming with, aren't you?"

Loki turns around and smiles saying "Of course. I'm not going to let my brother march into Jotunheim alone."

Bloom picks that moment to show herself saying "Well then, that goes double for me, because I'm not going to let my two brothers march into Jotunheim alone."

Sif and the warriors three agree to go as well.

They all leave, Volstagg unsurprisingly leaves with a plate of food, and Bloom follows Loki and Thor.

While they are walking out, Loki asks Bloom how long she was behind the column.

Bloom answers with a big grin, and a concerned look "Long enough."

* * *

They all meet outside the palace, and discuss what they are going to do next.

Volstagg says that getting past Heimdall won't be easy, and how he can see and hear anything and everything.

Fandral laughs at this, but Bloom knows it is partially true - she asked.

She and Loki listen to the two of them talk, smiling to themselves.

Bloom is smiling because she knows Heimdall already knows about their plan.

Loki thinks he can trick him, but Bloom knows otherwise.

When go to their horses, Bloom makes an illusion of herself following Loki, and stops at a guard.

She does the most complicated piece of magic she has ever done, making it so that the others don't see her talking to the guard if they look back, while maintaining an illusion of herself walking behind Loki.

To make sure they don't see her but the guard can, she makes herself invisible, but only from one side; if you looked from the palace, you would see two of her.

She tells the guard where they are going and asks him to tell Odin.

She then runs to catch up to the others, and lets the illusion go just before Loki offers her a hand onto the horse.

She gets on and hopes the guard will be very fast, though the fact that the Bifrost is extremely long gives him some time.

* * *

By the time they get to the middle, it has been ten minutes, and Heimdall is waiting for them.

When they get off the horses Loki says "Let me do the talking."

But before he can say anything to him, Heimdall says "You're not dressed warmly enough" proving he knew about the plan since they talked.

Thor comes to the front, pushing past Loki, and says "Heimdall may we pass?"

"Never, on my watch, has an enemy of Asgard slipped through, until now. I wish to know how."

"Then tell nobody where we have gone till we return."

They all file past Loki, and Volstagg says "What's wrong? Silver tongue turn to lead?"

He walks on before Loki can answer, and Bloom says "Come on brother, let's get this over with."

They walk into the Bifrost, and get with the others.

Bloom hates this part of going anywhere from Asgard, the Bifrost always messes with her.

She never told them this, but every time she uses it she gets very dizzy, and it's almost like there is a buzz in her head - it's not a very good feeling.

When they are all ready, Heimdall inserts his sword into the holder in the center of the room.

The whole room starts to spin, as the Bifrost powers up and the spire at the top moves down in front of them.

Heimdall warns them that he will not open the Bifrost for them if it would threaten Asgard, and when Volstagg suggests that he leave it open for them, he reveals that doing that would destroy Jotunheim with them on it by unleashing the Bifrost's full power on the planet.

With that not so comforting thought, which Bloom only half heard because the Bifrost is already affecting her, Heimdall completely activates the bridge, sending them to the icy cold planet they were heading for.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I'm updating the formatting on the story - and yes, it's going to take a while. Bloom's affected by the Bifrost because of her magic, which is very different from what everyone in Asgard thinks it is. Loki would've told her to stay on Asgard, but he needed the help to try and keep Thor alive.**


	5. Unknown Powers

_**Unknown Powers**_

When the Bifrost puts them down, they immediately start to shiver; since the place is practically an ice cube with snow, though it would be more of an ice spike ball than a cube.

The place has ridges and valleys everywhere, and craters, and a ruin in the distance.

Everybody but Loki is already freezing cold, and Bloom starts thinking about warmth and soon doesn't feel the cold anymore.

When they finally get to the ruin, after about a half an hour of walking and climbing, they walk into something like a courtyard.

When Hogun asks where the Giants are Thor says "Hiding like cowards always do."

A voice says, out of nowhere "You've come a long way to die, Asgardians."

Thor demands "How did your people get into Asgard?"

"The house of Odin, is full of traitors."

"Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!"

The seven of them can't see how many frost giants are there, they can't even see Laufey.

He stands up angrily, saying "Your father is a thief and a murderer, and you are nothing but a boy trying to prove himself a man. You know not what your actions will bring. I do, leave now while I still allow it."

Loki comes up behind Thor and says "Thor, stop and think. Look around you, we are surrounded-"

"Know your place brother."

Loki looks at him for a second, then sees Bloom, who is on Thor's other side.

She nods at him, they both know they need to leave now before Thor does something to get them all killed.

Loki says "We will accept your most generous offer. Come on brother."

Loki grabs one of Thor's arms, Bloom grabs the other, and they turn around and walk away, practically dragging Thor between them.

As they are leaving, Laufey says "Run on home little princess."

Loki and Bloom both know what Thor will do, Loki curses under his breath; but before Thor can even move, Bloom's whole being seems to say "No!" to what he would do.

She had been gripping her pendant with her free hand - a nervous habit of hers - when Laufey said that and now her magic reacts in a way she never even knew it could.

She feels a rush of power and heat from her chest, up her arm, and into Thor.

Thor doesn't move, Bloom can feel him trying; but she knows that if he does, they are all dead.

She keeps a tight grip on his arm, and says "Of course I will, and we will just be leaving now."

She turns away and keeps pulling Thor's arm, which seems to release him from whatever Bloom was doing.

She didn't even know how she did it, all she knows is she just saved all their lives.

Loki gives her a questioning look, but before she can even give him a look back Laufey says "What, you need a little girl to answer for you?"

This time she isn't holding her necklace, and there is no rush of power to stop Thor.

He turns around, out of their grasps, and smashes the nearest Frost Giant to pieces.

It is exactly what Bloom stopped from happening before, but now it is too late.

* * *

They all start fighting, Loki uses his illusions, and throwing knives, Sif and The Warriors Three do all right, until Volstagg's arm is grabbed by a Frost Giant and it turns black with Ice-Burn.

Then Fandral is thrown into a couple of ice spikes, and is impaled in three separate spots.

Loki kills two Giants heading for him, and then his arm is grabbed by a Frost Giant; but it doesn't freeze, doesn't even hurt.

Instead his arm turns the same color as a Jotun's.

Loki looks at his arm in shock, then at the Jotun who still has a grip on his wrist.

He stabs it, then watches as the skin on his arm turns back to its normal color.

He stares at his arm for a second, until Bloom screams in pain, a Giant has her arm too!

She tripped, and her pendant fell to the ground.

As she was picking it up the giant grabbed her arm.

More Jotuns surround her, and then suddenly they are all thrown back in a wave of fire.

Bloom is standing up, fire is swirling around her, the snow around her is turning straight to steam, and her irises have turned solid orange.

Loki runs toward her, and when she looks at him it's like she doesn't even recognize him.

After a second, she seems to; and then she collapses, the fire covering her going out like a candle.

Loki catches her, and grabs her pendant and puts it around her neck.

Her arm is fine - if the armor that was covering her arm wasn't missing you wouldn't know that a Frost Giant had grabbed it - but she is burning hot like she is sick.

Loki shouts to Thor - who was too busy hitting Frost Giants to notice that his sister was on fire - "Thor we must go!"

He shouts back, while smacking Jotuns with Mjolnir hard enough to make them crumble "Then go!"

The others noticed Bloom's spontaneous eruption, but they are too busy running for their lives to say anything.

Volstagg is carrying Fandral over his shoulder, and Loki is carrying Bloom bridal style.

All the Frost Giants are going straight for Thor, who just keeps smashing them left and right.

* * *

Thor is almost out of Giants to smash and says "At least make it a challenge for me."

Dozens more Jotuns appear, and Laufey cracks the ice on a statue of a gigantic creature.

The statue is alive, and breaks free of the ice, and races after the others. "That's more like it."

Thor summons lightning and electrocutes all the Frost Giants around him, then moves on to fight more that are coming.

Meanwhile, the others are running for their lives back to where the Bifrost set them down.

The creature is running under the ice following them.

Bloom mumbles "Underneath, its underneath us."

They make it to the cliff, but when Volstagg calls for Heimdall to open the bridge, nothing happens.

The creature suddenly comes up from the ice in front of them, and they all know it will kill them.

Then Thor flies through the creature's throat as it roars at them, killing it very disgustingly.

They are in a semi-circle, and see an army of giants surrounding them.

There is nowhere left to run, and they know they will die if an amazing miracle doesn't happen right then.

Just before the Jotuns charge at them, Bloom moans, then a bright light shines down, and Odin is suddenly there on a horse with a few guards.

Thor says "Father! We can finish them together!" but Odin hisses "Quiet!"

Laufey rises up to the ledge on ice, until he is eye-to-eye with Odin.

Odin tries to convince Laufey to see this incident as the actions of a boy and to let this die there, but Laufey tells him that Thor will get what he wanted: war and death.

Odin says "So be it."

Laufey makes an ice dagger, but is thrown back by the force of the Bifrost picking them up.

* * *

 **AN: Bloom's true powers erupted out of her to protect her and save her life, yet somehow Thor didn't notice his sister's spontaneous eruption - any questions why she was closer to Loki?**


	6. Thor Gets Banished

_**Thor Gets Banished**_

The next thing any of them knows, Odin is yanking the sword from its holder in the Bifrost and ordering Sif and the other two warriors to take Fandral to the Healing Room.

He then turns to the three siblings, and sees Bloom unconscious.

He says "You cannot even protect your friend or your sister, yet you think you can protect this kingdom! What happened to her?"

Thor says he doesn't know, but Loki explains "She was surrounded by Jotuns, but then they were all thrown back. Her eyes were orange instead of blue, and fire was swirling around her. She collapsed when I got near her."

Odin is shocked by this, but also extremely angry with Thor - his idea nearly got them all killed.

Thor says "There won't be a kingdom to protect if we do not act. The Jotuns must learn to fear me just as they once feared you."

Odin says "That is pride and vanity talking, not what a king needs, have you forgotten all I have taught you, about a warrior's patience?"

"While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us. The old ways are finished, and you would stand around giving speeches while Asgard falls."

"You are a vain, greedy, cruel boy!"

"And you are an old man and a fool!"

Odin looks down and says "Yes. I was a fool…for thinking you were ready."

Bloom groans and stirs in Loki's arms, just as he says "Father-"

Odin practically growls at him and Bloom looks up, extremely disoriented - but she knows that Odin is absolutely furious by that growl alone.

Bloom says "Father, no!" before Loki can stop her, and nearly falls over from stepping forward.

She leans heavily on Loki as she says the rest, trying to protect Thor, "Punish me instead. I should have stopped him, but I didn't, so-"

Odin stops her there saying "No, my daughter, the blame for this does not rest with you."

Heimdall told him about the whole plan, and who told the guard to tell him; he knows that it was all Thor's idea, and that everyone else tried to talk him out of it.

Bloom simply didn't try when he would not listen, and instead told someone who would, and could, stop them from leaving.

Odin says "Thor Odinson, you have betrayed the expressed command of your king. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent people to the horror and desolation of _war_!"

He puts his staff in the slot that powers the Bifrost and as it powers up he continues while ripping of pieces of Thor's armor "You are unworthy of these realms. You are unworthy of your title. You are unworthy" he says "of the loved ones you have betrayed."

Loki and Bloom can only watch, they have both tried to stop this from happening - Bloom tries to take a step forward again but nearly collapses.

He ripped Thor's cape off and now takes Mjolnir as he says "I now take from you, your power. In the name of my father" he says as the armor on Thor's arms crumbles off "and his father before him, I Odin All-Father cast you out!"

Using Mjolnir, he hits Thor in the chest and sends him into the Bifrost, and the rest of his armor is left behind.

Odin then sends Mjolnir down after him saying "Whosoever holds this, if they be worthy, shall wield the power of Thor."

He then throws the hammer, now with no engravings on it, into the portal after him.

* * *

Loki leads Bloom out of the Bifrost, which had been messing with her even more than usual - he's thinking she should go to the Healing room, she says she just needs to lay down for a minute.

When he asks about what happened on Jotunheim though, he is in for a surprise.

"I don't remember, Loki. All I remember happening is the Frost Giant grabbing my arm, and then this weird feeling of heat in my chest, and when my necklace fell off it surged out of me. The same kind of thing happened when we were walking away from the Jotuns, when Laufey insulted Thor."

"So that was you! You stopped Thor from moving or answering."

"I was floating in this warmth for a while, and the next thing I know, we're back in the Bifrost and Odin is more furious than I've ever seen him. What happened to me - and to make father so furious?"

Loki tells her what happened to her, and what Laufey said on Jotunheim just before they left.

* * *

Everyone changes, and they meet up, when Fandral and Volstagg are out of the Healing room.

Bloom's laying on a couch, at Loki's insistence - she's too drained to stand on her own, after all.

Bloom and Loki are both quiet, but for very different reasons.

Loki looks at his hand and wonders why he wasn't affected by the Giant's touch like Volstagg.

Bloom is afraid she could have hurt one of them, and that whatever happened to her might happen again.

Volstagg is eating another plate of food while Hogun rubs something on his arm.

The others talk about what happened and how they were saved, and the question comes up from Volstagg "But how in the world did the guard know to go to All-Father in the first place?"

Bloom answers "I told him."

Seeing their stunned looks she sits up and goes on "While you were getting on your horses I told the guard about the plan and asked him to tell Father. I was trying to keep us alive, and make sure Thor got his throne; seeing as it and battle are the only two things he ever thinks of or cares about. I didn't think that Father would banish him, of course I didn't think that he would start a war either."

Sif gets up and says to Bloom "You two need to go to the All-Father and ask him to bring Thor back-"

Loki interrupts "Why? Aside from Bloom, I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you saw how he was today. He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous. Bloom caught fire on a realm made completely of ice and snow, and he didn't even notice! Is that really what Asgard needs for its future king?"

He storms out and Bloom says "I'll go talk to him. As for Father, I tried to convince him not to send Thor away, but you can see how well that worked."

After she unsteadily leaves to go find Loki and talk him down, taking Volstagg's plate of food with her when her stomach growls loudly, Sif says "Loki speaks of the good of Asgard, but he has always been envious of Thor."

Volstagg replies "He did try to keep us from fighting the Jotuns, by accepting Laufey's offer to leave, something Thor wouldn't have done. And Bloom saved all our lives by telling the guard what we were doing."

Hogun says "A master of magic, could have hidden three Jotuns inside the castle."

Fandral says "Loki has always been one for tricks, but this is something else altogether. And Bloom would never do something like this, even if she was a master of magic. Though throwing that many Frost Giants away from herself, and bursting into flame makes me wonder what else she can do."

* * *

Bloom goes after Loki, and follows him to the Weapons vault saying "Loki, I know Thor is impulsive and reckless and kind of self-centered, but nobody is perfect and…and what are we doing in the Weapons vault?"

"There is something I need to know, and one of the relics in here might give me answers. Why are you up? You could hardly stand before."

Loki goes to the very back, and despite Bloom's protests that enough has gone wrong that has a Jotun basis, he picks up the casket.

As soon as he lifts it off the pedestal, his fingers turn dark blue, and the color spreads up his arms, but Odin immediately said "Stop!"

Without turning around Loki asks "What am I?"

"You are my son."

"What more than that?" Loki turns around as he says this, and his face is also dark blue, with red eyes.

* * *

 **AN: Shocker for everyone, I know. Bloom's drained for the first time because of her powers, but it's not as bad as it could be. She's tripping and stumbling as usual, but that's about it - aside from walking into a few walls and getting dizzy waves. Also, nobody had any clue of Loki's interesting color change but Odin and Frigga.**


	7. Truths Revealed

_**Truths Revealed**_

Loki looks exactly like the Frost Giants they just escaped from, though smaller.

Bloom doesn't say anything, doesn't make a noise, but he can see the shock written on her face. The empty plate slips from her hands, but nobody notices it. This is not at all what she expected.

When Loki asks if the casket was the only thing that was taken from Jotunheim, so many centuries ago, Odin admits that he took a Jotun baby, one that was small for a giant's child: Loki.

When Loki asks why, Odin tries to say it was because he was innocent of the whole war, but Loki isn't buying it.

He screams for Odin to tell him, and Odin says he meant to make a permanent peace through Loki, but thanks to Thor those plans are scrapped.

Loki gets upset that Odin never told him, he asks why he didn't know.

He thinks that he is a monster, Bloom tells him otherwise - but it's like he didn't hear her.

He gets upset with Odin, and while he is yelling at the All-Father, he doesn't notice that Odin is sliding to the ground and is not answering him.

It is only when Bloom says quietly, so quietly he almost didn't hear her, "Loki, you're scaring me." that he notices Odin.

He is on his back, with his eyes closed and breathing steadily.

Loki stares at him, and reaches down to touch his wrist, but his hands are shaking; he doesn't want to hurt him, freeze his Father's skin like any other Frost Giant's touch would.

When he does touch his wrist and nothing happens, he is almost dizzy with relief - but also with fear for Odin.

He yells "Guards! Guards please! Help!"

When they rush in, Boom and Loki both stand back.

Bloom is clutching his arm hard enough to hurt, but he doesn't mind - he's glad for it in fact.

It means that she is afraid, but not afraid of him.

* * *

After a while, she goes back to her room and he goes with Frigga to sit with Odin.

Loki says how he never gets used to the most powerful being in the Nine realms being completely helpless until the Odinsleep is over and then asks why they never told him the fact that he is adopted.

She says that she wanted to tell him from the very first day, but Odin wanted to protect him, and that they both didn't want him to ever feel different.

When he asks why they haven't told Bloom that she is also adopted she says "As much as I want to, we have no answers for her. Telling her would just upset her."

Frigga says that Odin does everything for a reason and that Thor might come back from exile.

Loki gets up to leave, but when he opens the door, a line of guards are waiting.

They kneel before him, and an old man holds Odin's staff out to him.

When he looks back at Frigga she tells him that because Thor is banished, he is now king of Asgard until Odin awakens.

* * *

Later, he is sitting on the throne, thinking, when Sif and the Warriors Three come in looking for Odin.

Sif says "All-Father, we must speak with you urgently."

Then they all see Loki sitting on the throne with the staff.

He says "My friends."

Sif asks "Where is Odin?"

"Father has fallen into the Odinsleep. Mother fears he may never awaken."

"We would speak with her."

"She has refused to leave my father's bedside. You can bring your urgent business to me - your king."

He is standing in front of them now, and they kneel, though warily, and then Sif says "My king, we would ask that you end Thor's banishment."

Loki tells them that his first command can't be to end Odin's last and that they must all stand together because of the threat of Jotunheim.

* * *

During all this Bloom is with Frigga and Odin.

She had the same nightmare that she has had since she was young, but this time she let it play out.

It doesn't scare her anymore, she has seen much scarier things that are much closer to home.

She saw a small orange haired baby arrive in Asgard.

The baby had her pendant, and there was a name on the clothes she was wearing: Bloom.

She woke up thinking that it couldn't be true, but she was always curious about the markings burnt into the floor of the Bifrost - and the fact that she can do things that Loki can't.

So, she asks Frigga the question that she is afraid of.

While Odin is laying between them she asks "Am I adopted? Did I appear in the Bifrost one day as a baby? Were those markings made because of me?"

There are tears in her eyes when she asks these questions because deep down she knows the answers.

Frigga takes a second to answer, and when she does, it's the answer that Bloom feared and knew.

Frigga says "Yes, we never told you because we have no other answers for you."

Bloom starts crying and runs out of the room, and runs straight into the Throne room where Loki and the others are talking.

She trips right in the middle of the room, and crashes to the ground, her pendant flying off. The torches in the room immediately go lower than anyone has ever seen them, as she gets up.

Her pendant landed at Loki's feet, and he picks it up.

When he moves to walk over, she immediately looks at him.

Her face is tear stained and shocked, but she says " You knew, why didn't you ever tell me? I would have thought that you would know what this is like!"

She shoves his chest, and they both go flying.

Bloom smashes into a column, and Loki lands alright.

She gets up unsteadily, and after looking at her hands like they betrayed her, runs to her room.

Loki is still holding her necklace, and he knows that she found out about being adopted. He mutters "Oh great."

* * *

Loki goes to find Bloom, mainly by following the path of torches that are slowly building back up.

When he does find her the door to her room is locked and he can hear her crying.

When he tries to get her to open the door, she yells that he doesn't know what it's like for her because he knows where he came from and who his birth parents are, while she knows nothing.

She suddenly screams Loki's name and when Loki asks what is wrong she yells that something crazy is happening.

When he forces the door open, he sees Bloom at the center of her room, everything is flying around her, like she is at the center of a twister.

When she reaches for something, it flies into a wall and breaks - and stuff is catching fire at random.

He somehow manages to get to her and hugs her hard, and everything falls around them one thing at a time as she cries in his arms.

She has gone pale, both at what happened, and the fact that it was her doing it.

She picks up a drawing of the pattern of symbols in the Bifrost that she drew several times, getting it right this time.

She folds it up, and puts it in a pocket.

Then she asks if they ever found anything about the symbols, or anyone who had powers like hers.

He tells her no, and that he looked for years before giving up.

She needs answers and she knows that there are none on Asgard, so she decides to go to Earth, where Thor is.

Finding him, and finding a place to start looking, is her new goal - and she won't let anyone stop her.

She gets an idea for getting to Earth, so when Loki leaves she takes off her pendant and focuses on how much she wants to find Thor, wants to go where he went.

She feels another surge of power, and when she opens her eyes, she is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand, and there is a town in the distance.

She puts her necklace on and starts walking, hoping that this is not a huge mistake.

* * *

 **AN: Big surprise, Bloom's powers went out of control because she's so upset. She's in pretty much the same boat as Loki - except Loki doesn't have to worry about things flying around and catching fire when he gets upset.**


	8. Thor's Fate

_**Thor's Fate**_

After Odin struck him in the chest and sent him into the portal, he lands in the middle of the desert, in New Mexico.

There is a town in the distance, but he landed a few miles away from it.

He also landed just in time to be hit by a van.

The van is being used by Jane Foster, her intern Darcy, and doctor Eric Selvig.

Darcy was driving, but she tried to drive to the side when she got close enough to the Bifrost portal, and Jane grabbed the wheel saying "What are you doing?!"

"I am not dying for six college credits!"

They were each trying to steer the van when Thor walked right in the way.

His head smacks the window, and he falls to the ground.

The Bifrost leaves, and the van stops.

The three people rush out of the van, Jane saying "Get the first aid kit. Do me a favor and don't be dead, please don't be dead."

He opens his eyes and looks at them, straight at Jane who has brown eyes, and long brown hair.

* * *

He gets up, grunting "Hammer!"

Darcy says "Yeah we can tell you're hammered."

Jane sees the pattern that the Bifrost made in the sand and starts talking to the others about how they needed to record the pattern, but Selvig says that they should take Thor to the hospital.

She says "Look at him. He's fine." as he says "Father!"

But then he goes on saying "Heimdall I know you can hear me, open the Bifrost."

Jane says "Hospital. You go, I'll stay."

Thor looks at them and demands "You, what realm is this? Alfheim? Vanaheim?"

Darcy levels a Taser at him and says "New Mexico."

Thor says "You dare threaten me, Thor, with so puny a-"

Darcy Tasers him midsentence, and he falls to the ground out cold.

When the others look at her she says "What? He was freaking me out!"

She and Eric get him into the back of the van, Erik saying "Next time you decide to Taser someone, make sure they are already in the van first, alright?"

They take him to the hospital, and get him registered while he is taken to a room.

* * *

He wakes up right as they are about to take some blood to run some tests.

He trashes the room throwing people around, and smashing everything in it.

They hold him up against the door, and sedate him as he is saying "You are no match for the mighty-"

Jane, Erik, and Darcy discover that Thor was in the event that they were studying, which happened to be the Bifrost putting him on Earth, and go back to the hospital to get him.

When Thor wakes up from being sedated, he is tied to the bed by restraints around his wrists and ankles.

He tries to break them, but can't.

He says "Impossible…" thinking that nothing could be stronger than him, and then remembers something Bloom told him once, "Use your head instead of your muscles for a minute, Brother."

He starts twisting his wrist and slips it free from the Velcro holding it down.

Pretty soon, he is free, and sneaks out of the hospital, only to get hit by Jane again - as she is backing out to look all over New Mexico for him.

* * *

They had gone to find him in the room that he was put in - going past the room he trashed, which Selvig notices - and finding it empty.

Once they are in the van Jane says "I just lost my most important piece of evidence, typical!"

Darcy asks "What are we going to do now?" "We're going to find him, that's what." Erik says "Did you see what he did to that room? I'm not sure finding him is such a good idea."

"Well, our data can't tell us what it was like to be inside that event, and he can."

Darcy says "So we're going to look all over New Mexico for this guy? Great." She gets her Taser out, and Jane backs up, just as Thor comes out of nowhere and gets hit, again.

They rush out of the van and Jane says "I'm so sorry! I swear I'm not doing this on purpose."

They take Thor back to Jane's apartment, and give him some clothes that belonged to Jane's ex-boyfriend, Donald Blake.

Then he says that the clothes would do, and that he is hungry.

They go out to eat, after Thor eats a large box of Pop tarts, and the rest of them get breakfast while he gets more breakfast.

He eats so much a person would think he hadn't eaten in a week.

Jane asks "How did you get inside that wormhole?" and Darcy adds "Also how can you eat an entire box of Pop tarts and still be this hungry?"

She then takes a picture of him smiling and posts it on Facebook.

He asks what he is drinking, which happens to be coffee, and then smashes the cup saying "Another!"

Jane cleans up the mess that used to be a coffee mug, and then tells him not to smash anything else.

Then they overhear two guys talking about a satellite crash, a satellite that was so heavy nobody could lift it.

Thor knows it is Mjolnir, and immediately decides to go get it.

The two men are talking about how there had been a barbecue along with a contest to see who could lift the "satellite", one man even chained it to the bed of his pickup truck, which then broke off.

Thor asks where they crash is, and they tell him it is 50 miles straight west.

He leaves the diner and starts walking down the street with cars honking at him, and Jane and the others running after him.

Jane says "What, now you own a satellite?"

"It's not what they says it is. I'll tell you everything, the answers to every question, if you take me there now."

Selvig convinces Jane not to help him and when she tells him that they cannot take him to the crater, he kisses her hand, and bids them farewell.

* * *

When they get back to the building they are using for their research, they find a bunch of government people loading their equipment into vans.

When Jane tries to stop them, more than once, and argues with an Agent Coulson, he tells her that they are appropriating all their research and data as a matter of national security.

They find and take everything, down to the backups of their backups, and they even take Selvig's laptop and Darcy's IPod.

Jane goes and finds Thor at a pet store, saying "I need a horse."

The store owner tells him that they don't have horses, and starts listing the kinds of pets they do sell. When he gets to birds, Thor says "Then give me one of those big enough to ride."

Jane honks the horn and says "Hey, you still need a lift?"

Thor leaves and gets in the van, and the shop owner gives him a really strange look as he's leaving.

While she is driving, she asks if Thor has done anything like what they are about to do.

Thor has, more times than he can count, and tells Jane that she is brave to do this.

When she tells him about the fact that SHIELD just stole research that took years, he says that she is very clever, "far cleverer than anyone else in this realm."

When she questions the "realm" thing, he asks if she thinks he is strange, and she says yes, but she doesn't know if it is a good or bad strange.

Then they hit a pothole, and Thor tells her that she is looking for the Bifrost.

When they get to the crater, they find that SHIELD has next to built a city around the "satellite".

Thor promises to get all the stuff that they stole from her after he gets Mjolnir.

Thor fights his way past the security, including one very big muscle-bound guy that was as big as Volstagg, but without his fat.

He tries to pick Mjolnir up, but it doesn't even budge, meaning he can't just find his hammer and everything will be solved.

He is arrested, but Jane gets away.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Thor can't just go back home - too bad for him. Also, this chapter is happening at the same time as the last - the two lines of events converge next chapter. PS. Updating the formatting is taking a while.**


	9. Reunions

_**Reunions**_

Jane, and Erik are arguing about what to do about Thor's situation, when they hear a knock at the door.

It is Bloom, who walked to town invisibly and watched what people were wearing then made an illusion to look like she is wearing something similar.

She asked around town, and was pointed to Jane, Darcy, and Eric.

When they open the door, she asks "Hey, I was told my brother was with you? Pale hair, big muscles, bigger ego?"

They knew who she was talking about immediately, and Jane says "You mean Thor right? Yeah we know where he is."

Selvig finally agrees to go get Thor, and Bloom goes with Jane to a trailer that she sometimes goes to - questioning each other all the while.

* * *

Unlike Thor, Bloom answers all of Jane's questions and doesn't have any attitude or ego.

After a while, they ride in silence, and Jane turns on the radio. T

he song 'According to You' plays, and Bloom listens to it in total silence.

After the song, Jane asks "That song remind you of someone?"

"Yeah: Thor. The part about 'you'. I could almost never do something that was impressive to him, and I'm sure you've noticed how he feels about himself."

"Yeah, don't tell him I said this, but it looks like he feels entitled to everything."

"No kidding! Back home he had everything, he was the perfect pampered prince; he just had to say something and it would be brought to him. And all he thought about was a battle, or the throne. Honestly I was getting really tired of 'knowing my place.'"

"Seriously? He told you to-"

"More times than I can count. And that was a few years, I can only imagine how my other brother feels."

They stop talking for a minute, and Bloom takes out the folded-up piece of paper with the drawing of the burn marks in the Bifrost.

Jane notices it and asks about it.

Bloom says "I just found out I'm adopted, and this is how I came to Asgard - so this is how I'm going back."

She explains her dream and how it was a memory.

They get to the trailer, Jane worrying about Thor and Selvig; Bloom goes and draws the pattern in the sand, over and over again.

It doesn't work, so when night falls, Bloom goes and sits on top of the trailer.

* * *

 ***SHIELD Research Setup***

Meanwhile Thor is being interrogated unsuccessfully by agent Phil Coulson.

He leaves after trying to get Thor to tell him where he is from and how he beat his men to a bunch of pulps.

As the door closes, Loki arrives, and tells Thor that Odin is dead when Thor offers to explain to him about Jotunhiem.

Loki tells him that he is king now, and that Bloom has disappeared.

He says "She took father's death the worst, and she found out that she is adopted as well. When I went to find her, she was gone, and nobody knows how she left."

Thor thanks him for coming, and just as he says goodbye, Coulson arrives, and then is told that Thor has a visitor.

Erik is getting Thor, and tells the SHIELD agents that he is Donald Blake, who is really a doctor, and Jane's ex, and that "Donald" was helping them with their research.

When Coulson asks how he destroyed their security Selvig says that he works out a lot and that he is on steroids.

As they are walking out, Thor notices Jane's notebook and grabs it without anyone noticing.

Agent Coulson says to keep Thor away from the bars.

When Thor asks where they are going, Selvig replies "To get a drink."

Agent Coulson has them followed, and they go to a bar and drink a lot.

Thor says that he is not trying to hurt Jane, or lie to her and Selvig says that he will buy Thor another round and then he will leave town that night.

They drink so much that Thor drives to Jane's trailer, and carries Erik inside.

He accidentally hits Erik's head, and says "I am sorry, my friend."

* * *

 ***Bloom's Dream***

Bloom is sitting asleep on the roof, and is dreaming of the girl that sent her to Asgard in the first place.

She introduces herself as Daphne, and tells Bloom how to get back to her, and that they are sisters.

The paper from her pocket appears, and Daphne changes it, most of the symbols are backwards, and there is one missing, and a new one.

She also tells Bloom that she can do anything if she can imagine it.

Bloom was looking at her pendant necklace before she fell asleep, and had set it beside her, and when she wakes up, she puts it back on and checks the page in her pocket.

Just as she thought, it was changed - now it looks exactly like it did in her dream.

She can't believe it for a second, but then whispers "Thank you Daphne. Wherever you are I swear I will find you. That's a promise."

* * *

Jane and Thor go outside and Thor gives her the book he got back.

She thanks him and then says that SHIELD won't stop trying to keep her research in the dark.

He tells her that she must keep trying, and that she is right about her discovery.

He then tells her about the Nine Realms and how they are connected to each other.

She falls asleep, but just before she does, she says "Oh by the way Thor, your sister showed up. She was looking for you."

Thor looks at her in shock, and then when she says that Bloom is on top of the trailer, he looks up there and sees her immediately.

She is awake, and when he says "Bloom?" she immediately looks at him.

"Hey, Brother."

She gets down from the trailer, tucking the piece of paper away.

She tells him that she found out that she is adopted, says how she came to Earth.

They get to talking, and Bloom discovers her brother is not the same as when she last saw him.

* * *

The next day, Bloom makes breakfast, Selvig has a splitting headache, Thor is serving everyone, and the others are sitting at the table.

While everyone is eating, Bloom notices something.

There are two sources of heat, roughly person-sized if they were kneeling down, sitting on the roof of the building next to the one they are in.

They are watching Thor, and reporting in what he is having for breakfast.

Bloom tells the others this and then takes a white piece of cardboard, and traces her finger over it, writing ' _Really?_ ' on it, then puts it in the window that they were looking in - which they record her doing - while Erik and Jane discuss her new theory based on what Thor told her the night before.

Bloom sensed the Bifrost hit Earth for a few seconds then leave before, so she is not surprised, completely, when Sif and the Warriors Three show up and bang on the door just as Erik says that Jane has no proof that Asgard exists.

The four of them are smiling hugely, and Volstagg says "Found you!"

Jane drops her cup, and the three Earthlings just stare at the new Asgardian visitors.

Thor and Bloom talk to them, Thor hugging them, and then he tells them that they should have stayed on Asgard.

When they ask why, he says that they know why: his father is dead.

Bloom says "What? Who told you that? Last I knew, he was alive, but in Odinsleep." and Sif says "Thor, your father still lives."

Thor gets mad, but when Bloom staggers and then looks out of the window at the desert, they all know something is up.

There is a single big cloud out over the desert, and then it disappears.

The Bifrost just brought someone or something else to Earth.

When they walk out, Darcy asks "Is someone else coming?" but from the way Sif and the others are looking, Bloom and Thor both know otherwise.

Bloom has a very bad feeling, and suddenly she feels a sort of spike in her sense of heart, and then it vanishes.


	10. Powers Old and New

_**Powers Old And New**_

The Destroyer - the only thing that could be so large and make so much heat - used its beam on some SHIELD agents, including Coulson.

They thought it was one of Tony Stark's inventions, who owns the biggest weapons manufacturing company in the world.

When Coulson told the Destroyer to identify itself, thinking that there was a person inside of it, it used its beam on them, destroying their cars but not hurting anyone.

Loki sent the Destroyer to kill Thor because Sif and the others went to Earth, he saw them use the Bifrost and sent the giant robot after them to make sure Thor doesn't return to Asgard.

It makes its way to town, where Bloom and the others were getting everybody evacuated.

They listened to Bloom when she insisted that they needed to get everyone out of town ASAP, and the town is completely empty except for them when the Destroyer arrives.

Thor tells them that he can't fight, he is just a man now and would just get in the way.

When they ask Bloom if she can do anything to fight the Destroyer, she says "I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't even know how I did that on Jotunhiem, but it hasn't happened since, and I don't know how to turn it on, or do anything like it. Until then, I didn't even know I could do it. I can't help you fight."

The Warriors Three distract the Destroyer, while Sif gets up high.

Just as it is about to kill Volstagg, who had been knocked hard into a car in the first hit, Sif stabs the Destroyer from above, and seems to beat it.

Then it turns around, its entire body rotating so it is facing Sif, and nearly hits her with its beam at point blank range.

If she hadn't jumped off it, the Destroyer would have killed her.

The Warriors Three are thrown into a bakery by its next attack which caused an explosion.

Thor goes to Sif and says "My friends, you have done all you can, go back to Asgard, stop Loki. And take Bloom with you, drag her screaming and fighting if you have to. She is a far better sister than I deserve, and I will not endanger her again."

He goes to face the Destroyer alone, while everyone watches from behind, Sif and The Warriors Three holding Bloom back.

He has Sif's shield when he walks out, but he drops it.

Bloom suddenly realizes what he is doing, and starts struggling to get free of the grips holding her there.

She is clutching her pendant in her hand, while Thor tells Loki to take his life for whatever he did to make him so angry, and the Destroyer turns away, only to backhand him.

It would have killed him if Bloom hadn't screamed "Thor, no!" and ran forward, out of The Warriors Threes' grips, teleporting and tackling him from behind hard enough to make him bend over; taking the blow meant for him.

* * *

A wave of power is released when she goes flying a few yards, knocking the Destroyer back.

Thor and Jane run over to her, Thor near tears, but she is smiling even though she is seriously hurt.

Thor says "Bloom, you took the blow meant for me? Why?"

"Family looks out for one another… and whoever else I am, I'm still your and Loki's sister. Looks like I won't find out who else I am though. Don't go too hard on Loki, he was even more…sick of it…than I was."

She closes her eyes, and her hand falls to the ground, and opens.

She held on to the one thing she has of her past, even as she saved Thor - her pendant.

Thor is crying now saying "Bloom, you were a far better sister than I ever deserved. It should have been me, if it wasn't for me you would still be alive now. I take back every time I didn't listen to you, just please come back."

They all hear something, and Eric pulls Jane away.

Mjolnir is coming, because Thor offered his life to end the fighting he proved himself worthy of wielding Mjolnir again.

He catches it easily, and gets all of his power and armor, back.

But while everyone is staring at Thor's transformation, nobody notices Bloom's.

When Thor is done changing, he throws Mjolnir at the Destroyer; but when he catches it Bloom gets everybody's attention by saying "Wow, now that hurt."

* * *

They look at her, and if everyone's jaw wasn't metaphorically on the ground, they all drop there now - hard.

Because not only is she completely fine, she is wearing a cyan sparkly haler top, miniskirt, and small boots - all the same color as her eyes - something like a gold tiara hairpiece, and she has small delicate looking wings; almost like a butterfly's.

She discovers this when she stands up with her head on her hand, and then her look becomes one of pure wonder and awe when her wings flick and flutter at her back.

Jane is holding her pendant, but she is too stunned to offer it to her.

Bloom turns around trying to see her back, and rises a few inches off the ground and does a complete turn and a half.

She sets back on the ground when she stops moving, and just stares at nothing in shock, until the Destroyer takes a blast at them.

She instantly throws up her arms as if to block it, and an orange bubble instantly forms around her, blocking the Destroyer's attack.

It takes another shot at her, but this time, she flies up before she can blink.

Bloom lifts up the Destroyer, along with several cars, and then smashes them together by smashing her hands together.

Thor makes a whirlwind, and Bloom flies in it like she was born to, which she apparently was.

She then does something incredible, and makes a giant transparent orange dragon with a beard at its chin, and long spindly arms.

It hits the Destroyer, and it breaks apart into a bunch of little charred pieces, some of which are half disintegrating before flying into the skyline and disappearing.

She feels great, the warm feeling she half remembers floating in when she blacked out is coursing through her entire body and it feels amazing - like it is heating up every single fiber of her being.

What she doesn't notice, is that she is glowing orange like a campfire, and is just as warm to the touch.

* * *

Coulson and a few agents arrive, they were a few miles out, and only just got back to town.

Thor lets the twister dissipate and Bloom is nowhere in sight, she turned invisible.

Thor tells Coulson that they are on the same side, if they return Jane's equipment.

He immediately agrees, saying that they will need it to keep going with their research.

Bloom taps Darcy on the side of the head with her foot whispering "Hey, little help please? I can't figure out how to land."

Darcy pulls her foot down, and she lands with a small "Oomph".

She invisibly walks over to Thor, who is just asking Jane if she wants to see the Bifrost.

She says yes, and Thor pulls her close and flies off, but Bloom grabs his ankle at the last second, to get up in the air again.

She immediately screams in a rush of excitement, much like someone does on a roller coaster when it is really fun.

They hear her - they couldn't not hear her - and she lets go of the invisibility and Thor's ankle.

They fly to the Bifrost site, Bloom learning how to maneuver mid-flight in the process while telling them just how amazing the experience is.

Jane agrees completely, though Bloom seems to be on a rush from flying - and seeing as she now has wings, they understand.

When they get to the Bifrost site, the others driving, they all get out, and Thor and Jane land easily while Bloom lands with another thud.

Thor calls to Heimdall to open the Bifrost but he does not answer.

They try to call him a few more times, but no luck.

* * *

 **AN: Any guesses on how they're going to get back? Rwad to find out! Also, wondering why Bloom's not drained yet?**


	11. Back To Asgard

**_Back To Asgard_**

Heimdall does not answer because he is frozen, Loki froze him and then let a group of Frost Giants through the Bifrost.

He made a deal with Laufey: they kill Odin, he stays king, and gives them the casket.

He froze Heimdall because Sif and The Warriors Three used the Bifrost to go to Earth after he forbid any use of it.

So, he froze Heimdall and then sent the Destroyer after them.

Afterwards he led a group of Giants into Asgard, right as Thor is calling for Heimdall!

Heimdall can hear Thor, but can do nothing, until he breaks the ice he is trapped in, and kills the two Jotuns standing next to him, the others are already on the way to the palace.

He does not have the strength to activate the Bifrost though, and collapses from his wounds.

* * *

When there is no answer, Thor says "He does not answer."

Hogun says "Then we are stranded."

Bloom says "Maybe not. I came here without the Bifrost, maybe I can take us all back."

Sif asks "Bloom, have you ever even done this before?"

"Not intentionally, but you all saw me save Thor, and how else would I have gotten here, because I didn't go to Heimdall."

None of them can argue with this, so when she says to get in a circle around the pattern that the Bifrost makes holding hands they don't question her.

Thor promises Jane that he will come back and then they kiss.

He then joins the circle between Bloom and Fandral.

Her necklace is in her pocket now, Jane gave it back to her when she landed, and she thinks about Asgard, the place that she knows as home; and how much she wants to go back, imagining them all in the Bifrost.

That incredible, delicious heat courses through her, and spreads to the others.

They all gasp, and then they disappear in a puff of orange light and sparkles.

* * *

Only a second later, the all appear in the Bifrost, Bloom grinning hugely, until they see Heimdall passed out on the floor.

He broke the ice and killed a Frost Giant right as Bloom teleported them all.

Thor has Sif and the others take him to the Healing room while he and Bloom fly to the palace.

They make it there in under five minutes, and make their way to Odin and Frigga.

A minute before they get to the room, Bloom senses something: Loki killing Laufey in front of Frigga and the still sleeping Odin.

He then promises to make the Frost Giants pay for trying to kill Odin when Bloom and Thor walk into the door.

Frigga runs to Thor and hugs him, and Bloom who has an illusion up to hide her new outfit and wings.

Thor reveals how Loki sent the Destroyer to kill them saying "Yes Loki, why don't you tell her how you sent the Destroyer to kill us, to kill me, nearly killing Bloom?"

"Well obviously I was enforcing father's last command."

"You're a talented liar brother, always have been."

Loki moves back, and he and Thor are now standing between Odin.

Loki says "It's great to have you back brother. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to destroy Jotunhiem."

He uses the staff to blast Thor, but Bloom says "No!" and flies in front of Thor.

An orange barrier appears, and she flies backward a few feet, unhurt but clearly not touching the floor.

The illusion that she had been maintaining disappears, revealing her new look to everyone in the room.

Loki and Frigga look at her in shock, and she says "Yeah, we've all changed."

* * *

Loki makes it to the door, and then to the Bifrost.

Right before Thor and Bloom go to the Bifrost, she gives Frigga her pendant to hold on to.

Then they fly to the Bifrost, but a few feet from the round building, Bloom falls to the bridge holding her head and moaning.

She tells Thor to stop Loki and turn off the Bifrost.

Inside, Thor sees that the lightning that always shoots out from the staff when the bridge is activated has frozen into a shape almost like an ice tree.

The lightning is making it glow from the inside, and Loki is standing in front of the lightning tree.

Thor lands and says "Loki, stop this now."

"You can't stop it, the Bifrost will build until it tears Jotunhiem apart."

"Why have you done this brother?"

"To prove to father that I am the worthy son. When he awakes, I will have saved his life. I will have destroyed that race of monsters. And I will be true heir to the throne."

"You can't kill an entire race."

"Why not? And what is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You could have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed."

"So have I."

Loki hits Thor in the face with the staff saying "Now fight me."

He then hits Thor again, sending him on his back.

He then yells "I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal!"

When Thor gets up he screams "I will not fight you brother!" Loki says "I'm not your brother. I never was."

"Loki this is madness."

"Is it madness? Is it? Is it?"

Bloom suddenly yells "Yes! Loki this is insane! Turn the bridge off, I can't even think, it is so bad now."

She is leaning against the doorframe for support, and suddenly falls to the ground holding her head, and glowing orange.

Loki continues saying "C'mon, what happened to you on Earth that turned you so soft? Don't tell me it was that woman?"

Thor doesn't answer, which is an answer in itself - and all other proof is written all over Thor's face.

Loki says "Oh, so it was. Well maybe when this is over, I'll go visit her myself."

At that Thor screams while flying towards Loki, who is also screaming.

* * *

They fight, knocking each other over, and throwing each other around the small building.

Bloom is on her knees a few feet from the Bifrost, she's trying to get away from the source of agony in her head.

The Bifrost is making it so that she can hardly think, and can barely control her magic.

She is glowing orange, and trying to keep the heat that she felt inside of her body from escaping.

It is growing now, and she knows that if it gets out, it would destroy everything; she can feel it.

It is flowing through her veins, and it is fire now, it doesn't hurt her, but it will hurt anything, and everything around her, no matter what or who that is - and she doesn't even want to know what it could do to Loki.

Her two brothers blow out of the Bifrost - more like explode really - and Thor lands in the middle of the bridge, while Loki hangs off the edge.

They landed a couple of feet away from Bloom, putting her between them and the building shooting a beam of light down to Jotunhiem.

Thor bends to help Loki up, but it is an illusion; Loki was behind him, and hits him.

Then he makes over a dozen copies of himself laughing, and Thor summons lightning just as Loki goes to hit him again.

Loki is thrown on his back, and Thor puts Mjolnir on top of him.

Throughout all of this, Bloom was on her knees trying not to lose control of her magic and destroy everything.

The heat in her has concentrated in her chest, and the Bifrost is making a ferocious buzz in her head, she can't focus on anything but those two things: her magic and the feeling that she might be torn apart starting with her head.

Thor walks over to her, and she screams " Run! Take Loki and run! I can't hold it in much longer, you have to get out of here. Grab Loki by the feet and drag him if you have to just get out of here!"

The colors in the bridge are completely melded now, and there is a yellowish glow in front of the Bifrost.

Even Thor can feel something now, but Bloom is in agony.

Suddenly, she loses her fight and screams as she explodes.

* * *

 **AN: Seriously? Bloom collapses to her knees and neither of them forget their argument for the moment to help her? I'd have thought Loki would stop the Bifrost - but he didn't know about it affecting Bloom so easily, or so much.**


	12. Leaving Asgard

_**Leaving Asgard**_

The Bifrost is broken, and explodes in a flash of white where Bloom is kneeling - but they can see her explosion of orange all too clearly.

Thor and Loki are thrown back, and Thor grabs the staff, which Loki is still holding, and Thor's foot is grabbed by Odin.

He woke up while Thor and Loki were fighting.

Thor smiles down at Loki, just glad to be alive, and Loki says "I could have done it Father. For you, for all of us."

Odin replies "No Loki."

Loki looks up at them for a minute, then they see and feel an orange glow.

Its Bloom, fire swirling around her, and with orange irises, and walking on floating orange platforms, but alive.

She walks to the middle of the Bifrost, and then takes a deep breath and promptly collapses, transforming back.

Loki lets go of the staff, and falls into deep space.

Thor screams, but Loki doesn't even twitch while he is falling.

Bloom is breathing shallowly, and is ice cold; which worries them the most, because she was never cold until then.

Not even on Jotunhiem, when she warmed herself up just by thinking about warmth.

* * *

She doesn't wake up for two days, and when she does, it is in the healing room.

When she wakes up, she feels like she was drained, like she used all of her energy all at once, which is exactly what happened.

The buzz in her head that became all she could hear and feel - except for the ball of heat in her chest - is gone, and she doesn't remember what happened.

The last thing she remembers is a scream that chilled her to the bone, which she only now realizes came from her, and the ball of heat that she was trying to keep inside of her exploding through her body - and then out of it.

She blacked out at that point, and doesn't know that Loki let go of the staff - she doesn't know that she lost one of her brothers.

When Thor comes in, and finds her awake, and tells her what she did and how long she has been asleep.

He brought something for her to eat, and she eats like she hasn't seen food in days, which she literally hasn't.

When she asks where Loki is, even though she knows something is wrong, he doesn't say anything for a moment - which is more than enough for her to become more than suspicious. S

he says "Thor? Where is Loki, what's happened?"

Thor looks at her, and with nothing but pure regret and sadness written all over his face he tells her how Loki left Asgard.

She cries, and no matter what he says, Loki was the one who always calmed her down - so he has no idea what to do.

He leaves to tell Frigga that Bloom is awake, and she cries for a solid ten minutes before taking out the piece of paper in her pocket.

She traces the pattern on the floor, her fingertip bursting into flame that she barely feels and leaving fire on the ground.

By the time Thor and the others get back to the Healing room, she is long gone, the fires that she burnt into the ground cold.

She left the sheet with the pattern on the pillow, with one sentence on the back.

 _Goodbye, I love you all and I'll come back._

* * *

An instant after she finished the spell, she vanished from Asgard, and ended up in a forest in front of a beautiful lake.

She washes her face, and then recognizes where she is.

She has only seen it once before in a dream, but she would never forget it.

It is the lake that Daphne was in.

When she calls out for her, Daphne immediately appears and Bloom rushes to her, and hugs her like she will never let her go.

She tells Daphne where she has been for the past decade and a half, and what happened recently.

Daphne immediately knows she is telling the truth, and comforts her.

She then starts to teach Bloom magic that nobody on Asgard could have ever taught her, or even thought to teach her.

Magical blasts - little balls of fiery magic that she can throw at her target - among other things.

She also teaches Bloom to transform at will, and to fly without effort - which quickly becomes Blooms favorite thing to practice.

She also teaches Bloom to make things from thin air, giving Bloom clothes that look like what people on Earth were wearing.

All the time she stays with Daphne, she gets better and better with her magic, but something happens.

Daphne tells her that if she is not careful, always in control, her magic could take control of her for a period of time if she gets too scared - as in, mind-turned-off, life-or-death, pure instinctual terror.

In other words, she has to truly believe her life is in danger, or she'd rather die than let something happen to her.

It reminds her of what happened on Jotunhiem, and she develops a good amount of control.

At night, she and Daphne share stories, Daphne of her adventures and Bloom as a baby, and Bloom of her time at Asgard.

As it turns out thanks to learning to fight on Asgard - even though Thor thought she was terrible - she picked up more than a few things and can fight better without magic than most magic users in close combat.

* * *

In two months, she enrolls at Alfea, the college for fairies, which happens to be right near Lake Roccaluce.

In the courtyard, she meets a blonde-haired girl named Stella.

She has light brown eyes, and she seems to sparkle in the light.

Stella says "Hey there! I don't think I've seen you around before. I'm Stella, what's your name?"

"I'm Bloom, I just got here, it's my first day. I've been staying with my sister Daphne for a while."

"Well then, how about I show you around the campus? Uh-oh, look out. Trouble, here comes Grizelda."

A tall woman in a pale blue outfit walks up to Bloom and says "Who are you young lady? And just what are you doing here?"

As Bloom starts to try to explain, a voice behind Grizelda says "Ah, Grizelda. I see you've met our newest student, Bloom."

The voice is from an older woman with a thick head of white hair. Grizelda tries to argue saying "But she's not on my list, headmistress Faragonda."

"But she's on mine. Now, welcome Bloom - and welcome all - to Alfea."

Bloom and Stella walk in with the rest of the girls, Bloom wondering how Faragonda knew about her.

Faragonda gives a speech, and Stella tells her what she will say before she does: stay away from the witches of Cloudtower.

Bloom asks what Cloudtower is on the way up to the apartments, and Stella explains.

There are three colleges in Magix City: Alfea the college for fairies, Red Fountain the college for Specialists, and Cloudtower, the college for witches.

Specialists are the name for boys who are trained to fight people with magic, and whatever they make if they need to.

While they can defend themselves, fighting someone with magic is next to impossible unless you also have magic, as someone with magic can simply hit you from a distance.

They get to the apartment with Stella's name on it and find Bloom's on the list as well, with three other names: Flora, Techna, and Musa.

They all meet, and Flora is Bloom's roommate, Techna is rooming with Musa, and Stella has her own room.

They are all the same height, so Stella suggests they share clothes if they need to.

They all go out for pizza and shopping, they get Bloom a phone and download all of their favorite songs onto it - which is all of them thanks to Musa - and Bloom then spots a big yellow ogre in purple overalls that evening after dinner. He is sneaking around, so Bloom follows him invisibly.

She finds him spying on her new best friends and immediately decides to see who he meets, which happen to be three teenage witches.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, That happened. Bloom, understandably, freaked and left for Magix and the sister she's never known to get some answers. Also, she's discovered how feeling magic-drained feels and it is not good. Taking Kiko out, because he really doesn't fit with the whole story with Asgard - sorry Kiko-lovers. I love him to, but I really don't want him getting killed. So I'm only slightly changing the story, sorry again - please don't hate me for wanting to keep an adorable bunny alive.**


	13. Making Friends And Enemies

_**Making Friends and Enemies**_

One has white hair the exact color of snow, blue eyes, dark blue-green makeup, and a one-piece outfit the same color.

Another one has long brown hair, and brown eyes.

She is wearing a purple outfit the same style as the first, with the same color makeup.

And the last one has wild curly purple hair, and a dark red outfit.

Bloom can sense all of them, with her magic, as well as her heat sense - the two sort of blend together here.

The girl with white hair feels cold, freezing cold, the girl with purple hair feels wild and windy, unpredictable.

The girl with brown hair, well, Bloom can't really get a read on her; she feels elusive, like she might be there but might not.

* * *

The girl with brown hair senses Bloom saying "Sisters, were being watched."

The other two frown, she has never been wrong yet, but they can't see anyone.

The ogre, Nut, steps in front of her, and she makes a copy of herself then disappears.

She finds Bloom in about a minute, and surprises her.

She makes a kind of sound wave behind Bloom, who is still concentrating on the other two, and knocks her on the ground in front of all of them.

She loses her concentration, and turns visible.

As the image of the brown-haired girl disappears, just like the illusions Loki used to make did, the white-haired girl says "Did you get our little joke? Look behind you."

Bloom turns around to find the real girl there who says "Hey there."

Bloom is panicking, but lets them underestimate her, by saying "I'm a fairy, stay back!" but throwing a weak orange beam that falls before it even reaches one of them.

They all start laughing, and then the white-haired girl says "You call that magic? Icy says _this_ is magic."

She hits Bloom with a blast of icy cold wind that blows Bloom down and makes ice crystals form around her.

The brown-haired girl says "And Darcy says _this_ is magic!"

She blasts Bloom out of the ice crystals she was sitting in, and into some garbage cans.

Bloom thinks _oh no_ when the last girl smiles cruelly, her eyes flashing, and makes a small twister saying "And Stormy says this is magic."

Bloom is blown into the roof of the building, and hangs on, trying to pull herself up.

Before she can do anything Icy says "We wouldn't want to leave you up there, so come on down, and _chillax_!"

She picks Bloom up with another icy cold spell, and drops her on the ground, then freezes her.

Icy says "You're a fairy huh? Well, we're the Trix."

The next thing Bloom knows, she can sense her new friends magic, they came to help her!

They fight off the Trix, and Stella gets them all away.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

Bloom thanks them for saving her, and after a few bad suggestions from Stella, they make a name for their new group: the Winx Club.

Bloom suggested it - not knowing where she got the idea from - and they all immediately like it.

The next day, they get called down to Ms. Faragonda's office, and they get assigned a difficult task.

It is a tradition at Alfea that all new freshmen do a difficult job, and the Winx get: cleaning the whole school in one day, every classroom, hallway, corridor, and bathroom.

And they can't use magic or technology.

They are given brooms, buckets, and soap.

After a few hours, Stella gets the idea to invite some of the boys from Red Fountain.

When the others question whether they will get in trouble, Bloom says "Nu-uh. Grizelda said no magic, no gadgets. She did not say no flesh and blood. Besides, this way we might get done before tomorrow."

Stella says "Yeah, and after were done cleaning, we can have a nice party."

They all agree at this, and Stella calls up a friend of hers at the other school.

He brings three other friends with him, and they show up soon.

Bloom is working in another room when they get to the school, so she doesn't meet them then.

Stella decides to introduce her during the party.

She never meets up with them until the party, she was thinking about the witch, Darcy, how she could do illusions and how they were so much like Loki's.

Then, as it had over a dozen times before, the realization that he is dead now crashes over her again.

She keeps working, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears there, she cleans two rooms in ten minutes after that.

* * *

When the party starts, she is fine again, she doesn't even look like she was nearly crying, and makes her way to Stella; who teaches her to dance when she tells her that she can't.

Then she introduces her to her friend Brandon, who has short brown hair and brown eyes.

He introduces her to Riven, who has spiked purple hair, and an attitude that is just as prickly, Timmy, the smartest one of them and a bit of a geek, and Prince Sky, the prince of Eraklyon.

Sky has straight blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and reminds Bloom vaguely of someone from a fuzzy dream she has.

He smiles at her, and is also the cutest boy she has ever seen.

She instantly falls in love with him at that smile, but she doesn't admit it - though she does blush almost as red as her hair.

Techna and Timmy are talking, Stella and Brandon are dancing, along with Musa and Flora.

Bloom dances with them, trying to get rid of the blush that is spreading all over her face and down her throat.

Stella sees it and says "Tonight is great. I found out that Brandon is a great dancer, and is good with a mop. So, what's going on between you and Prince Sky?"

"Um, nothing. I think I'm done dancing, Stella."

"So why are you blushing? Anyway, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know him."

Bloom blushes even harder and goes over to the wall.

Brandon walks over to Sky and says "Man, I think she likes you, she was blushing as red as her hair when she came over Sky."

Before he can answer they hear a loud crash.

* * *

While they were all partying, the Trix came to the school, thinking nobody was there.

When they realize that there are other people in the school, they summon a four-armed minotaur called the Whip to keep them busy, and then summon three bottles called The Vacuums: three bottles designed to find and contain the most powerful of magics.

They then start looking through the college, setting their monster loose on it.

It is what made the crash, and what throws a TV through a window when Stella suggests that someone left one on.

When they get to the ground, the guys take their sword hilts out, and glowing swords extend from the tops, almost like holograms.

The wall is smashed, and there is a trail of destruction in the monster's wake.

The Winx still have no magic, but Bloom has her broom, and is holding it like a staff.

They walk through the destruction, and then suddenly find the Whip.

Stella forgets that they have no magic, and tries to use a spell on the creature, with no luck.

It grabs her arms with one hand, and she starts screaming at an impressive level.

Bloom rushes forward, yelling "Let her go!"

She smashes the thick end of the broom into the minotaur's head with all her strength.

It drops Stella, roaring in pain, and now has a good lump on its head.

Stella runs back to the Winx, while Bloom dodges a blow from the monster's arms.

The boys rush in, but Riven get thrown through two walls, and straight in the path of the Trix!

He is out cold, but Darcy senses negative energy in him - his extremely bad attitude.

She decides to meet with him later.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom's scene is not a party by any means. Fighting the Whip, on the other hand, is what she's been trained to do since she could lift a blade. Not that creature specifically, but fight in general - and it shows.**


	14. College Life

_**College Life**_

While the Trix are talking about Riven, the others are getting creamed - and Bloom comes up with an idea.

She and the rest of the Winx get all their cleaning supplies, and then make some noise to get the Minotaur's attention.

They bang on the buckets in a beat, and Bloom throws her broom at its head, hitting the lump that she made earlier.

They run into a narrow hall, the minotaur chasing them, and then pour all the soap in their bottles onto the floor.

The minotaur slips, and falls into the auditorium, from the second floor.

* * *

Unknown the anyone in the school though, the Trix were following them - or more specifically, the Vacuums were following them and the Trix were following the Vacuums.

Where the Winx run, the Vacuums end up following, with nobody noticing.

Bloom gets the idea to go into Ms. Faragonda's office to see what is happening in the rest of the school, even though that is very much against the rules.

They all agree since nobody has any other ideas, and they set off for her office.

When the Trix get inside, the Winx and the Specialists were waiting for them in the dark.

But the three witches couldn't tell, because the Winx didn't have their magic at the moment.

A fight very nearly breaks out, but Ms. Faragonda and Ms. Grizelda come in at the last moment.

The Trix are sent back to Cloudtower, the boys head back to Red Fountain, but not before Sky and Bloom get each other's cell numbers, and then the Winx go explain everything that happened.

Because of their ingenuity and bravery, the Winx passed the challenge - though quite a harder one than anyone could have imagined.

Ms. Faragonda restores their magics, and they all feel it when they can use it again.

It is different for each of them, but it feels amazing, like something clicks or a switch was thrown in them all.

They all go to sleep, and Bloom can't stop thinking about Sky; who has the same problem, he can't get her out of his head.

He can't stop thinking about how she hit the Minotaur over the head to save Stella, and then came up with the idea that stopped it.

But more than that, he is certain that she is the most beautiful, incredible girl he has ever seen.

She makes simple beauty seem cheap, because she is loyal - would fight a monster like that to save a friend - and honest, and she had a look in her eyes that made him feel like she saw him for who he was, not his title.

He finally drifts off to sleep, but for a few hours only, and wakes up thinking of her again.

He is reminded of the song "According to You", specifically the line " _can't get me out of his head"_ \- which is ironic since he never understood that line until now.

Bloom is dreaming about him, and not her time on Asgard for once, which is a big relief to her.

* * *

Weeks later, they go for their test in the Simulator - which is a very real challenge.

There are rumors all over the school about how hard it is.

They get dressed and go to the class, and then, when professor Palladium - a man with somewhat elfin looks, long blonde hair and pointed ears - asks for any volunteers, and nobody does, he picks Bloom.

Bloom can't believe it, but she has been through worse than a simulation.

When professor Palladium asks her what kind of planet she would like to improve, she asks for a desolate planet - as desolate as possible.

He finds a planet named Domino, which she doesn't know is her birth planet.

Before she enters the Simulator each of the Winx encourage her, Techna saying "Don't mess up" and when Stella asks what kind of encouragement that is she replies "The most logical kind."

Bloom goes inside the machine, and the landscape forms around her.

She opens up her bag, and pulls out a bag of seeds.

She plants them then uses her magic to get them to grow a little.

But unknown to everyone in the Simulator room, three other people are watching Bloom: The Trix!

They are convinced that Bloom has the power they were looking for at Alfea, or knows where to find it.

They summon the Vacuums and use them to teleport to Bloom inside the simulation.

* * *

Bloom senses when the three witches arrive, but she doesn't know why they are here.

She says "What, you three want to destroy the school again, or are you here for something else?"

Icy blasts Bloom, but she puts an energy shield up.

She then takes a shot at Icy, hitting her solidly and throwing her a few yards away.

They get into a big fight, which destroys the simulated area, and then Icy says "Well, seems we underestimated you, Bloom. Sisters, let's just destroy her and end this!"

All three witches combine their magics on Bloom, who blocks it with a shield and surrounds herself with fire - earning her Charmix transformation.

She lets loose a big burst of magic, with the intention of _sending the Trix away_.

The magic does more than that, it fixes the virtual land around her, and the Trix are sent back to Cloudtower as glowing orbs of light the colors of their respective magics.

The Trix entering the simulation nearly fried the computer, and nothing that either Palladium or Techna could do helped.

But now with the three witches gone, Palladium casts a spell that fixes the computer, and the simulation ends.

Bloom passed, with flying colors, and all the fairies, starting with Stella, run to her and congratulate her.

Stella hugs her, and then the others pick her up on their shoulders and toss her in the air like a celebrity.

Meanwhile, back at Cloudtower, the Trix return as lights, then reform.

Then they start laughing, and Icy says "Yes. Yes, Yes, Yes! It is Bloom! Sisters, we have found the power of the Dragon Flame. And it will soon be ours!"

* * *

For Bloom, the rest of the year passes in an untroubled blur, while the Trix wait and scheme.

The Winx spend their time hanging out, studying for tests, and using their powers.

They each know spells and little tricks they came up with over the years.

Musa can make song lyrics reality, Techna knows how to manipulate technology, and use it with magic, and Flora can communicate with plants.

One thing Bloom never tells anyone is that she can see people's auras, which appear as misty blue images over people's heads - it lets her see people's true natures, she can read people like open books.

Not like she couldn't before though.

All this is in-between things they learn in classes, which include defensive and offensive spells, a class where they learn the meanings of all the symbols that are used in magic, with the help of a spell that literally imprints them into their minds, and practical magic such as Scrying - Grizelda even teaches a self-defense class that Bloom excels in.

Other classes include gym, and dance class, both of which Bloom likes.

Things are fine until Spring Break, which happens to be when they are learning to use Telekinesis.

Nobody is very good at it - even Bloom - and people who are practicing usually end up slammed against a wall in the attempt to use their magic correctly.

When classes end for two weeks, everyone is going back home, to practice, and relax.

They have a test on levitating things the week after they get back, and one on Telekinesis two weeks after.

There is only one place Bloom wants to go, because it has been almost a year since she left: Asgard.

Because time in Magix is the same as time on Earth - and therefore Asgard - it has been nearly a year since she saw her brother, either one of them.

* * *

 **AN: You think Bloom's ever going to find out about the Dragon Flame? Or how Spring Break will end up? Read and find out! PS. I really didn't want Kiko getting shot in the stomach or anything, given the way the Destroyer nearly blew up that whole town in New Mexico...**


	15. Loki's Alive!

_**Loki's Alive?!**_

Directly after the events in New Mexico - because of them - Erik Selvig was asked to come to a secret facility owned by S.H.I.E.L.D.

He agreed to study an object called the Tesseract.

This object is a glowing blue cube, not very big, but full of cosmic energy.

They determined that the cube is a door to the other end of space, and is extremely powerful.

And everyone working on the project knows that anything powerful has the potential to be dangerous.

What they could not have known, is that someone else knew about their work with the small cube with the potential to destroy the world: the Chitauri.

They send someone with a spear that can control a person's mind; not exactly brainwashing, but no real free will either.

They send a person that has been with them for nearly a year, and has gained their trust enough to be sent: Loki.

The Tesseract starts to react when the Chitauri activate it, and SHIELD is alerted immediately.

The process is slow to actually make a doorway, but when it happens, Director Fury and Agent Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye are standing there.

The "doorway" is actually the Tesseract shooting out a beam and teleporting Loki to the underground lab.

All the sensors in the lab pick the energy up when this happens, along with everybody in the Magical Dimension.

Everybody in that galaxy felt Loki travel - especially Bloom who happened to be awake and tried to track it - and it stirred up a storm of activity the night before spring break.

* * *

When Loki appears in the lab, Fury asks him to put the glowing spear he is holding down, as the excess energy concentrates at the roof.

He looks at it like he didn't even realize he had it for a second, then at them, and then shoots a blast from the glowing end at Fury and Agent Barton.

They roll out of the way, and everyone starts shooting bullets at Loki, but they just bounce off his armor.

He kills most of the people, and then uses his spear to control Barton.

He touches the point of the spear to Barton's chest, and a bright blue glow flows up his neck as his eyes turn pure black, then the same color blue.

He puts the handgun he was about to use back in its holster.

While Loki brainwashes another man, Fury puts the Tesseract in a special briefcase quickly.

He closes it and starts to leave, but Loki says "Please don't. I still need that."

"This doesn't have to get any messier."

"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else."

Fury turns around at this.

"I am Loki, of Asgard. And I come burdened with glorious purpose."

When Loki said where he used to live, Erik Selvig recognized him, from what Thor had told him along with the stories he knew from growing up.

Fury says "We have no quarrel with your people."

Loki responds with "An ant has no quarrel with a boot."

"Are you planning on stepping on us?"

"I come with glad tidings: of a world made free."

"Free from what?"

Fury is getting a really bad feeling about this but there isn't anything he can do with Loki pointing his spear in Fury's general direction.

Loki answers "Freedom, is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart-" he turns around and taps Selvig in the chest, controlling him,"-you will know peace."

"Yeah, you say peace, but I kind of think you mean war."

Barton was watching the energy from the Tesseract over Fury's head, and it is pulsing, and expanding.

He says "Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This room is about to cave, he means to bury us."

Fury says "Like the pharaohs of old."

Selvig confirms what Barton said, the portal that Loki made is collapsing on itself; and when portals collapse, there tends to be explosive results.

Barton shoots Fury in the chest, and Loki grabs the briefcase, but Fury is wearing a bulletproof vest.

* * *

When they get out to the cars, they get into a truck with Loki in the open back.

They ignore Agent Hill, who came with Fury, but when Fury uses his walkie-talkie to tell her that the Tesseract was stolen, they hit the gas, and speed forward.

She gets into a jeep, and tries to shoot at them, but nearly gets her head blown off when Loki takes a shot at her with his spear.

She swerves the jeep, and it barely dodges the attack.

She gets out of the tunnel right before it collapses, and Fury flies over on a helicopter and tries to shoot Loki.

He misses, and Loki shoots down the copter.

Fury jumps out when the copter is a few feet from the ground.

The truck gets away, with Loki and the Tesseract.

Fury decides that they are at war with Loki, and calls it in.

He then has some of his agents - Agents Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff - gather some people that would help.

Fury goes to see Steven Rogers a.k.a. Captain America.

Rogers was frozen in ice since WW2, and had fought the Nazi science division Hydra.

The Tesseract was Hydra's secret weapon, and he was the last person to have it before it was lost.

He let it make a small hole in the ship that he was flying, after it consumed the Red Skull, who was holding it with his bare hand.

Fury enlists Rogers to help him stop Loki, and when he asks if there is anything that they should know about the cube, Rogers says that they should have left it in the ocean.

Agent Coulson calls up Natasha Romanoff, another agent that is working on an assignment.

She is currently tied to a chair, and is being interrogated, and the ones who are doing this are unwittingly telling her everything she wants to know.

Her phone rings and Coulson is on the line.

With help from a threat of a missile, he talks to her, and convinces her to come back and talk to someone by telling her that Hawkeye is in trouble.

She knocks all three people she is with out, and then goes to talk to Bruce Banner while Coulson talks to Tony Stark.

Bruce Banner had an accident involving Gamma radiation that made him transform into a gigantic green creature three times his height, with muscles as big as a small car.

Tony Stark is a millionaire genius who made a suit of very advanced armor that lets him fly and fight supervillains.

It has blasters in the gloves and the chest plate.

He powers this with an electro magnet in his chest, which keeps a group of shrapnel from getting to his heart.

They both agree to come in and help stop the possible end of the world.

Rogers meets Bruce Banner on the Helicarrier, and they hit off well.

SHIELD is searching the planet for sightings of Loki, they tap into anything wireless.

* * *

They get a hit after several hours: he is in Stuttgart, Germany.

More specifically he is in a museum, looking for a specific person.

Hours before, Barton had taken them all to a deep underground base that was considered for the Tesseract project originally.

It has three feet of lead between the outside world and the cube.

There are also many mercenaries, and soldiers there.

Loki talks with the leader of the Chitauri, after focusing on the spear.

He then talks to Barton, and Selvig. Selvig needs Iridium, which he didn't even know until the Tesseract showed him.

It showed Barton who he would have to kill to get it.

Loki asks what he needs and Barton says "I need a distraction… and an eyeball."

* * *

 **AN: Okay, this is happening on Earth and Bloom's currently in Magix - which is why she only has a cameo in this chapter. Guess what happens when she tries to go back home. Read and find out!**


	16. Bloom Finds Him

_**Bloom Finds Him**_

The lock for the safe the Iridium is in requires a specific person's eye scan.

This person happens to be in Germany, along with the Iridium.

So they go to the museum where it is kept, and Loki gets Barton an image of the man's eye.

Barton is waiting at the lock with a device that shows an exact image of whatever is transmitted to it.

To get the image, Loki hit a guard over the head with his spear, which he was using as a walking stick, and then threw the man who was in charge of keeping the Iridium safe onto a stone table, and jammed a device onto his eye.

This device sends an image of the eyeball to Barton's, letting him steal the Iridium.

* * *

In the building, people are hysterical, and running for their lives. Loki has on a tuxedo, but now he changes into armor from Asgard.

He now has his gold and green armor, and tells everyone to kneel before him, and when they all run, he makes three illusions of himself, and yells "KNEEL!"

Everyone goes quiet, and then kneels.

He talks about how them all subjugation is humanity's natural state and that they will always kneel, when commanded.

An elderly man stands up and defies him, and Loki tries to make an example of him.

But before he does he hears a familiar, and thoroughly shocked voice say " _Loki?!_ "

Its Bloom, and she is staring at him with big shocked eyes.

She says in a small voice " _You're alive._ " and then falls sideways in a dead faint.

* * *

 ***Before***

She had been trying to teleport to Asgard, but her mind was on the feeling from the night before, and only managed to get to a giant, sinkhole-sized crater in the ground on Earth after many failed attempts.

What she didn't know is that the crater was where Loki had been brought, and then destroyed.

She spent half an hour getting herself out of there, when she felt something familiar: Loki's magic.

When Loki left, he left a gap in her senses: she had been sensing his magic for years without knowing it.

She only realized it when she couldn't sense it anymore.

So she instantly decided to see what had filled the gap in her perceptions, and teleported to the source.

And she found the one person she never thought she would see again: the brother that she had lost.

She is so shocked, not just because its him she sees, but because all her senses tell her this is real - including her senses for magic and heat - that she faints from shock.

 ***Now***

When Loki turns back, Captain America throws his shield at him and knocks him down.

Loki says "Ah, the soldier. The man out of time."

Rogers says "I'm not the one out of time."

Agents Romanoff and Coulson are piloting a jet plane, which is equipped with a blaster.

Loki tries to shoot the plane down, but misses, and then he and Rogers fight.

The fight lasts for about two minutes, and then Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man comes into the fight - hacking the audio systems on the jet to play a rock song - knocking Loki down, and then pointing about two dozen different small rockets and lasers at him.

Stark says "Make a move, reindeer games."

Loki puts his hands up and his outfit changes to his usual black armor.

Stark says "Good move."

Bloom wakes up, hearing the words 'reindeer games' and thinks she is back on Asgard.

She sits up saying "Wow Thor, I've heard you call Loki names about his helmet before, but that's…"

She opens her eyes and sees she is in Germany "…new. Oh, here…good."

She then looks over at the three people, two who are looking at her like she might be crazy, and sees the spear lying on the ground.

Loki sees his chance, and lunges for it.

But Bloom trusts out her hand, and the spear goes flying into it, throwing Stark off his feet in the process.

He was standing between Bloom and the spear.

But when she grabs the spear, she grabs the glowing end, and she isn't on her guard, and doesn't have her pendant on.

She tries to fight the spear's power - and explodes, leaving a perfect five-foot ring of black ground around her, and lying unconscious in the center.

* * *

They get both Loki and Bloom on the jet, and then take off - questioning Loki about Bloom the whole time, who is as shocked to see her as she was to see him.

They can't get the spear from Bloom's grip, no matter how hard they try.

Stark does a scan of her, and everything shows up normal, except the thermal scan.

Her entire body is several degrees warmer than any normal human being: it's her magic manifesting itself.

She talks under her breath, and they make out words, but they make no sense until the radio starts acting up.

Romanoff tries to fix it, and thinks Stark is hacking the audio systems again, until they hear Bloom's voice.

 _"Is this where you've been all this time, Loki?"_

They all can't believe it, but it happened, and they have to believe it when they hear her voice again.

 _"Who, or what, are you?"_

 _"I am the Red Skull. And who are you, besides a weak, scared girl that is?"_

 _"You don't know anything about me, and besides emotions just make me stronger."_

 _"How did you get the spear? The one it was given to, while he has little ambition, would not give it up so easily."_

 _"Black hair down to his neck, dark colored armor, a thing for ruling, says he was a king? Yeah, I met him. Why, is he important to whatever your plan is?"_

Loki actually looks hurt at her casual description of him, but before anyone notices a new voice cuts in saying _"He will lead the Chitauri army through the portal into Earth. Now, give us the Tesseract."_

 _"I wouldn't give you what you want, even if I knew what it is you're looking for."_

The first voice starts talking again saying _"Ah, I see. You've met him after all. Tell the Brooklyn boy that I say hello."_

Before anything else is said, Bloom suddenly moans.

The radio cuts back to static, and the spear falls from her hand.

She doesn't wake up, but now the radio has stopped and a big storm has started up out of nowhere.

* * *

Rogers looks like he has just seen - or heard - a ghost, and everyone is looking at Bloom except Romanoff and Coulson, who recognizes Bloom.

He has a video on his phone of her putting the sign in the window back in New Mexico, sent to him by one of the two agents.

Romanoff's trying to keep the jet going in the storm, Stark tries to get an explanation from Loki, but he has no clue how Bloom did any of that.

This goes on for about five minutes, when they hear a very loud crack of lightning, close to the jet.

Loki looks around nervously, and Rogers says "What's wrong, scared of a little lightning?"

Loki replies "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Right after, they all hear a thud on the roof, and when they door opens, Thor steps in.

Stark has his helmet back on, and tries to shoot him, but Thor hits him with Mjolnir, and sends him into the cockpit.

He then grabs Loki, by the neck, and flies off with him.

Stark says "And then there's that guy."

Rogers asks "Is he a friendly?"

"Doesn't matter. If he kills Loki or frees him, the Tesseract is lost."

"Stark we need a plan of attack."

"I have a plan: attack."

Stark flies off, and then Rogers gets a parachute and goes after them.

Bloom still hasn't woken up, but she isn't doing anything bizarre either.

* * *

 **AN: Thor didn't see her, he was only expecting Loki and didn't look for her. Also, anybody wondering exactly what happened to Bloom or why she moaned? Read to find out!**


	17. Family Reunion

_**Family Reunion**_

Thor flies Loki to a ridge and then throws him to the ground.

He lands on his back, and after groaning, laughs and says "Oh, I missed you to."

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

Loki is getting up, saying "You should thank me. With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to summon to send you here, your precious Earth?"

 _That might be why Bloom moaned..._

Thor grabs him and looks straight at him.

He says "I thought you dead."

"Did you mourn?"

"We all did, Bloom took it the worst. Our father-"

Loki interrupts him saying "Your father. He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

He walks down the ridge, still sore from his less than perfect landing.

Thor tries to get Loki to come home, and when he asks about Bloom, Thor says "Loki, Bloom left. She left when she woke up two days later, the marks are burnt into the floor of the room."

Loki feels bad for that, but tries to push the feeling away - it doesn't really work, but he hides it well.

Then Loki goes on a rant about how he knows the Tesseract's power, and then Thor asks "Who showed you this power? Who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!"

" _Not here!_ You give up the Earth, you give up the Tesseract, you give up this pointless dream! You come home."

Loki looks at him for a second and then grins saying "I don't have it."

When Thor grabs Mjolnir, Loki continues "You need the cube to bring me back, but I've sent it off I know not where."

Thor starts off saying "You listen well brother-"

He doesn't get any more out because Stark slams into him at high speed.

Loki says "I'm listening."

* * *

Thor and Stark land in a clearing, and Thor says "Do not touch me again."

"Then don't take my stuff."

"You do not know what you're dealing with, metal man."

Stark pretends to think for a moment, then replies "Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother know, you weareth her drapes?"

Thor mutters "Tourist" and then throws Mjolnir at Stark, hitting him square in the chest-plate.

Stark goes straight through a tree, and then says "Ok" before flying into Thor and landing on another tree.

Loki sits down to watch them beat each other to a pulp, and that is exactly what they do.

Stark even head-butts Thor, when Thor is crushing one of his gloves, and then Thor head-butts him back, hard enough to put a good dent in the helmet.

Its only when Rogers throws his shield and hits them both that they stop fighting.

He says "Alright, that's enough. What do you want with Loki?"

Thor answers "Loki will face Asgardian justice for his crimes."

Rogers says "He gives up the cube, he's all yours. For now, you say you're on our side, then prove it: put the hammer down."

Thor hits Stark as he tries to warn Rogers that was a bad call, and then all three of them start beating each other to a pulp.

* * *

While Stark and Thor were fighting, Bloom woke up, transformed, and went to see what was going on.

The reason she was interrupted is the Allfather used dark energy to send Thor to Earth, and she sensed it.

She woke up, and wanted to know what was happening, so she transforms into her Charmix form, and flew out the door, after she opens it with a magic spell.

She flies out, and finds all three guys - apparently trying to see either who could bruise the easiest, or who could hit the hardest.

She tries to get their attention, first by yelling "Hey!" then by glowing bright orange.

Finally, she gives up and just throws two magical blasts at them.

They hit Rogers's shield and deflect, one going straight back at Bloom, the other going for Stark. Stark shoots it with the lasers in his gloves and it explodes sending them all flying.

Bloom gets hit with the other ball of magic, and goes through three trees before landing in a very sore pile.

The guys get up from where they landed, and Thor goes and finds Bloom who happens to be lying on the ground four yards from them.

He gets to her as she sits up groaning.

He then hugs her, which she changes back to human form for.

He then asks "Bloom? Where have you been?"

She answers "Where have I been? I've been in the magical dimension. Where's he been? Wait, I know where he's been."

The question - and answer to the question - was in reference to Loki, who she pointed to.

Rogers didn't move much, because he was behind his shield when the second ball of magic exploded, but he has seen an explosion similar to that one: when Stark's father did an experiment on a piece of the Tesseract's power during WW2.

The tiniest piece reacted incredibly explosively with a touch of electricity.

Bloom's attack, with Stark's laser, made an explosion that was just as powerful and dangerous.

When Bloom sees that she has their attention, she says "Now, can you three stop trying to see who can hit the hardest and figure out who is on which side?"

* * *

Stark asks "Three questions: how did you get down here, how did you do that with the exploding balls, and what the heck happened to you before?"

Bloom stands up rubbing her back, and says "All three answers have a simple explanation: magic."

She sees that Stark and Rogers don't believe her, so she says "Believe me or not, it's no consequence to me."

Rogers asks what she is, and she laughs and then looks him straight in the eye and says "I'm a fairy."

Stark laughs at that, then says that fairies don't exist.

Bloom says "Then you won't try to stop me from going flying."

She flies to clear her head, and because it's so much fun.

Stark says "You can't fly, not unless you sprout some wings first."

He meant it sarcastically, but Bloom says "Great idea - Charmix!"

She takes a running start while talking, and transforms mid-step.

She dives off the cliff, in a perfect dive, and then flies up and into the clouds.

Everyone, Thor and Loki included, stares as she disappears into the clouds and rain.

The storm Thor made is still going a half hour later, and Bloom is still not back.

Jarvis, the AI in Stark's suit, hacks Bloom's cell phone, after detecting it.

They have him put it on the PA system, and then they hear the song "Wake me up" by Avicii, and then Bloom answers.

They can tell from her voice that she is having a lot of fun, but she reluctantly agrees to come back to the jet.

When they ask where she is, she says that she is above the storm raging around them, so in the upper atmosphere.

* * *

Five minutes later, they hear a thud on the roof again.

Romanoff says that they can't open the door, so Bloom tells everyone to get away from the middle of the floor.

Then, after a minute to make sure that they did, she traces her finger on the metal.

From the inside, they see a line of red-orange circle around and meet itself.

When it does, the metal immediately falls to the floor.

She made the hole a little too small for her wings, so she transforms back to her human form, hangs down, and then changes back, and hits her boots with a spell.

When she puts them to the ceiling, they stay, and she levitates the circle of metal back to its original spot with a bang - and then retraces the circle she made, sealing it.

She then lands on the floor dripping wet, and starts to glow bright orange.

When she is done, she is completely dry and smiling like she has had a blast.

Stark starts to ask how she did that, but then stops because it was really the least bizarre thing they have seen her do.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, any Stark doesn't believe her when she says she's got magic why? She flew off the cliff, he got a great view of her wings and all - where's the part where she might be crazy? Will Stark ever decide she's not crazy or lying? Keep reading to find out!**


	18. Bloom Has Changed

_**Bloom Has Changed**_

They all ask her if she learned anything when the spear did whatever it did to her.

She answers "The spear sent my mind to where it came from, when it tried and failed to do whatever it is it usually does to people. It must have been where Loki has been all this time, because whoever it was I talked to seemed to know him."

The second sentence came with a glare from her at Loki, who didn't even look at her - he's looking at the floor.

Rogers asks what this person looked like, and she gives a description of someone in a military uniform, with a red skull for a face.

She then asks "Hey, what's the Tesseract? The guy I talked to wanted it, and he seemed to think that because I had the spear, I knew where or what it is. So anyone want to fill me in?"

Coulson tells her a little about the experiment, but he only gets to the part about it being a potential source of unlimited power, when Bloom interrupts asking "Unlimited power? Unlimited _cosmic_ power?"

When Coulson says that that may be the case, she practically explodes saying " _What?! And you lost it?_ How could you mess around with something that powerful, and _lose_ it? No wonder the spear took my mind to space, cosmic power is supposed to be able to take a person to deep space. And if Loki used it to get here with the spear, then it could be used to talk to whoever is still there! You're telling me, that you've been experimenting on something that powerful? You can't control it, could never even hope to control it! I can't believe that this planet is still in the same spot in the universe, it has the power to move the whole planet, are you trying to possibly end all life on this planet?"

Before she can say anything else, Rogers asks "Wait a minute, how do you know all this stuff? The spear couldn't have shown you all that."

"No, it didn't. But, you go to school, you learn a few things. And something so powerful like that, well, its in the books. There isn't really anything on Earth in our classes - aside from the fact that this planet is devoid of all magic that is. But something that powerful? It's in the textbooks."

Natasha asks "Wait, you're _in college_?"

"Yeah, and I'm really good at it."

"How is a college girl the sister of two Asgardian gods from myths made in Norse times?"

"Long story, one I haven't found yet. I do know we have a sister though you two!"

Thor and Loki start in their seats - they have another sister?

Thor hopes she isn't as defiant and fiery as Bloom - Loki just hopes he can meet her at some point after all this.

After about an hour she falls asleep suddenly, she was talking almost nonstop - until she got to the part of how Loki's been alive all this time and she faints again.

They all get her talkativeness was to hide how freaked out she was - the brother she had thought was dead is, in fact, alive and sitting in the seat opposite her.

Thor catches her, and asks "What's wrong? Bloom, wake up!"

Even Loki's looking concerned, but Stark says "At a guess, she's still in shock - that's quite a story she's got. She was passed out on the ground when we first saw her, I'd say the shock of someone she thought was dead for nearly a year hasn't worn off yet."

Bloom wakes up a minute before they land on the Helicarrier, and then starts looking around and talking about how one of her roommates would love it on there.

* * *

Once they get inside, Loki is taken to a big cell in the middle of the ship, hanging over a very large hole in the floor that seals.

Loki compliments the cage, and then makes a jab at Fury about Banner, then at the fact that they had the power of the Tesseract - unlimited power - and then saw what 'real power' was.

Fury responds with "Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something" and walks away.

Everyone is watching this from a camera, and Bloom is the first to do anything, by saying "Oh, shut up Loki. You wouldn't know 'real power' if it was staring you straight in the face."

She then snaps her fingers and the picture of her brother vanishes.

All the others look at her, and then Rogers asks "Loki is going to string this out. Bloom what's his play? You probably know it, seeing as you met who he's working with."

"He is going to lead an army of aliens I've never even heard of before calling themselves the Chitauri in an invasion through the Tesseract to Earth, then he will give them the cube, and will remain to rule. That's likely the big picture at any rate."

Banner says "Maybe we shouldn't be focusing on him, his head is a bag full of cats. You can practically smell crazy coming off from him."

Thor interrupts saying "Have care with how you speak of Loki. He may be beyond reason, but he is still an Asgardian, and still my-" at a glare from Bloom he amends "-our brother."

Agent Romanoff says "He killed eighty people in two days."

Thor says "He is adopted."

But Bloom says "He _what?_ "

Everyone with headphones on listening to some radio suddenly hears an earsplitting ring, and yanks off the earphones in pain.

Bloom continues saying " I'm adopted too, and you don't see me going around using magic on people just for the fun of it."

Banner suggests that they focus on why they would want Iridium, and Stark gives them the answer: the portal.

Iridium is a stabilizing agent, and it will stop the portal from collapsing and exploding like it did before.

All that would be left is a power source.

It would have to be very powerful, and able to heat the Tesseract extremely hot, just to break through the outer cooling barrier.

Bloom goes pale, and they all look at her, when she asks "Is there anything on this planet that can heat that thing up that much?"

Stark says "A few, but none that are very portable, or convenient why?"

In answer Bloom turns invisible - which she does when she is either nervous, self-conscious, or doesn't want to answer a question.

One minute she is there, the next she winks out of apparent existence, and then asks if there is somewhere quiet she can practice for the tests she needs to pass when she gets back to school.

They all see the obvious change of subject, and the answer in it.

The only place is the room where Loki is, so she decides to try to get him to talk while she practices.

When she reappears, walking down a hall, Stark asks Thor if she could really heat anything up that high.

He says that he doesn't know what she can do, and that she might not either.

Coulson shows everyone the video of her putting the cardboard sign with 'really?' burned on it, which says a lot about what she can do.

* * *

 **AN: Bloom was talking so much because she was so nervous - and her fainting again was from the shock of discovering Loki alive after all this time. She's also angry and hurt, no surprise there - too bad the only place for her to practice is alone with Loki, too bad for Loki that is.**


	19. Loki's Move

_**Loki's Move**_

When Bloom gets to the room where Loki is being held, she has calmed down enough that her worry doesn't show on her face - at least not too much.

Tapping into her magic was a bit of a risk, or would have been if she wasn't wearing her necklace after she accidentally messed with the computers before.

After about five minutes of venting about how _he let her think he was dead, what was he thinking, he could have actually died, she tried to find him a dozen different times with nothing, how is he still alive_ , she asks him to just give the cube up and come home; and when he tells her that he doesn't have it, she starts practicing teleporting - after trying out her new skill of seeing people's auras and sees he's telling the truth.

She wants to be able to teleport at will, in an instants notice, but so far she has either ended up somewhere she doesn't want to go, or has been slammed back into a wall at painful speeds.

She gets thrown so hard into a wall, and the rail, that she leaves person sized dents in them.

Its only when Romanoff comes in a few minutes later, that she switches to levitating things, and telekinesis.

* * *

While Bloom was throwing herself into a wall, and railing, Stark and Banner are working on finding the cube, by searching the globe for an energy signature matching the one the spear is giving off.

Stark invites Banner to Stark tower, and then pokes him with a tiny zapper.

He then asks what Banner's secret is as Rogers asks Stark if everything is funny to him, then tries to convince him to follow orders.

He says "Loki is a man trying to start a war, and if we don't follow our orders, he'll succeed."

Stark replies "Followings not really my style."

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

"Out of the three people her who is a. wearing a spangley outfit, and b. of no use?"

The topic switches to the Fury and his secrets, Stark saying "He's a spy. Cap, he's _the_ spy, his secrets have secrets. Banner's feeling it to."

Banner tries to stay out of it, and then admits that he thinks the 'unlimited power' jab from Loki was aimed at Stark: he just got Stark Tower running completely on clean unlimited energy from his Ark reactor.

Then he asks what SHIELD is even doing in the energy business in the first place, and then why Stark wasn't in on the project, what with being a former weapons manufacturer.

Rogers goes and breaks into a secure storage room, since there is nothing he can do in the lab.

While he does that, Stark tells Banner that maybe the Hulk, what he turns into sometimes, saved his life for a reason.

* * *

Meanwhile, Romanoff is talking to Loki, after lending Bloom a couple of small objects that probably won't do too much harm.

She asks after Agent Barton, and Loki says that he expanded Barton's mind.

Bloom interrupts, angrily saying "You 'expanded' his mind with a power that you can't control and have no idea what it could do to someone. Power like that could very well drive him mad, or kill him!"

She then tries to focus on the objects in front of her, and one by one, they float into the air.

But she can't concentrate hard enough, or go into a deep enough trance to block out the conversation.

Romanoff asks what will happen to Barton after the invasion is done, and Loki asks if she is in love with Barton.

No, she owes him a debt: he was sent to kill her when she was on SHIELD's list of enemies, and didn't.

Loki tries to get under her skin by saying how she is trying to save one person when the fate of the world is at stake.

Romanoff says that governments fall all the time, and that it doesn't really matter to her.

After telling her little story she says "It's really not that complicated: I've got red on my ledger, and I want to wipe it out."

Loki replies "Can you? Can you wipe out _that much_ red?"

He then lists a couple of things she has done, things that Barton must have told him.

"Barton told everything. Your ledger is dripping, its _gushing_ red, and you think that saving a man no more virtuous that yourself will change any of that? You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. _But they will never go away_."

He slams his arm into the glass wall, and continues saying "I won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you, in every way he knows you fear. Then he'll wake, just long enough to see his good work. And when he screams I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim."

Romanoff pretends to be horrorstruck, and turns away like she is horrified saying "You're a monster."

Loki just grins and says "Oh no. You brought the monster."

And Bloom loses control of her anger and disgust right then.

She heard every word, and couldn't believe that they were coming out of her brother's mouth, the brother she was closest to growing up.

Through force of will, she kept the objects from flying out of control - until Loki made one comment to many.

Then she yells "Get down!" as the five things she was levitating suddenly go flying in different directions as fast as bullets.

Bloom is curled up in a ball, and is encased in a glowing orange bubble.

Romanoff dropped to the floor instantly, and the five objects bounce off of things for a solid minute before stopping.

The objects were: a paperclip, a pen, two dice, and a small pocket knife that Romanoff had in her boot.

The pen gets embedded halfway into the wall, the paperclip and dice disappear, and the knife ends up sticking straight up in the floor in front of Bloom.

The fire-haired fairy gets the knife out of the floor, and then gives it back, the pen is another matter, it is sticking through the wall, and nearly impaled someone only a few inches to the right.

Romanoff assumes that unleashing the Hulk is Loki's plan and starts talking into her earpiece, but Loki asks "What?"

He doesn't know where she is going with that, but lets it go on anyway.

All Bloom can think about, and all she can imagine herself doing, is getting out of that room and away from the near stranger that used to be her closest brother.

She suddenly feels a rush of magic and is in front of the door.

She laughs without humor and says "Oh, sure. Now I figure it out."

She then walks to the lab, to see if she can help with finding the cube and getting the whole thing over with.

* * *

When she gets into the lab though, she is just in time to hear news she can't believe.

Romanoff had asked to have Thor sent to the lab, who had been talking with Agent Coulson.

He told Thor that Jane was safe on a remote observatory.

Stark and Banner discovered Stage Two of the Tesseract project, and when they asked Fury about it, Rogers tosses a big gun onto the table and answers the question - SHIELD was building weapons with the Tesseract's power.

Fury tries to deny the question, but Stark reveals a diagram of a missile with the Tesseract's power.

Bloom says "What?!" and teleports in front of them to get a better look.

She looks at it for barely a second before repeating "What? You have _got_ to be kidding."

Fury reveals that the weapons are being made because Thor came to Earth and a town was destroyed because of it.

They all start arguing, which Bloom takes advantage of to switch the spear with a pair of scissors, and Stark and Rogers are practically at each other's throats.

Bloom suddenly sees Loki's real plan: this, having them argue and distracted while he plans his escape.

She isn't wearing her necklace, but she doesn't care.

She yells "Stop it!" and everyone gets slammed into a wall.

"Can't you all see this is exactly what Loki wants?"

When Romanoff tries to argue, she says that because he has no sure way to unleash the Hulk Loki let her believe that was his plan.

They all struggle to break her hold on them, but there is no physical grip to break.

Suddenly Bloom focuses on a point in the room.

* * *

 **AN: Ooh, what's gonna happen? Read to find out! PS. This is exactly the kind of situation I didn't want Kiko getting into: nearly getting impaled, getting into a firefight, etc.**


	20. Loki's Real Plan

_**Loki's Real Plan**_

She then asks if Fury has any planes flying.

Suddenly they all drop down, and Bloom repeats her question to Fury: Do you have any planes currently flying around?

He answers no and then she says that they have big trouble.

Before they can ask why, the Helicarrier suddenly rocks, and Bloom throws herself into a big gush of flame that suddenly erupts from a vent, absorbing it.

Thor's too shocked to stop her, and immediately goes to see if she's alright - she's fine though.

She tells Thor to meet her by Loki's cell, his "half-brainwashed" allies have come for him.

She then teleports to the door and runs to her other brother.

Romanoff and Banner fell, and Rogers and Stark get ready to fight.

Stark gets his suit on while Rogers makes his way to the engine that failed.

* * *

The plane that Bloom sensed had over two dozen people on it, including Barton.

He shot an explosive arrow onto the side of the engine and detonated it.

It was just an amazing coincidence that it was right next to the lab that Bloom - and the dysfunctional team that her brother is part of - was in.

Stark meets Rogers at the hole blown next to the engine, and while he goes to clear the engine, which while stopped is somehow intact, Rogers looks at an electrical panel with no idea what he is supposed to be looking _for_.

He eventually figures out that the panel is working like it is supposed to, as Stark clears the engine.

He then tells Rogers to stand by the big red bar that is pulled down to activate while he gives the engine a start.

The engine will get so fast that it will shred Stark, suit or not.

The lever will slow the engine long enough for him to get out.

But Rogers gets occupied by two men shooting at him, and Stark gets really beat up before he can pull the lever.

* * *

Agent Romanoff and Banner fell below the others, and Romanoff's foot was stuck under a big metal bar.

Bruce transforms into the Hulk, while trying to fight it, and Romanoff trying to help him fight.

The Hulk then chases her, until Thor slams into him and tries to reach Banner.

Bloom goes on ahead to Loki's cell.

The fight goes on, until a jet distracts the Hulk, by shooting him, and he jumps and throws the pilot out of the cockpit when he tries to eject.

The jet then goes falling through the air, and the Hulk is out of the picture for now.

Thor makes his way to Loki's cell, where he sees Loki just getting out of it.

Thor tackles him, but it is an illusion, he is really by the console.

He asks "Are you ever _not_ going to fall for that?"

Bloom is out cold on the ground, and one of Loki's mercenary allies is unconscious also - they must've fought.

There are some scorch marks by him, she fought and was knocked out.

Loki presses the button to drop Thor from the ship, but Bloom wakes up at just the right moment.

She yells "No!" and is suddenly standing up.

Both of her hands are facing the cage, and it screeches to a halt, before it gets five feet down.

She is glowing orange, and the cage rises quickly and she shouts "Fire bonds!"

Bright orange ropes that look like they are made of fire wrap around the cage, and attach to the ceiling, holding it up.

She then turns to Loki, and throws one hand to the side, which Loki's body follows.

He is thrown into a corner, and she makes more bonds, which trap him there.

They don't touch him, but they make a web in front of him, connecting the two walls.

Loki is thoroughly trapped behind the new glowing orange net of magic, and can't do anything besides talk.

The ropes burn anyone but Bloom on contact, as Loki finds out when he grabs a handful of them for a split second.

Bloom isn't wearing her necklace, and starts to draw symbols made of fire in the air.

She sends them to the doors, one at a time, and they close and won't open again.

Before she can do the last one, two soldiers walk through it, and immediately point their guns at her.

* * *

She puts her hands up, and the fire disappears.

Loki says "Don't hurt her, knock her out. She can help us a great deal."

Bloom says, sounding annoyed, "You're not helping, brother."

She then turns invisible, and then blasts them from the side.

She simply knocks them out, and leaves them, because someone else walks in.

This guy tells her to stay visible, because he saw the first two guys go flying.

She distracts him with a random question "Do you know the scene in 'Frozen' where Elsa stops fighting her powers?" and when he lowers his gun for a second in confusion, she turns invisible, and teleports.

He shoots a tranquilizer dart where she was just standing, but it hits the glass cage.

She then is apparently gone for a minute, until she appears behind him and startles him by saying "Hey there!"

He whirls around, and she blows a handful of orange dust into his face, distracting him.

She transforms, and flies out of reach as he staggers, wiping at his face and trying to hit her with the other.

He yells "Where'd she go? Where is that sneak? Who's there?"

This last one because she couldn't resist having a little fun with him and tapped him on the shoulder from a distance.

After laughing silently at his attempts to find her, she flies over to the door, and makes a rope pulled tight in the doorway.

Thor and Loki can see her, the powder made it so that the mercenary couldn't find her, so they see her test the rope.

Satisfied that it won't break, she knocks on the wall and says "Hey, I'm over here big fella. Come and get me!"

She made the rope invisible, and when the mercenary sees her, he runs to her.

She takes a big step back, and he does a good flip before landing on the ground.

She takes the gun and breaks it, then senses another two people coming.

These two get lucky, and while Bloom is knocking one out, the other takes a shot, and a tranquilizer dart is now in her shoulder.

She stumbles, and then throws her hand up, down, left, then down again, and the man who shot her follows.

She then pulls out the dart with her good arm, and at her brothers' questioning stares tells them that in Magix, magic literally makes you tougher, harder to seriously hurt.

It enhances everything about a person except their personality.

Bones are harder to break, they don't get sick easily - and drugs are processed faster, and with less effect.

The stronger magic someone has, the more this is apparent, and they know she is telling the truth because Bloom just got shot with something that would put a horse to sleep instantly.

Thor remembers how he was sedated, and that was for a person.

She should be fast asleep, instead of just her arm.

She really starts glowing orange now, to get feeling back in her arm, which is hanging uselessly at her side while she rubs it fast and hard.

Her waist-high rope slows the mercenaries for a second, but they go over it.

She takes two more darts, and doesn't go down.

She really goes all out on these two, knocking them out fast, and takes the darts out.

She is swaying, but stays on her feet.

One guy saw what she did to his allies, and shoots darts at her fast.

She makes a shield and the darts hit that.

The mercenary screams "What the hell are you?"

Bloom's eyes are starting to turn orange, which means she is starting to lose control and unconsciously channel the Dragon Flame, but she replies "A fairy from another galaxy. How about you?"

Instead of answering, the mercenary takes out a handgun and shoots it at her.

* * *

 **AN: Bad idea, he really shouldn't have done that. I'm telling you now, never try to kill Bloom unless she's in control of her own magic - and don't try to kill her then either. Also, Bloom's usually got control of her powers - impressive, for not knowing about the Dragon Flame - but she's full of tranquilizer right now, she's at a disadvantage there. Read to find out what happens next!**


	21. Captured!

_**Captured!**_

Bloom stops the bullets, by holding up her hand, but she is surrounded by flames, and her eyes are completely orange now.

She went into the trance again, the one she went into at Jotunhiem.

The bonds keeping the cage up, and keeping Loki in the corner, catch fire, and burn without destroying themselves.

Bloom makes a fist, and every bullet that was shot at her bursts into flame and disintegrates.

She then shoots a ball of fire straight at the shaking mercenary.

He throws his gun, which intercepts the fire ball, and it explodes violently.

He then falls sideways to the ground in shock and fear.

Thor says her name, and Bloom looks at her two brothers.

They don't see anything of her in that look.

Then she takes a shuddering breath, and collapses.

Her spells end, the cage that Thor is in drops, and Loki is freed.

Some of the mercenaries wake up after a minute, and get Loki out of the Helicarrier with Bloom over his shoulder - after much protest at taking her.

She is burning hot again, and doesn't wake up until they are on the helicopter that brought the mercenaries there.

She groans, and one of them drugs her with a rag soaked in Chloroform.

She struggles for a minute, but was already out of it.

Romanoff fought Barton, and knocked him out; knocking Loki out of his head in the process.

The whole fight, Bloom against all the mercenaries, was recorded, and Stark and Rogers watch it in amazement, along with Fury, Coulson, and Romanoff and Barton where he is recovering.

Stark has JARVIS do a thermal scan of the footage, and Bloom lights up like a bonfire; and at the end, surrounded by fire, her heat signature is so hot the screen can't show it and the area around her is bleached white.

Rogers says "Well that explains why she was nervous about the heat question."

Stark is thinking how impossible the fight was, and can't find a logical explanation that doesn't involve magic, which he still doesn't believe is real.

What he does believe is that Bloom has some kind of power over fire, not magic, and she used it to fight the mercenaries.

* * *

 ***Mercenary Base, Later***

When Bloom does wake up, she is sitting in a chair.

More specifically, she is tied to it with rope and duct tape.

She looks around, but find she can only move her head - her arms are tied and duct taped behind her.

Her legs are taped to the legs of the chair, and she can hardly breathe, the ropes around her are so tight.

She has enough of her wits to keep her eyes closed and pretend to be asleep, and she starts looking for answers in her mind.

Answers to questions including: what happened to her, where she is, and what happened to Thor.

She already knows what happened to her, she went into the trance again; and then, judging by the fuzzy taste in her mouth, she was drugged.

She learned that any spells someone casts, spells that are sustained by them, end if they lose consciousness.

Thor was still in the cage when she collapsed, he and Loki were both staring at her in shock the whole time she was fighting.

Where she is, that is another matter - one she can't find out sitting tied and taped to a chair.

After about twenty minutes, she quietly burns through the ropes and tape on her hands.

Then, keeping an illusion of being unconscious going - a literal illusion now - she burns through the rest of the bonds in a straight line.

She gets the ones around her ankles off by melting the adhesive.

She then holds up all the ropes with a little bit of levitation and ends the illusion.

After about ten minutes, her body has gotten rid of all the side effects of the Chloroform.

She then shakes her head like she is waking up, and then yells "Loki, you black-haired moron! Get your butt in here now!"

After a few minutes of yelling, with no results, she uses takes in as deep a breath as she can manage, and yells at the very top of her voice "I KNOW THERE'S SOMEONE THERE, GET MY BROTHER IN HERE NOW! OR I SWEAR I'LL GO AND FIND HIM MYSELF, WHETHER YOU WANT ME TO OR NOT!"

A second later, a mercenary looks in a window at her, and sees her angry glare.

He says "Holy shit, the freak is awake! Selvig said the amount we used should have kept her asleep for hours!"

About a minute later, Selvig comes into the room, he's wary, but Bloom stops glaring when she sees him.

She then focuses for a minute, and then says "Hey, you can stop pointing your guns at the door, I don't use magic on people who can't protect themselves from it unless I have no other options."

The dozen people that are aiming for the door lower their guns in shock, they were waiting for her to come blazing out of the room any second.

Bloom looks at Selvig's eyes, and sees a bright blue glow, the same color as the spear.

Selvig was told about what Bloom did to the five mercenaries, and what she nearly did to the sixth.

He looks at her eyes, which turned back to blue after she collapsed.

He wouldn't take her for anything other than a normal teenage girl, except she has a look like she has seen things most girls can only dream of.

When he starts talking to her while examining her, he can't imagine her knocking out five grown men twice her size who had guns, especially since she is tied and duct taped to a chair.

She asks him why he is helping Loki, and he tells her that the Tesseract showed him the truth: freedom is a lie.

Bloom knows that this can't be true; it's when she left Asgard and stepped out of her brothers' shadows that she was truly free, and completely herself.

She has never been more alive than when she was in Magix, learning to use her powers and being herself with the Winx.

* * *

When Selvig asks her if there is anything she wants to say before Loki gets in, she responds "Well, I'm going to teleport you out, lock the door, and escape before my brother turns me into a half-brainwashed zombie minion like everyone else here."

"Oh really, and how do you plan on doing that exactly?"

"Do you know the scene in 'True Lies' where the guy is tied to a chair, pumped full of truth serum, and picks his handcuffs and kills all three men?"

Before Selvig can answer, she drops the bonds that haven't been holding her for the past half hour to the floor and stands up.

She magically slams the door shut, and then teleports Selvig out of the room and herself at the door.

She burns the symbols for 'closed', 'strengthened', and 'barrier' onto the door by tracing them with her finger, and now the door is impossible to open before she is far enough away.

She then makes a line with the rope and tape, and says "Transmorph!"

The bonds that held her, now become a long staff, which she can use to focus her powers.

It's made of deep orange-red wood, like the center of a campfire, and has a dragon engraved on it.

It reflects the personality of the person who made it.

It is as tall as Bloom, and makes for a good walking/fighting stick, and magical staff.

She then escapes through the air vent in the ceiling she noticed earlier.

She puts the staff in the pocket dimension with her necklace, and the spear disguised as a pair of scissors.

The spell she used switched the physical properties of the two objects.

The spear Loki is holding doesn't do anything besides glow, and have a sharp point.

Bloom crawls up a maze of vents to the surface for twenty minutes before reaching the top.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, another situation I didn't want Kiko getting killed in because Bloom was fighting twenty people and one more found him. PS. maybe Loki should have been in the room when she woke up - he was likely planning on it, at any rate. Yes, he still cares about her - she's the one who was always beside him, right up until his stupid prank on Thor to get him back for all the years of 'knowing his place' got out of hand fast. So, she's maybe the one person in the entire realm he still cares about - you think Bloom will get him to change himself back to who he was when she was growing up?**


	22. Bloom's Escape

_**Bloom's Escape**_

Bloom pushes up a vent grill in the floor of a small building, and then runs out the door.

She uses a little weather magic, something she hasn't done in a while, and tries to make a few clouds to cover the moon.

She tries too hard though, and starts a ferocious storm with fast winds and rain going sideways.

She doesn't have any time to try to fix the problem though, because Loki's mercenaries are right on her tail. Shelooks back for only an instant, then runs out into the storm.

They took her to a forest, and she quickly becomes lost.

She could have easily flown out and made her way to a city, except she made a gigantic storm and flying in these winds is a bad idea.

Charmix wings can hold a fairy up no problem, but they aren't made to carry two people - or ride winds going eighty miles an hour.

Bloom is soaked through, but she keeps herself warm with her magic and keeps going.

* * *

After a while though, somehow - almost impossibly - Loki's mercenaries find her.

They crash into her from the side, by pure dumb luck and accident, and the two sides just stare at each other for a minute.

But then the mercenaries take out their guns and point them straight at Bloom.

She runs in a random direction, fast.

The mercenaries take off after her, but she uses her magic to pull back flexible branches as she passes, and then lets them go.

They spring back straight in the lead mercenaries' faces.

She runs into a small clearing, and has to stop for a minute to catch her breath.

One of the mercenaries catches up to her, and she magically wraps a vine around his waist and pulls him up in the air.

The rest arrive, and surround her, forcing her to fight.

She clearly tries not to hurt them, just keep them from hurting her.

She hits a branch with a spell that makes it move, and it slams three mercenaries back into the group - they topple like bowling pins.

After she takes out five more, she teleports out of the clearing, and finds a river.

* * *

She follows the bank, and ends up at a waterfall.

She goes to the edge of the cliff, and looks down in desperation.

Then she looks back at the mercenaries who are still following her, and sees Loki.

She doesn't know what to do, so she buys herself a little time.

She throws out her hand and a stream of flames pour from her outstretched hand in a line, blocking the only way to get to her.

Bloom then says a spell in the form of a poem.

 _Fire, Fire burning bright,_

 _Burning blood,_

 _Burning light, B_

 _lazing in the blackest night,_

 _Burning with the hottest light._

 _Fire, Fire burning deep, gather strength and make the leap._

 _Fire, Fire burning higher, making music like a choir._

 _Fire, Fire sing your song._

 _Crackling notes and rhythm wrong._

 _Time is short, the day is long._

 _Still burns the fire ever strong._

 _Fire, Fire loving pet,_

 _Against your canvas silhouette._

 _Upon a drac, one is set._

 _Blackest night, and evil met._

 _Fire, Fire in my heart,_

 _Singing through me like a lark._

 _Before some would see us part,_

 _Guide me when all is dark._

 _Fire, Fire in my mind,_

 _To me ever warm and kind._

 _Seek out all you find,_

 _Save me from my bind._

 _Fire, Fire in my hand,_

 _Do as I command._

 _Fire, Fire all around,_

 _Burn thy foes into the ground._

* * *

As she chants the poem, the fire burns feet high, and bright.

It turns color, ending at pale orange, almost white.

At 'Guide me when all seems dark,' an image forms in the flames, of Stark Tower, and then her phone starts playing 'Welcome to New York' - she knows where Loki is planning to invade.

She makes an illusion of a gigantic dragon, with extreme attention to detail.

She even makes a convincing roar, and while most are running in total fear and others have fainted, she jumps off the edge, and the fire goes out as she does.

But one mercenary, built like a wall, runs forward, and grabs her arms as she goes over the edge.

He is holding both her wrists with one massive hand, and she struggles in vain to get free without using magic to hurt him.

Bloom yells "No! Let me go!" while kicking both her feet trying to make contact.

The man says to Loki "You've got one feisty sister here, so whatever it is your planning to do, do it quick."

Loki steps forward, and Bloom starts to glow orange, and then yells "Let me go!"

An orange dragon bursts from her chest and knocks the mercenary on his back, and circles back and knocks everyone else down as well.

The only one left standing is Bloom, who feels great - if a little shaky.

Loki gets up first, and sees the dragon disappear into the sky, and then Bloom looking at it in wonder.

She then looks at what it did, and when she makes sure everyone is still alive, she runs and jumps off the cliff, into the waterfall.

She then swims away, and then washes up on the bank a few miles away.

Loki and the mercenaries give up on chasing her after she jumps, the mercenary who had her when she made the dragon, has some good marks in the shape of Bloom's wrists - its ash or soot - his hands are fine if a little hot, and everyone is soaked through, and has at least one mark from getting hit with Bloom's magic.

They all go back to the base, after an hour of looking for the way back.

* * *

Selvig finds another source of power to use on the Tesseract, and the portal is ready by morning, which they have to wait for anyway because of the hurricane-strength storm Bloom made.

* * *

 ***Helicarrier***

While Bloom is escaping the mercenaries, Stark detects the storm, but doesn't think anything of it, and Barton is recovering from getting knocked out, and having been brainwashed by a spear from the other end of space.

He tells Romanoff that Loki will make his move the next day, but he doesn't know where, because he never asked.

Stark figures it out: his own tower.

Loki wants attention, wants to be seen beating the Avengers, and he wants something that is the exact description of Stark tower: a monument to the skies with his name plastered to the top of it.

* * *

 ***Field***

Thor finds Mjolnir in the field where it landed. He broke out of the cage just before it crashed into a beach, and lost Mjolnir.

He flies to find the other Avengers and Bloom.

* * *

 ***Abandoned Warehouse***

The Hulk landed in an abandoned airplane hangar, and changes back into Banner.

An old janitor gives him some clothes, and a scooter, Banner knows where he has to go: New York.

* * *

 ***Forest***

And Bloom is soaking wet, and walking through a forest in a big storm, towards New York city, and Stark tower.

She doesn't know whether Thor is alive or dead, what happened to Banner, and what to do now, but she knows where to go, and that is better than nothing.

* * *

 **AN: Please don't bash the poem, took me absolutely forever to think of it - poetry is not my strong suit, sorry to say.** **You think everyone's going to make it to New York alright? Read to find out!**


	23. Battle For Manhattan

_**Battle For Manhattan**_

The next day, Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff take a jet to Stark Tower, and Stark, who had been working on his suit all night, flew there ahead of them.

When he gets there, Selvig is setting up the portal.

When Stark tries to blast it, there is a barrier around the cube, one of pure energy.

Bloom might have been able to break through it, but Stark can't.

The blast bounces back, and knocks him down a few feet.

Then Stark sees Loki, as JARVIS tells him that the barrier around the cube is impenetrable.

He lands, and lets JARVIS take his armor off, while Loki walks into the tower.

Stark stalls for time, by offering Loki a drink.

As he is getting the bottle, he puts on an identification wristband, and then does a headcount of the Avengers.

After he goes through all of them, he tells Loki that he can't win, and that if the Earth falls they will come after him for it.

Loki tries to control Stark, but Bloom switched the spear, so all it does is glow a little more.

* * *

"What? This usually works..."

Stark says that the problem is no great surprise, then asks where Bloom is.

Loki grabs Stark by the neck, and then throws him out a window.

A new suit is ejected from the wall, and hits Loki in the chest, and then flies out to Stark.

He barely manages not to get turned into a street pancake, and then flies back up and blasts Loki in the chest.

Rogers and the others show up, and Loki tries to blast them, but the spear doesn't work; he has only a minute to wonder about this, when they start shooting at him.

And then the portal opens, and an army of Chitauri pour out, and attack the jet.

They land, and start fighting, taking out the aliens easier than expected.

The Chitauri have some kind of laser gun weapons, but almost no defense - because they are killed by bullets.

Then Loki sends a gigantic flying worm-like creature with armor thicker than anything on Earth.

Stark gets the creature's attention, and then flies away with it following him; leading it around on a game of follow-the-leader because he has no idea how to kill it.

Thor shows up, and tries to reason with Loki, who plays along and then stabs Thor with a small knife-like piece of metal.

They fight, and then Thor is knocked off the balcony.

He meets up with the others, right as Banner shows up.

* * *

Before they can say anything, another wave of Chitauri come for them, but are swept away by a wave of orange magic.

Thor knows that magic and the incredible warmth that always comes with it, and knows it can mean one thing: Bloom.

She is standing behind them with a fighting staff in her hand, and she runs up and hugs Thor.

She says "Well, seems I might finally figure out why you like battles so much, brother."

She is holding her staff, and is looking pretty good considering she was lost in the woods in a massive storm, and is now in the middle of an invasion.

Stark leads the flying monster to them, and Banner transforms into the Hulk, and smashes his fist into it.

Rogers makes a plan, everyone wants to take on Loki personally - and Bloom is no exception, but she saves that for later - and Rogers says that Loki will keep the Chituari focused on them instead of innocent people.

* * *

 ***Minutes later***

Rogers and Romanoff are on the ground killing as many Chitauri as possible, Barton is on a roof picking off strays with his bow, and calling in information to the others.

Stark is in the air frying Chitauri and keeping them in the local area.

And Bloom and Thor are trying to bottleneck the portal, maybe close it.

The Hulk is 'smashing' - going berserk on the Chitauri.

Bloom puts her necklace and phone into her little pocket realm for safekeeping.

She transforms, and turns invisible, then flies up with Thor.

Thor lands on the empire state building, and then summons lightning, which charges the entire building, and then shoots it at the portal.

Bloom is flying on the other side of the portal, and starts chanting a spell, one to disrupt magic.

She is hoping that it will work on the portal created by the Tesseract, as it is so insanely powerful that it's power messed with her magic before.

She is betting that it will react with magic that is worked on it.

Between the two of them, the portal narrows so much that only a few soldiers can get through at a time, and not the big creatures, by any means.

Unfortunately, while she was chanting, several of the creatures went through, and the Avengers, mostly Stark, Thor, and the Hulk go to fight them.

Bloom tries to close the portal at the source, but Selvig is there, and still very much under its control.

She doesn't want to do anything to him, but she knocks him out by hitting him over the head with her staff.

"Sorry Erik, I don't have a choice though."

* * *

She is trying to figure out what to do, when she sees Romanoff on a Chitauri bike, and being chased by Loki.

She makes Romanoff's bike go faster, and tries to control Loki's bike, by making it swerve.

The Hulk then crashes into his bike, and they go crashing straight back into Stark tower again.

Bloom invisibly flies down to have a closer look, and Loki yells "Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-"

He doesn't get any further, because the Hulk picks him up by one leg, and slams him to the floor three times, and then after a moment another two times.

The Hulk walks away saying "Puny god."

Bloom sees the whole thing and is laughing so hard she is almost doing flips - while taking a video of the moment.

Loki lets out a barely hearable groan, and doesn't move for the rest of the invasion.

When Thor left to fight the creatures, he met up with the Hulk, and they fought Chitauri soldiers until the Hulk jammed a piece of the creature's own armor into a piece of flesh, and Thor electrocuted it.

When the creature lands on the ground, the Hulk punches Thor because he can - and because he remembers the fight on the Helicarrier.

Stark lets himself be eaten by one, and then blows it up from the inside.

The battle could go on like this forever if more than one source of energy in the city was unlimited: the power in Stark's suit, Bloom's magic, everyone's strength.

* * *

The directors of SHIELD send a nuke to the city, and Stark goes to intercept it and put it in the wormhole.

Selvig wakes up as himself, which is a big relief to Bloom and Romanoff.

He tells them that the spear could shut the portal down, and that he is staring straight at it.

They all look down, and see it lying on the balcony.

But before anyone moves, Bloom bursts into helpless giggles.

When they ask what is so funny, she replies "Nobody has figured it out yet! The spear hasn't done anything since he got it back, and nobody realized: I switched it with a pair of scissors in the Helicarrier!"

She can't stop laughing, especially when she sees the look on their faces.

After finally stopping, she explains the spell she used, and then takes out the pair of scissors.

She changes them back to the spear it used to be, and the spear on the ground changes too.

Stark flies through the portal, and sends the Nuke right to the Chitauri mothership.

It explodes, and all the Chitauri suddenly collapse.

The battle is spontaneously over, and Stark's suit stops working.

* * *

 **AN: You'd have thought someone would have figured out by now that the spear was a dummy - no blasts from it, etc. Stark's magnet in his chest could maybe have stopped it's influence, but we'll never know. Also, I just love the scene where Loki gets smashed into the ground by the Hulk - it's hysterical, really. Read to find out what happens next!**


	24. The Aftermath

_**The Aftermath**_

Romanoff is holding the spear, because Bloom immediately handed it to her.

Stark doesn't fly back out, and Rogers tells her to close the portal - so that is exactly what she does.

As the portal is about to close Stark falls out, but he doesn't slow down.

Bloom runs and flies, catching him, and then the Hulk catches the both of them.

Before they hit the ground, an orange bubble appears around them, and it bounces, taking the impact.

It disappears, and the Hulk lets go of both of them.

Bloom is curled into a ball, changed back into a regular person, but now she transforms into the fairy she is.

Stark's electro-magnet in his chest is not glowing, and when they take his mask off, his eyes are closed and he's not breathing.

Thor, Rogers, and the Hulk are standing over him, and Bloom is on her knees, and they all know that his heart isn't beating.

Bloom starts to glow brightly, and says "Get back, all of you. I'm going to try to restart his heart."

They all move back a step, even the Hulk, but that could be because she is glowing orange and there are sparks of magic that look like fire coming from her whole body.

She puts both her hands on his chest plate and pushes down like she's doing CPR.

They can almost see the magical jolt from where they are standing, and are not very surprised when Stark's body jolts like she used a defibrillator on him and after three times he opens his eyes and gasps.

* * *

Bloom falls to the side and is gasping for breath also - but it isn't because Stark might have died.

The spell she used to block the portal, took more out of her than she wants to admit, and saving Stark's life, while it didn't use a whole lot of magic, was much harder because she is already tired.

Thor tries to help her but she waves him off, and then gets to her feet dizzily.

Stark says that he is going to try something called 'Shwarma' after all of this, but it's not done yet.

They still need to find one other person: the one who started the whole invasion.

They fly up to the tower, Stark holds Rogers up by the wrist, and the Hulk just climbs the building.

Bloom flies up to the roof, and gets Selvig down, while Romanoff was already making her way to the other Avengers.

* * *

Loki drags himself out of the body sized hole in the floor, and is just in time to see the Avengers waiting in front of him, and they all turn to see Bloom and Selvig outside the window.

Bloom is holding one of Selvig's hands with both of hers, and her wings are going so fast that they can't even see them.

She looks like she can barely keep them steady, and they can all hear what the two of them are saying.

"I thought you could fly, not just fall!"

"Yeah, well you're no feather weight Selvig, and these wings aren't made to support two people."

"Jeez don't let me go, at this height I'll be turned into a street pancake when I hit the ground!"

She is using one of her hands to spew a stream of fire that is the only reason they are at the window level.

"Grab onto my shoe!"

"What?!"

"I need both of my hands to do this, and I really can't keep this fire stream up for much longer, so grab my shoe!"

Selvig grabs her shoe, and hangs on for dear life. Bloom then uses her other hand to shoot a stream of fire to the side, and propels them both into the tower.

Selvig lets go of her boot, after they get a good ten feet into the room, and rolls to a stop on the floor.

He then decides he is never doing anything remotely like that again.

Bloom went farther, rolling to a stop near the wall, and laughing like she was just on the best ride of her life so far.

She puts a hand to her forehead, and says "That was fuuuunnnn. Let's go again, Erik!"

They all stare at her like she might be crazy, or high, and Loki says "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."

Bloom - not laughing now - says "Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me."

She shakes her head, and gets up, and nearly falls over again.

When she is on her feet, she walks over and slaps Loki as hard as she can.

She leaves a decent red mark on his face, considering she looks like she is about to fall over.

She is really pale, and is swaying on her feet.

She then says "I'm going flying, see you all in a few minutes. See that park over there? I'll be there in ten minutes."

She points to a park surrounded by some big trees, with a big courtyard in the middle.

When they see it, she takes a running start, and jumps out the broken window.

She disappears into the clouds, actually knocking a hole in the first one.

* * *

They make their way to the park she pointed at, and after a minute they hear her talking to someone.

"-And he suddenly just shows back up after all this time? We all thought he was dead, and a year later he turns up like he never left?"

They all see her, hanging upside down from a tree branch and talking into her light blue phone from another galaxy.

"I know Sky, and I tried to find him a using a dozen different spells, I thought for sure I would never even know where he was."

She sees them, and then says "Sky, they're here, gotta go. I'll call you later. Bye."

She puts her phone in her pocket, and then climbs down the tree.

She looks better, she isn't as pale and is steady on her feet, but she isn't using magic.

They put something like a muzzle on Loki, to keep him from talking - they took what Bloom said on the Helicarrier really seriously - and he is in handcuffs from Asgard, so all he can do is glare at everyone.

Bloom walks over to Selvig, Stark, and Banner, and asks if they have the cube.

They open the briefcase, and sure enough it is there.

The spear however, is nowhere to be seen.

None of them think about that though, because Thor has something that can contain the Tesseract's power, and use it.

He holds it open, while Bloom floats the cube into it, and then closes it.

She refuses to let him use it though, saying that it has caused more than enough problems already.

She has more than enough magic to get them all back to Asgard, without collapsing.

When they ask how she says "Why do you think I went flying? I spent the whole time sucking the heat out of the air, while I was up above the clouds."

She doesn't say that she went back down at high speeds, and thoroughly enjoyed herself.

She finally convinces Thor not to use the Tesseract's power to take them back to Asgard, mainly because it would mess with her far worse than the spear or the Bifrost ever did, and they have no clue how to actually use it.

When they are ready to go, Bloom is standing behind her two brothers, looking at Romanoff and Barton.

Romanoff says "Bloom, if you ever decide to take up the spy business, come find me. You do well under pressure, and you would make the best spy ever."

Bloom says "Thanks, but no thanks Romanoff. While neither of these two give me enough credit now, I'm still in college and I've got four good friends back there. But if you're ever in trouble, call me, I'll figure something out. But do me a favor and keep me off the records at SHIELD please, you never know what will happen."

Barton just smiles at that, and at Loki, who glares at him.

Bloom, grinning madly, puts one hand on Thor's shoulder, and clamps the other one down on Loki's and then after a second, the three of them disappear in an orange flash of light and embers.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, now the battle for Manhattan is over - and they've won! Anybody think Bloom's going to get quite the welcome back? Think she's going to be conscious for it? Read to find out!**


	25. Spring Break

_**Spring Break**_

They appear a second later in Asgard, and Bloom nearly falls over when she takes a step away from them.

She drops to her knees, and is breathing like she just ran a marathon, exactly like when she restarted Stark's heart.

She puts one hand to her head, and Thor kneels down beside her.

"Bloom, look at me."

"I'm alright, just dizzy..."

They ended up in the courtyard, and the guards arrive for their shift, then just stare when they see the three of them there.

Bloom's face is covered in sweat, and this time her breathing isn't slowing down.

The guards get Odin and Frigga, while Thor tries to help her up.

She is on her feet for a split second, then they give out again.

When Frigga sees Bloom, she rushes over and practically crushes her in a hug, which Bloom returns with all her strength - even though it's not very much right now.

Odin is amazed that Bloom is back, considering he had Heimdall looking for her for weeks, before giving up.

She says hello to him and then nearly faints from lack of magic.

That night, she eats a large portion of the feast, and then sleeps like she hasn't seen a bed in weeks.

Loki is put in a cell in the dungeon until his trial, which won't be for a while.

* * *

Bloom settles into a routine for the time she is in Asgard, which is twelve days.

She has to go back to Alfea after that, but she enjoys her time back home all the more for it.

After breakfast, she practices using weapons with Sif, and uses a little magic in the process.

She levitates her sword, and practices using it from a distance.

It works, her sword floats in midair and moves exactly like she was holding it with her hand and not her magic.

But she needs to concentrate, so that she doesn't lose control of the sword.

Once Thor comes in suddenly and startles her, just as Sif hits the sword.

It goes flying towards her, but she makes a shield before it can hit her and take her head off.

It bounces off the shield, and heads straight for Sif. Bloom throws out her hand and stops it inches before it hits Sif in the face.

She is pale, and her hand is shaking when the sword drops to the floor.

She only says one word: done.

She then teleports out of the room before anyone can say a thing.

In the afternoon, she either flies for hours, sometimes Thor finds her after she has spent hours flying around having fun.

And after dinner, she spends time with Frigga showing her what she can do.

She shows her scenes and images in the fireplace, makes things float around them, and even puts a spell on Frigga's weapon so that it will never break.

She is very impressed, and congratulates Bloom for everything she has learned.

She makes a scrying bowl, by burning the symbol for scrying on the bottom of a large, old basin - it's immediately moved into Frigga's room.

When the bowl is filled with any liquid, you say "Show me 'name'" and you can see that person in the liquid.

The liquid has to be still, or the image would not be clear, and it can be broken by disturbing the liquid too much.

This way, they can see she's okay and not think she's dead or anything - and Thor can see Jane for himself instead of going to Heimdall each night.

She visits Loki once before she leaves for Alfea: the night before.

She goes to say goodbye, and then turns invisible because it is very awkward and she is still a bit upset at him for making her believe he was dead.

She practiced teleporting, and is pretty good at it when she does go back to Alfea, along with levitating stuff.

Once again, she can't help marveling at the change in both of her brothers: they seem like exact opposites of who they were when she was growing up.

Thor is the brother that she always wanted him to be, while she can hardly recognize the brother she had in Loki.

* * *

When she goes back to Alfea, she gives the rest of the Winx a heavily edited version of what happened over spring break for her: she went back home, and discovered that the brother she thought was dead is alive.

She doesn't mention that he is Loki, or that he invaded New York with an army of evil aliens.

New York is on the news all over Earth, and in Magix, but thankfully she isn't.

Bloom tells everyone who asks if she heard about it, since she was on Earth when it happened, that she did hear about it and then changes the subject to what they did over spring break.

She never actually lies to anyone, but she doesn't advertise that she helped stop the invasion.

She never told anyone that she grew up on Asgard because most people, even - no especially - in Magix, don't believe it exists.

Everyone in Alfea is talking about how New York was probably a disagreement between some people from Magix.

Nobody really believes that Asgardian gods from thousands of years before came to Earth, not now and not in New Mexico either.

Bloom never tried to convince anyone that Asgard is real because she didn't want anyone to think she was either crazy or lying to them.

So when asked where she grew up, she gave a general description: the Milky Way galaxy.

Nobody ever connected her to 'New York' which is how everyone refers to the invasion now.

And if anyone thought she might have been there, she just asked at the gossip and news, which put an end to any thoughts that she was there.

She never actually says that she was not there, but she manages to convince everyone that she wasn't.

She does tell Daphne, who believes her, because they both know that they will never lie to each other, or have any reason not to trust one another.

Soon, Bloom turns her attention to trying to find her and Daphne's birth planet.

She goes to the library, but nothing happens when she asks "What is my birth planet?"

She tries searching for Daphne, and after a couple tries finds her sister in an ancient book.

Turns out, she is the most powerful in a group of seven nymphs.

But before she can find anything about where her sister was born, the books go out of control flying around Bloom.

Mrs. Faragonda stops the books, and Bloom thanks her before leaving the library.

Faragonda sees one of the books, and orders Mrs. Barbataea to close the library without magic.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom got a break for a while - but now it's back to the action! Everything's going to come crashing down on her all at once pretty soon!**


	26. Secrets And Lies

_**Secrets and Lies**_

Bloom asks Sky for help finding out about herself, and her planet.

Sky asks Timmy, who tells him about a specific book in Cloudtower: The Book of Answers.

This book can answer any question it is asked, which is perfect for Bloom.

The Trix, unfortunately are watching, using a spell that uses the same principle as the crystal balls in the headmaster's offices.

They watch Bloom talk to Sky over the phone, and see them agree to find the book.

The three of them decide to spoil Bloom's plans, and put a spell on it.

One witch, Murda, tries to talk them out of it.

She wants to get along with the fairies, but the rest of the witches laugh her out of the room.

* * *

The next day, Bloom and Sky ride out on his wind rider, and look in the library at Cloudtower for the book.

They find it, and Bloom asks it a question that she wants to know, one that has been burning inside her since she found out she was adopted: _Who am I?_

The book's magic works, and she sees three ancient witches, old hags of ladies with cackling voices, that tell her "You are like us Bloom. You are a witch."

They disappear, and she is back in Cloudtower, with Sky looking at her a little worriedly.

She is more worried though, and not just of what Sky would think; she recognized the three witches, they are the ones from her old nightmares.

They leave the castle and then Bloom tells Sky what she saw.

When she gets to the part of how she is apparently a witch, he doesn't say that he doesn't want to be friends anymore - but she gets the message.

Bloom says goodbye, and then walks to the forest.

Sky goes to his bike, but he can't just leave her there.

When he turns around though she is gone, turned invisible and running through the forest.

Murda, the witch who wanted to get along with the fairies, spied on the Trix's plan to weaken Bloom and goes to warn her.

She finds Bloom sitting in the forest, with tear tracks going down her cheeks.

She tells Bloom about the Trix's plan, and the Winx show up during the explanation.

They went looking for Bloom when she never came back from her trip to Cloudtower.

Flora used a spell, and the grass told her which way she went. T

he Trix show up after Murda's explanation and introduction.

They fight the Winx, and Icy calls Murda a pumpkin, and then curses her to be the one on her shirt.

At this, Bloom gets really mad, and then beats the three of them with a huge blast of magic.

Stormy's tornadoes are destroyed, and all three of them retreat.

* * *

Afterwards, Bloom wants to tell Sky about the mix-up with the book, but he isn't answering her calls.

What she doesn't know, is he is busy training for a tournament that day, and is talking to Brandon about a big problem he has.

His father has him dating a girl named Diaspro, the princess of Eraklyon.

Unfortunately, he is completely in love with Bloom, and only thinks of Diaspro as a good childhood friend.

The two of them grew up together, being the prince and princess of the planet, and Sky's father sees the match as a way to unite the planet under one royal family.

But Diaspro changed when they started dating, she became extremely controlling, never wanting to do what Sky wanted, and everything has to be about her now.

She never wants to hang out with Sky's friends, and constantly makes him choose between being with them or her.

Sky has wanted to break-up with her for a while now, but never had a reason that his father might listen to.

Meeting Bloom changed that, in more ways than one.

She is everything Diaspro isn't: smart, open-minded, kind, funny, sweet.

To Sky, she is perfect, and gorgeous in a way that makes simple beauty seem cheap.

You can see what she is thinking on her face, she never tries to hide anything.

Its Bloom that he is in love with, but he has no idea how to tell Diaspro this - or Bloom for that matter.

He doesn't care if she is a fairy or a witch, and he needs to find her and tell her that after he breaks up with Diaspro and ends the arranged marriage.

Brandon advises him to tell Diaspro how he feels, and then do the same for Bloom afterwards.

* * *

Bloom convinces the Winx to help her sneak into Red Fountain during the tournament so she can find Sky.

They distract the guard, and she wanders the halls looking for Sky, until she hears his voice and Diaspro's.

"But you're _my_ boyfriend Sky. Forget about Bloom and-"

"Yes, I know Diaspro, but-"

Bloom doesn't listen to any more, she just walks away invisibly, crying quietly.

She listened to the absolute worst part of the conversation that was Sky trying to break up with Diaspro that she could have heard out of context.

Sky's sentence went "Yes, I know Diaspro, but its Bloom I'm in love with, and-"

He doesn't get any further because he is next in the tournament.

Diaspro walks out of the room, and ends up finding Bloom crying to herself in another room.

* * *

Bloom was about to get up and leave, when Diaspro walks in.

She has golden hair like Stella, but that is where the similarities end.

Diaspro's eyes are dark brown, and cold, while Stella's are golden brown and full of light and warmth.

Her face looks like she usually has a smug expression, cruel, shallow, and cold.

Bloom introduces herself, then turns to walk away, wiping tears from her eyes.

She is walking out the doorway, when Diaspro attacks her from behind, trying to blast her.

Bloom rolls out of the way, and says "What the heck, what did I do to you?" In answer, Diaspro transforms, and tries to hit her with another blast.

Bloom won't start a fight, but she sure won't back down from one either - that's not who she is or how she was trained.

She transforms as well, and makes a few half-hearted shots at Diaspro.

They knock her back, but don't actually hurt her.

Bloom doesn't get hit, until Sky comes back from the tournament, and hears the fighting.

The fight never left the room where Diaspro found Bloom, and when Sky finds them he can see something of what happened.

He knows both of them, and judging from the damaged section of the wall in front of the doorway, one of Diaspro's blasts hit there.

There are gemstones and crystals everywhere - but very few scorch marks - and Bloom is in a shield while Diaspro is trying to hit her with a spell she showed him to turn something to her crystals.

When he says Bloom's name in shock, she looks over at him, completely distracted.

Diaspro uses the advantage to hit her with a blast that throws her to the ceiling, and knocks her out.

Sky catches her, and is furious with Diaspro.

Bloom wakes up, and before he can say anything she says "Goodbye Sky" and disappears in a puff of orange light.

When he questions Diaspro about what happened, she tells him a pack of lies about how Bloom insulted her, and him, and how she was jealous - but let's slip that she attacked Bloom when she was leaving, though supposedly leaving in a rage.

Sky doesn't believe for a minute that Bloom said anything like what Diaspro told him - he saw the tear streaks down her cheeks, and her expression - but does believe that Diaspro started the fight.

He saw how Bloom was dodging hits much more than giving them, and he knows her.

More than that, he knows she wouldn't insult anyone like how Diaspro described, not even if she was jealous.

In short, he believes what actually happened: Bloom was leaving, and Diaspro attacked from behind in a jealous rage.

Checking his messages confirms it, that and remembering the heartbroken look on Bloom's face.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, changed it up from what happened in the cartoon - Diaspro always struck me as the jealous type anyway. Putting it out there now, I really don't like her - she can't seem to get it through her head that Sky loves Bloom and not her, and she becomes a kind of stalker-ex even in the cartoon.**


	27. Secrets Uncovered

_**Secrets Uncovered**_

Bloom teleported back to the dorm at Alfea, and cries while she packs her bags.

She writes the Winx a note, saying that she is leaving Magix, and going back to Earth.

It goes ' _Winx, I've realized that I don't have a future in Magix . After Alfea, there is nothing in Magix to keep me here. Sky is in love with someone else, and doesn't care about me anymore now that he believes I'm a witch. You are all the best friends I could have ever asked for, but I don't belong here. I'm going back to Earth, but I will always come back if you need me. Bloom.'_

She leaves the note on her pillow, and then uses the tree that Flora has by the window to get herself and her bags down to the courtyard.

She leaves, and nobody knows it.

Mrs. Faragonda and Mrs. Grizelda are still at the tournament, and the Winx are making their way back; but by the time they get there, Bloom is long gone.

Stella calls up Sky after reading the note she left, and demands an explanation.

He tells them about breaking up with Diaspro, and then realizes which part she must have heard.

He also explains what he figured out about the fight, and how he was going to talk to Bloom after the tournament was over.

* * *

Before the tournament, Riven and Darcy had lunch together.

And Darcy made a deal with him, and put a spell on him in the process.

So when he overhears Sky's conversation with Stella, he goes to tell Darcy.

Specifically, the part where the fairy they are after has left Alfea.

In all truth, Darcy probably wouldn't have needed the spell to convince Riven to betray his friends, he has always had a chip on his shoulder for the rest of them - Fairy and Specialist alike.

Bloom walks through Magix city, and Stormy spots her going past a café.

She watches Bloom\ and her bags disappear in a puff of orange sparkles, with the words "Goodbye Magix."

She tells her sisters, and they decide to track her using a spell.

They find her on Earth, and follow her there.

She went to Earth because she didn't feel like going to Asgard, even though she'll always think of it as home.

She wanted to disappear for a while, but didn't do a good enough job of it.

The Trix corner her that night in an abandoned street, and blast her into the alley she happened to be standing in front of.

She tries to fight back, and partially succeeds, but they pull a dirty trick and get the advantage.

They mentioned her planet, Domino, and tell her a version of why Daphne was cursed: protecting Bloom.

When Bloom asks what they want, Icy says "You are the Keeper of the Dragon Flame, the most powerful source of magic in this dimension."

Icy freezes her to the wall, and they take her power, which comes out of her chest in an orange ball of light, looking almost like a ball of fire.

They disappear, and the ice holding her crumbles.

* * *

She blacks out, and comes to on the ground covered in ice and feeling dizzy.

A second later, a yellow light almost like sunlight appears out of nowhere.

Stella walks from the middle, looking worried.

When the light appeared, Bloom grabbed a rock to throw, until she saw who was coming.

She says "Stella!" and drops the rock.

They hug, and Stella asks what happened, because there is ice on the wall in the middle of summer.

Bloom explains what happened, at Red Fountain, and in the alley.

Stella says that they have to stop the Trix, they can't let them get away with something like this.

She agrees to come back to Alfea, to stop those three power-hungry witches.

Stella takes Bloom to see Ms. Faragonda and Grizelda, and she explains everything that happened on Earth.

Grizelda gives her a hot drink that helps some, and she starts to explain.

"I decided to leave Alfea. I went to Earth, but the Trix followed me there. They attacked me, they were so strong. I couldn't fight them and they took my powers. _They took the Dragon Flame!_ "

"Oh Bloom! This does not bode well for Magix. The Dragon Flame is one of the great powers of the magical dimension. If the Trix have it, then we are in grave danger."

"Did you know I had the Dragon Flame?"

"Yes. But I had hoped that you would have more time to learn about yourself, and your powers."

"But now Icy, Darcy, and Stormy control the Dragon Flame."

Bloom goes back to the dorm, and the rest of the Winx try to comfort her.

Sky calls, and Stella picks up.

She tells him that Bloom is there, but can't talk at the moment.

Sky hangs up, but Riven overheard.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Trix took control of Cloudtower, after shocking all the witches by walking in the room.

When Ms. Griffin confronts them they laugh, and then Icy blasts her and knocks her on her back.

The two witches in charge of disciplinary measure help her up, but before they can do anything magical, Stormy makes a tornado that throws them out a window, and sends all the other witches falling to the ground.

Ms. Griffin does a spell, that sets them all on the ground, without so much as a scratch or bump.

She then teleports to the ground behind the Trix, and makes a ball of bright green energy.

She throws it at the Trix, and under normal circumstances it would have blown right through them.

But powered by the Dragon Flame, the three witches are practically goddesses compared to every other magical person in that universe.

Darcy catches the ball of magic that Ms. Griffin throws, and diminishes it until she can crush it with two fingers.

Ms. Griffin gasps, and then Icy freezes her to a wall, much like she did to Bloom.

They take over Cloudtower, and throw Ms. Griffin in one of the cells in the dungeon.

When Riven arrives, Darcy calls him over to the big open window she is standing in.

It is the window to Ms. Griffin's office - or it was before the Trix took over.

Riven doesn't hesitate to comment, asking "Since when does Griffin let you use her office?"

Darcy answers "Since we took it from her."

Her sisters start laughing, and they form a circle around Riven, who knows instantly that he's been betrayed.

He asks where Griffin is, and the Trix start floating, in a circle around him.

Darcy taunts him, and then they do a spell called 'Field of Oblivion'.

He tries to get away, but when he turns back, the Trix are impossibly huge, and blast him without a second thought.

Later they are sitting in a circle, hands joined.

They plot their next moves: taking over Magix City, and then the Magical Dimension.

Stormy says "At last!" but Icy calms her, saying "First though, we need our army."

Using the power of the Dragon Flame, they summon the Creatures of the Dark.

Normally an experienced witch can summon maybe enough for one big creature.

Three witches could summon enough for maybe a dozen of the larger creatures.

But with the Dragon Flame giving them an all-time magical high, they summon thousands of the large creatures, and hundreds of thousands of the little bug-like creatures that make them up.

Because the Creatures of the Dark can only be defeated by positive magic, the army the Trix summon is practically unstoppable.

The creatures keep reforming, regenerating limbs by adding more of the little ones to the large deadly creatures.

In short, they summon an army to lay siege to all of the schools, and Magix city.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like Magix is in trouble. Think Bloom's going to get her powers back in time to stop them? Or maybe her Asgardian training will help her fight? Either way, you've got to read and find out!**


	28. Magix In Danger

_**Magix In Danger**_

The Creatures of the Dark swarm Cloudtower, and chase after Knut, who decides it's time to break from the Trix.

He goes and hides in Red Fountain, and explains what happened at Cloudtower.

In the middle of the conversation though, a holo-image of the Trix appears.

Saladine banishes the image, but not before they say they will destroy Red Fountain completely.

Then next morning, every student in Red Fountain is ready for a fight.

They will fight to protect their school from the Creatures of the Dark, and the Trix.

Saladine gives a speech about how they must not fail, and then the Trix arrive with part of their army.

While the boys are all fighting, and fighting hard, but futilely, Saladine does an incantation and banishes the creatures from his school.

It works, but only for a moment, because they reform.

Icy makes an ice dragon, and wraps it around the school, freezing it solid.

Then the top half of the school cleaves off cleanly!

The school is lost, so they retreat to Alfea - which hasn't been attacked yet.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower Dungeons***

Riven wakes up in a dank cell, in the first corridor of the dungeon.

When he gets up, a voice calls "Hey, kiddo. Over here!"

He recognizes that voice, and it doesn't belong down here!

"Mrs. Griffin! What are you doing down here?"

"Paying the price for my arrogance and stupidity. I should have seen earlier that the Trix are truly dangerous, and now all are in danger because of me."

"It's not your fault, none of us could have seen this coming - least of all me."

Riven looks down, and sees something that gives him hope: a little piece of stiff wire, bent into a lock pick.

He picks it up, and frees himself in seconds.

When he goes to free Mrs. Griffin though, she tells him not to waste his time.

"The Trix put some spells on the lock, if picking it would do the trick my powers would have gotten me out long before now. But there may still be hope yet."

In the cell with her, are three other witches mixing something bright green in a bucket.

They all suddenly hear a slithering creeping noise, and a lot of it.

When Riven asks what is making it, Mrs. Griffin sounds afraid, saying "It's the Creatures of the Dark! Go!"

"But you-"

"You can do nothing for me! Go!"

Riven turns and bolts when he sees the tide of dark purple bug-things after him.

He makes it to a high window before being cornered.

He is surrounded, and only has one real option: jump.

* * *

 ***Alfea, Mrs. Faragonda's Office***

Sky suddenly gets a weird feeling, the feeling that Riven's in trouble.

Bloom notices, but he says its nothing.

Mrs. Faragonda agrees with Bloom's idea: getting the Dragon Flame back.

Bloom thinks it is in Cloudtower somewhere, but Sky thinks the whole idea is crazy - especially since she doesn't have her powers.

Growing up somewhere that revolved around battle gave Bloom a good idea of strategy, but Bloom doesn't say this.

Instead she says that keeping the Dragon Flame there is the only thing that makes sense - and that she is going no matter what.

Stella immediately says she will go where Bloom goes.

When it is pointed out that they have no way to get to Cloudtower, Bloom suggests having Knut lead them through ancient tunnels that connect all three schools.

Sky agrees, and Brandon goes as well, to stay with Stella.

Knut tries to lead them through the tunnels using his excellent sense of smell, but the tunnels are old and full of smells.

In a half hour, they face over a dozen near-death experiences, every corner has a new danger.

They lean against a wall while Stella complains - not without good reason - and then it crumbles and they fall into Cloudtower's garbage dump!

Knut is stuck in garbage, and they pull him out.

Just then, giant bug-things crawl out of the garbage: dump roaches!

Knut explains that they live in the garbage dump and eat the garbage there, though they are more than happy to snack on people for a change.

Bloom finds a long metal rod, and swings it at the big bugs, hitting any in front of her.

Knut says "For a fairy without powers, you pack quite a punch!"

Bloom grins, but loses it when a huge purple roach charges.

Before anyone can react, a stranger in a patch robe jumps onto it, and stings it with a gun.

The bugs all retreat and everyone's safe, but they don't know who it is that just saved them.

* * *

Bloom recognized his voice, but she doesn't know from where, until he pulls his hood down: its Riven!

He hit a wall, and slid down it, landing in the dump.

He tells them everything: how Darcy betrayed him, how he ended up at Cloudtower's dump, and apologizes for how he acted - and betraying them to a witch who was nothing but trouble.

They forgive him, and Knut has found the way to Cloudtower!

They make it into the school with no trouble, but the Trix know they are here - a magical eye-construct showed them.

The guys go into the dungeons with Knut to free Mrs. Griffin, while Bloom and Stella go to find the Dragon Flame.

They find a set of doors elaborately decorated with flames, an obvious place to keep a flame-based power.

They open the doors, and to Bloom's relief, there is a pedestal with a flame burning on it.

She goes to touch it, but it freezes just before she can.

The Trix step out of the shadows, Icy saying "Hahahaha, you lose Bloom. That's not the Dragon Flame."

Before they can do anything though, a bright green light explodes behind them, and the three witches are slammed into a wall hard enough to leave impressions of their bodies.

The boys got Mrs. Griffin, who says "Good evening, girls." and walks forward, still glowing bright green.

Icy states the obvious - they got her out of the dungeon - but then Mrs. Griffin makes a double wall of magic.

The Trix are cut off for the moment, but to be safe Mrs. Griffin summons granite stalagmites to cover the room, making it impossible to cross.

She does the same for the room outside the door, to further delay the Trix.

Bloom notices that doing the magic seems hard for Mrs. Griffin, but maybe it is the spell itself that is hard, Bloom doesn't know.

Being the Holder of the Dragon Flame has some benefits apparently, such as harder magic being easier for her than most.

* * *

Icy froze the wall in a second, but they are already trapped behind hundreds of hard, sharp granite spikes coming from the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Stormy asks "How are going to get out of here?"

She has a point, because Dragon Flame or not, even magic is not going to get them out fast.

Icy says "You think a little granite is going to stop me? Watch and learn, sister."

She makes a ball of ice-white power in her hands, and throws it at a stalactite.

It breaks, but there is almost no change in their problem - it's going to be a long time before they get out.

* * *

Mrs. Griffin gathers the rest of the witches at the windswept terrace, and makes a wormhole to Alfea.

The students float up into the wormhole fast, but not fast enough.

The Creatures of the Dark march up the steps, in many forms.

There are big headless ones with huge, thick arms, and bug-ish ones with claws and tube-like noses with wriggly tongue-sucker-things coming out of it, and flying creatures that are something like bat-bug-things.

* * *

 **AN: Uh-oh, they're stuck. Unless someone does something, everyone might end up as those bugs' snack before the invasion. Read to find out what happens next!**


	29. The Battle For Magix

_**The Battle For Magix**_

Most of the witches are gone, and Sky and Bloom volunteer to distract the creatures.

Mrs. Griffin makes a wind rider for them to use, and when they sit on it they get protective outfits.

They knock the monsters back, while the others float up into the wormhole, Stella telling them to be careful.

When everyone else is gone, Sky flies the bike out and lands on a path to the road.

They make it a few miles away - dodging the Creatures of the Dark on the road - when the storm that was brewing erupts.

The lightning nearly hits them, and that is no accident - its Stormy.

They get hit, and the bike goes falling into the forest with them on it.

They land alright, but the bike is shot, literally and figuratively.

Sky can't fix it, so they go walking towards Magix City.

On the way, Bloom explains about the spell the Trix put on the Book of Answers, and they both think that was a lifetime ago instead of only a few days.

Sky explains what Bloom overheard, and which part she overheard.

He tells her his new/old relationship with her, and how they are back to it - and how he got his father to end the arranged marriage.

Bloom is about to answer when she hears Daphne calling her.

She freezes, and when Sky asks what's wrong, she explains the connection with her sister.

Bloom decides to go to Lake Roccaluce, and tells Sky to go to Alfea - she'll meet him there.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

Meanwhile, at Alfea, Flora, Musa, and Techna tell Mrs. Faragonda about the temporal disturbance they sensed by the well.

It is Mrs. Griffin, her students, Riven, Stella, and Brandon.

Mrs. Faragonda greets them, and welcomes the witches to Alfea.

Griffin tells Mrs. Faragonda how they escaped, and how Bloom and Sky bought them enough time to.

The rest of the Winx start to get worried for her, since she should have been back by now.

The Trix are watching the meeting, and Stormy says "Their ganging up on us!"

Icy replies "No matter, it just means we can beat them all at once!"

The three power-high witches make giant thrones out of part of their dark army to sit on through the march to the school.

Their army departs from Cloudtower, moving fast for an army that size.

* * *

 ***Lake Roccaluce***

Meanwhile, Bloom is at the lake, and as she walks in, her outfit from the windrider disappears.

She walks to the cavern at the bottom, and Daphne is waiting there.

Bloom tells her everything that happened: her power being taken, the Trix's army, the last stand that she knows will be at Alfea.

Daphne lets her in on a little secret: the Trix could never take her powers away, Bloom only thought they did so she couldn't use them.

Bloom realizes what this means, and after hugging and thanking her lots, transforms and flies to Magix City, her eyes on fire with anger and determination.

Sky is walking through the city, which feels more like a ghost city than Magix City, when he is attacked by one of the Trix's remaining soldiers in the area.

He fights it, and cuts off one of its arms, but it regrows it.

Then another creature generates from dozens of the little ones, on a wall.

He tries to fight the both of them, until a third joins.

He gives up after a second, resigned to the fact that he will die, when he feels heat in the air.

It's Bloom, transformed, and with a giant transparent dragon behind her.

She blasts the creatures to dust, and this time they don't reform.

She lands and hugs Sky hard, and then kisses him just as hard.

In the middle of a crisis, in a ghost town, literally crawling with Creatures of the Dark, they lose themselves in each other for a few magical moments.

Then they break the best kiss they've had yet in their lives because the universe is close to being conquered by three teenage witches.

Bloom teleports them both back to Alfea, where everything is coming to a head.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

While Bloom and Sky were talking to ethereal sisters and fighting monsters, everyone at Alfea is ready for battle.

Tensions are high, and for good reason: if they lose now, they've lost for good.

Fairies are transformed and flying around nervously, specialists have their weapons drawn, and witches are floating, and setting traps for the creatures to trigger.

So when they hear the Trix's army approaching, they are ready for battle.

The fighting breaks out all at once, after the first wave of creatures triggers the line of defensive trap spells.

The Trix are sitting on their giant thrones, not even bothering to fight.

The fight is going in their favor anyway, everyone is putting up a good fight, but it is hard to beat the Creatures of the Dark, magic or not.

Only Bloom would have an easy time, because she has the Dragon Flame, and she isn't here - she's fighting three of the monsters in Magix City, saving Sky's life.

Its only when a wall of fire appears in front of the gates, destroying the first wave of creatures, that the schools have hope.

* * *

Bloom says "Well hi there everybody. I just thought I'd drop in."

She is glowing like she is on fire, and all three schools cheer.

Darcy looks concerned, Stormy looks afraid, Icy is furious.

She says "No! I don't believe this! C'mon sisters, let's go give her a cold welcome."

The Winx all heard this, and Stella says "Enough already with the evil. C'mon Winx!"

They all fly up to hover behind Bloom, as the Trix fly up in front of her.

Icy shoots little shards of ice at them, but Bloom puts her hand out and melts them inches from her palm.

Darcy and Stormy take on Stella, Musa, Techna, and Flora.

After a few attacks from both sides, Stormy makes a twister that sucks up the four fairies.

They combine their power though, and take control of the storm.

Darcy and Stormy try to fly away, but are sucked into it.

Mrs. Faragonda and Mrs. Griffin cast a spell that traps them in a giant rock-like ball-prison.

The four fairies land, exhausted, and it is up to Bloom to fight Icy.

They circle each other in the air, then Bloom attacks.

She hurls a dragon at Icy, but it turns to ice when it touches her.

Icy then shoots bolts of magic at Bloom, who doges them.

She then teleports back in front of Icy saying "That the best you've got witchy-poo?"

This gets to Icy instantly, as Bloom knew it would, and she yells "Crystal cage!"

Bloom is trapped in an ice ball, which grows spikes and smashes to the ground.

Icy laughs, only to stop when Bloom appears behind her also laughing and making a peace sign.

Icy dives into the lake, and a giant water hand erupts and closes around Bloom, pulling her into the lake.

Icy emerges, and freezes the lake solid.

She says "It's a skating rink. You're done for Bloom."

But Bloom explodes from the ice-lake, furious.

She is coated in glowing orange fire, but is floating in ice-white.

She has shrugged off every one of Icy's attacks - so now Icy is going all out.

She throws a bolt of magic at the column of white with an orange spot at the center, and ice-spikes form, and jam together all around Bloom.

She is crushed for a moment, and Icy thinks she's won, since there is now an ice-tower as big as Stark Tower in New York.

She laughs, and says "Shake that one off, fairy!"

She is then horrified when a giant orange dragon wraps around it, and crushes it!

Bloom is done with the whole fight now, and releases the biggest surge of magic in her whole life, destroying the Trix's army, and knocking Icy out in one blast.

* * *

 **AN: Lesson learned: don't mess with Bloom. She's too powerful, you won't win. Also, yes, Bloom and Sky did make-out in the middle of a life-or-death crisis - you didn't seriously think they were going to be dancing around each other and their feelings forever did you?**


	30. Parties And Problems

_**Parties and Problems**_

The Battle for Magix is over, and Bloom almost single-handedly won it.

The Trix's army is gone, and the three witches are beaten.

Everyone else cheers, and Bloom flies down to Ms. Faragonda, Mrs. Griffin, Headmaster Saladine, and Grizelda carrying an out-cold Icy.

She puts the unconscious witch down, saying "Here you go Ms. Faragonda" and walks away.

Icy groans and sits up, her make-up running as she does, and sees her sisters bound up in magic that looks like yellow lightning.

Ms. Faragonda says "Young ladies, you have behaved very badly."

Mrs. Griffin says "That's putting it mildly Faragonda."

"You three are hereby banished to Lightrock Monastery."

"Until we see fit to release you."

The rest of the Winx all hug Bloom, and then watch the Trix get marched through a portal in cream colored turtlenecks.

Icy looks back at Bloom with a look of pure murder in her eyes.

Then, a second later she goes through the portal and is gone.

Mrs. Griffin jokes "Let's see what a stay in a nice quiet monastery does for them."

Everyone celebrates, some by passing out from using all their magic.

* * *

Stella crushes Bloom in another hug, until Bloom sees Sky walking up.

Stella releases Bloom, who goes over to Sky.

They kiss, to the rest of the Winx's "Ooohh's."

Brandon says "Well it's about time"

He's watched Sky and Bloom for nearly a school year be head over heels for each other but not date.

Bloom and Sky aren't listening though, they are too busy enjoying a moment that they both wanted since they met.

Everyone decides without saying anything to throw a party that night at Alfea, the biggest party of the school year.

That night, there is a big table, big enough for everyone from the three schools.

People are dancing and eating, Musa is singing, but the fairy of honor is missing.

Sky notices, and goes looking for her.

He finds Bloom sitting on the edge of the well, looking up at the stars.

They talk, and intertwine their fingers while talking.

Then, they see a shooting star, and Bloom silently makes a wish for everything to work out all right.

Then Techna starts taking pictures, and the two of them run to join.

There ends up being a bunch of funny pictures, and for that night everything is perfect.

The party lasts all night, and nobody actually goes to sleep.

Everyone congratulates Bloom, and has a great time.

The next morning, everyone goes back to their schools to start rebuilding, especially Saladine and his students.

Icy froze and destroyed their school, so they have a lot of work to do.

* * *

While all the repairs are being made, and everything goes back to normal for Magix, there is one fairy who misses out on all of it.

She is good friends with the pixies, who have recently been kidnapped by an evil sorcerer named Darkar, the Shadow Phoenix.

She spends three weeks tracking him to his underground castle, where he is keeping them captive and trying to force them to tell him where an object called the Codex is.

They all agree that they can never tell him, no matter what.

Their friend finds them a moment after, and sets them free.

The littlest one, Piff, is bonded to her and falls asleep in her hair.

They almost make it to safety, when the Shadow Phoenix appears between them and the bridge.

The fairy tries to fight back, but is thrown into the forest below.

* * *

The next day, Bloom and Sky are sitting on the steps and talking.

They make small talk, until Sky and the rest of the guys have to go back to Red Fountain.

Moments after the boys leave, a girl with dark brown skin and hair and sea blue eyes walks out of the forest.

She looks like she is barely on her feet, and is covered in scrapes and bruises.

She starts shaking, and when Bloom asks if she's ok, she collapses.

Piff falls out of her hair, it's the fairy that got thrown from Darkar's castle.

Stella notices Piff first, and Bloom identifies her as a Pixie.

The Winx take her to the infirmary, where she recovers after a few hours.

When she wakes up, Flora gives her a potion to restore her strength, and she tells her story.

She is Aisha, princess of Andros, and she is trying to get her friends the pixies back.

When the Winx hear how the Pixies were stolen from their village, they all immediately agree to help.

Mrs. Faragonda agrees to the rescue, and they set out once the guys get there.

* * *

But Darkar was busy while all this was happening: he went and got the Trix.

The three of them were practically going insane in Lightrock Monastery, and then one day, Darkar teleports in and offers them a chance for revenge.

He had them when he showed up, and they are all for getting back at the people who put them there.

When they get back to his castle, Darkar gifts the Trix with more power than they have ever known, even more than the spark of the Dragon Flame they managed to get out of Bloom.

Even though it's not as much as the full power of the Dragon Flame, Bloom has never tapped that power - only scratched the surface until she was exhausted.

The spell used manifests as evil-looking bracelets for Darcy and Stormy, and a necklace for Icy.

Musa and Flora can't go on the rescue, Flora would have no power there and Musa's power would bring the caves crashing down.

Bloom, Stella, and Aisha promise to tell them all about it, and then go with the guys.

Techna stays behind to keep them company, and the others are off.

Aisha directs them to the entrance she used to get into Darkar's castle, and Timmy manages to get through it without any problems - one fairy is a lot smaller than the Owl, and there are many obstacles to go around.

Stella feels weak because there is not a lot of light reaching the castle, but she keeps going.

They find the pixies no problem, but when they try to get out of the castle they are attacked by the Trix.

Bloom holds her own against Icy, but the others are not so lucky.

Stella gets stopped, frozen in place without being ice, and Aisha gets stuck floating in the air.

The three witches overwhelm Bloom, but before they can finish her a man with big white wings and short blue-black hair stops them.

He frees the three fairies, drives the Trix away, and flies off.

Bloom bonds with Lockette the pixie of direction, and Stella bonds with Amorae pixie of emotions.

They take the rest of the pixies back to Alfea, where the rest of the Winx bond with one each.

Musa bonds with Tune the pixie of music, Flora bonds with Chatta, and Techna bonds with Digit.

Mrs. Faragonda introduces a new teacher: the man who saved them!

His name is professor Avalon, and he is going to be helping keep Alfea, and the pixies, safe from the Shadow Phoenix.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I changed the timings around a bitt to fit with the movies - and my more-than-slightly tweaked storyline. Keep reading to find out how much!**


	31. Memories And Magic

_**Memories and Magic**_

That night, Bloom has a dream of a very old event in her life: her as a baby.

In the dream, everything past her hands is tiny, she is in a crib, and there are three hazy figures in front of her.

The middle one is the shortest and looks the youngest with pale yellow for hair.

The one on the left has what looks like a hat on, and is the tallest.

The figure on the right is close in size to the left, and has a ball of red on its head.

The middle figure says "Mom Bloom is awake!"

The left figure says "Isn't she lovely?"

The right figure bends down as she says "Come here sweetheart."

Bloom jolts awake, sitting up, and after a minute, lays back down with tears leaking from her eyes.

She knows what she just saw, and knows the dream isn't going to get any clearer.

She doesn't even know what her birth parents look like, much less where they are now.

* * *

The next morning is cloudy and Stella is down because of it.

Then, purple flowers magically appear in front of each fairy.

Bloom picks hers up and smells it, then professor Avalon walks in.

He asks Bloom if something is wrong, and she answers with the dream she had last night.

She wants to know more about her birth parents, but has nowhere to start looking.

Professor Avalon offers to try a spell on her to let her see them and she accepts.

After breakfast, he does the spell in his office.

He has Bloom lay on a couch with her eyes closed while he casts it.

Bloom listens to Avalon's voice, as it takes her deeper into her own head, "Bloom, see your parents and your power."

She sees her birth parents in perfect clarity, along with the giant transparent orange dragon she has grown accustomed to.

Her birth parents are waiting for her with open arms, with the Dragon Flame rising up behind them both.

She starts to fly down to them, but before she can make it, all three figures are consumed by a sudden black cloud of smoke.

She jerks up from the couch, and four balls that were part of the spell fall to the ground.

Something is very wrong, but her head is still so full of magic that she doesn't realize it.

She thanks professor Avalon, and walks out of the room feeling very strange.

She puts the feeling down to the spell but, in truth, she was feeling weird ever since she smelled the flower in front of her at breakfast.

Everyone is invited to come and see the new Red Fountain - it got a few upgrades after Icy froze it.

All Bloom can talk about is professor Avalon, but Flora meets another student at the school - an artistic boy named Helia.

When Brandon introduces them, he happens to be drawing a bird - and Flora says that the wings look like a flower's petals.

Helia looks startled at this and comments that nobody has ever said that before - and then looks up at Flora and almost instantly falls in love with her.

That night, when everyone is going to sleep, Helia looks at a new pot with dirt and a flower seed inside.

The flower suddenly grows and blooms, and when Helia looks out the window he sees a figure flying away - one with petal shaped wings.

* * *

The next day, Bloom is on the phone with Sky - still talking about Avalon - and Sky says that he'd like to talk about something other than the _great_ professor Avalon.

When she asks what he means by that, he says that she is crushing on him.

" _Crushing_ on him?!"

"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it Bloom."

Bloom is so absorbed in her conversation turned sour, that she walks into a pole and falls down, dropping all her stuff.

"Oh yeah? Well call this like you see it – WE'RE THROUGH!"

She angrily turns her phone off and goes to a nearby quarry to blow some steam off.

When professor Avalon finds her in the quarry she is transformed and blasting giant rocks to little pebbles.

She explains what happened and Avalon suggests that they stay away from Sky - and Bloom agrees.

In professor Palladium's class, Flora is daydreaming about Helia and gets caught.

She can't stop thinking about him no matter where she is.

* * *

Later that night, a hooded man is standing in front of a cauldron with something bubbling inside.

He is working a spell, and out of the cauldron come six orbs.

The orbs hit the pixies, and they fall unconscious.

Then after a second they get up and fly away, repeating "We must return to pixie village."

The man who cast the spell throws back his hood - it's professor Avalon!

The Shadow Phoenix tells Icy to follow the Pixies back to their village and take the Codex by any means necessary.

She does so with no small amount of pleasure.

When she and the Pixies arrive, the spell is broken, but it's too little far too late.

Icy destroys everything she can, before the leader of the pixies reluctantly gives her the Codex.

When Icy comes back with the Codex, the Shadow Phoenix is very pleased.

The only thing left he needs to obtain the Relix is Bloom.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

Later, professor Avalon suggests that he and Bloom try another spell, and leads her into his office.

But, he opens a portal and tells Bloom to step inside.

Bloom knows something is up, but the feeling is distant and muted - but it is enough to make her question the situation.

She knows: something is going on, she broke up with Sky even though they were head over heels for each other, and she has been feeling weird ever since she smelled the flower that he made.

The weird feeling went away as soon as Avalon was in sight, and if he wasn't she had a compulsion to go find him - or talk incessantly about how great he was - and felt weirdly distant from everything, including her own feelings.

When she puts all of this together, she realizes she is under a spell.

This all takes less than a minute, but the hesitation is enough for Avalon to realize she is becoming self-aware.

Before Bloom can do anything, he grabs her arm and pulls her into the portal.

The rest of the Winx run into Mrs. Faragonda's office to find all the Pixies there - and that Icy has the Codex.

They tell Faragonda that Bloom is missing, and Mrs. Faragonda realizes Darkar's plan.

He needs Bloom and the Codex to open a portal to the dimension that contains the Relix power.

He can't do it alone as the portal will not open for a power that is only Light or Dark.

He needs both, and he needs the power to be strong - which is why he didn't kidnap just any fairy, but the most powerful one in Alfea.

* * *

 **AN: Looks like Magix is in trouble once again - uh-oh. Think they're going to find Bloom in time?**


	32. Saving Bloom

_**Saving Bloom**_

Bloom is tied up in front of professor Avalon, and she broke the spell when she was dragged into the portal.

She is struggling to get out of the bonds, but this is a lot tougher than burning through rope and duct tape in the compound back before New York.

These bonds have spells on them to keep her from breaking them, and they are strong.

He drops the camouflage magic, and is really Darkar!

He casts a spell that turns her evil after two minutes of Bloom fighting its effects.

Darkar almost thought she would resist the spell completely - as nobody has ever gone that long before.

When the spell is complete, Bloom's eyes are yellow, and have slits like an animal's eyes.

Her Charmix outfit has turned black, and even her wings have changed.

The ropes are gone, and Dark Bloom smiles evilly.

The Trix watched her turn evil, and like the new Bloom - until Stormy pokes her and Bloom fights back.

She fights dirty, twisting Stormy's arm behind her back and making her hand broiling hot and she sends fire up the witch's arm and towards her heart.

Darkar tells her to stop when Stormy screams in pain - which is instantly - and Bloom obeys.

Icy says "Bloom never fights dirty. Just what did you do to her?"

"This isn't the Bloom you know, this is her exact opposite. She has no morals, or concern for anyone other than herself and her master."

He then sends the three witches back to Light Rock Monastery because they've outlived their usefulness, taking back the power he gave them in the process.

He and Dark Bloom open the way to the dimension that contains the Relix power while Bloom's friends come for her.

Timmy and Sky pilot the Owl through the route they used before, and get to the underground castle with no trouble.

When they heard Avalon was the Shadow Phoenix in disguise a lot of puzzle pieces fell into place - and it didn't make a pretty picture.

When they get in the castle, the guys start fighting the army of shadow monsters while the Winx and the pixies go deeper in the castle looking for Bloom - led by Lockette.

She leads them through the twisting corridors, only for them to find a giant shadow creature.

Mrs. Faragonda, Mrs. Griffin, and Codatorta - the instructor for Red fountain - arrive and finish the creature.

The guys finish off the monsters, and catch up to the Winx.

The pixies open the portal to the interplanetary dimension - where Darkar has taken Bloom.

When they find her though she is saying the chant of power - summoning the Relix power!

* * *

 ***Relix Dimension***

The dimension itself is really chaotic - the only piece of ground is what they are standing on, everything else is broken bits of stuff.

The fairies attack Darkar, accidentally knocking Dark Bloom down in the process.

He attacks, and they dodge as he helps Dark Bloom up.

"Start the chant over. I'll deal with them."

Aisha yells "Get away from her!" as they all try to blast him again.

The guys come through the portal, and Sky shouts "Release Bloom now!"

Darkar taunts Sky, then unleashes a spell that makes them all unable to move.

Bloom finishes summoning the Relix power, and Darkar transforms and flies up to absorb it.

Sky fights the spell and manages to get up.

He goes to Bloom and starts talking to her.

"Bloom it's me Sky - your Sky. You have to listen to me. Listen to me and fight. Fight for who you truly are - and fight for us. You are the strongest person I know - stronger than the Phoenix and his evil. You saved my life once, now listen to me and save your own. I care more about you than anyone else in the Magical Dimension so please. Please come back to me Bloom."

The Phoenix tried to stop Sky - asking if he thought Bloom still cared for instance - but when he finishes, Dark Bloom has tears rolling down her cheeks from closed eyes - and then she gets mad.

She gets mad at Darkar for putting the spell on her, and releases the Relix power.

As she does, she breaks the spell - and blasts the Phoenix into a wall.

She turns around and hugs Sky telling him she is sorry.

Mrs. Faragonda and Mrs. Griffin make a shield, while Codatorta and the Specialists block the Shadow Phoenix's attacks while they cast the spell.

The Winx do a convergence spell that destroys Darkar and his castle.

They all run and fly through the crumbling building and just make it out alive.

The Winx all transform when they get on the ship, and collapse into a seat.

The Specialists fly the ship through the safest passage, and they all go back to Alfea.

That night, they hold a party - and Bloom is the guest of honor once again.

Sky finds her and they kiss, then go to get in some pictures of their friends.

Timmy is setting up a floating camera with a timer for ten seconds, and Bloom and Sky run right in the middle of the first one.

After a series of funny pictures, they all give up and look at them laughing hysterically.

After the party, Bloom tells them she can see auras - but tries to play it off as a side-effect of being turned evil.

* * *

 **AN: So Bloom's finally come clean about reading auras! And she and Sky made up, yay! Just wait, the changes start soon enough!**


	33. Valtor's Return

_**Valtor's Return**_

A few weeks after Darkar's defeat is Summer Break, and Bloom fully intends to go back to Asgard and relax.

The rest of the fairies are packing, and Stella is trying to sort all her clothes between two bags.

One is for when she is staying with her father, and the other with her mother.

Flora is packing her potions away, and Tune is helping her.

Techna calculates how much of her stuff goes in each suitcase, and Bloom is already done.

Aisha and Musa are going for a swim at the beach, and tell the girls when they are walking out of the building.

Bloom has her stuff follow them - with Lockette riding it - through their open window.

Stella gets a royal announcement from Solaria that there will be a princess ball held for her soon with a surprise announcement - and she immediately decides to take the Winx with her.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Trix are sent to the Omega Dimension in pods. That place is a prison dimension where only the worst criminals are sent.

Icy however breaks out of her pod shortly after landing.

She breaks her sisters out and they get a look around - at the ice snakes that guard the place.

* * *

Techna and Digit send out invites to all their friends from her laptop, and Stella realizes that maybe the surprise waiting for her is her parents are getting back together.

She immediately decides to get a new dress and they all go shopping.

A bunch of their friends reply back - but not Sky, which worries Bloom.

They had an argument on the phone, and if he gets home before he sees the invite his parents will never let him come.

They get pizza before their shopping spree, but a bratty girl snatches it as Stella goes to pick it up.

They fight over it, and pizza sauce goes everywhere.

The two girls do spells to remove the stains and discover that they are from different fairy schools.

The girl with long black hair is from Beta Academy, and is also completely spoiled and shallow.

The rest of the Winx drag Stella apart before there is a magic fight, and they go shopping.

Musa goes to meet Aisha at the beach, Techna and Flora go look upstairs, and Bloom and Stella go into the virtual dressing room.

They have fun trying on gorgeous dresses until Stella finds an amazing red one.

She immediately decides on it, and they go to Boutique Fantastic to buy it.

Unfortunately, the brat fairy from before wants the same dress, and traps the two girls inside the room she is using.

* * *

 ***Omega Dimension***

Meanwhile, the Trix are running for their lives from ice snakes much more powerful than they are - so powerful they can freeze magical attacks.

They slide down an ice slope, and fall into a crevice.

They find an ice pod at the bottom with a man inside of it.

The plaque says his name is Valtor, and he is sentenced to spend eternity inside.

Icy frees him so the three witches can give him to the snakes following them in hopes that they will leave them alone.

However, the newly freed wizard destroys the three snakes with almost no effort.

Icy says "Nice work, ice-man."

Valtor works feeling into his body and gets out the stiffness from his imprisonment saying "Thank you."

Stormy asks "How long were you frozen?"

"Since Domino fell."

Darcy says "That was sixteen years ago! Were you awake the whole time?"

"Yep."

Icy comments "Sounds boring."

"Gives you time to think."

"About what?"

"About how you're going to get your revenge."

They team up, and Valtor leads them to a gate - after agreeing not to order them around.

* * *

 ***Magix***

Bloom and Stella get out of the dressing room and run out of the shop, to find the Beta girls walking away.

They make a run for it, but Bloom and Stella take a shortcut and are ahead.

The bratty fairy starts attacking them, so Bloom and Stella pick up the pace.

They make it through a green light right before it turns red.

The Beta fairies are left behind, and the leader has a temper tantrum and starts blasting everything.

She hits a ledge with two adorable puppies, and Bloom and Stella save them.

The Beta fairies make it to the shop just in time to buy the dress.

When Stella tries to buy it, the brat finishes Stella's description and walks out.

The lady behind the desk says something weird.

The brat that just bought the dress said she was going to be the princess of Solaria very soon - and neither Stella or Bloom know what to make of it.

Stella gets a beautiful pink dress instead, and they all go to the beach.

* * *

When the Trix and Valtor get to the gate he says that they just have to make a crack in the portal to Andros and he can get them all out.

Only problem is, the portal is protected by a strong magic barrier - as the Trix find out when they blast it and get hit by their own attacks.

Icy has an idea, and lures the ice snake following them towards the gate.

She tricks it into shooting its beam at her, which she deflects to the gate.

Her sisters hit the point with all their strength, and it works.

Valtor then makes the mermaid warriors his minions, and uses their power to open the portal.

* * *

At the beach, the Winx are all there and Stella shows off her new dress.

When Bloom comments on how things could not get much better, their boyfriends get their attention.

They all run to them, and Bloom sees Sky there.

They make up, and he says he would never miss a chance to take her to a princess ball.

Suddenly Aisha sees something in the ocean - a giant tidal wave!

The Winx all transform, and hold back the wave while the guys get people out of the water.

Aisha rescues the last person, a little girl in a tube, and surfs to shore.

She sensed something very wrong with that wave: something has happened to the heart of all oceans.

A mermaid appears and says something nobody but Aisha understands.

She has to go back to Andros, and she has to go through the ocean to get there.

She dives in and starts swimming after waving goodbye.

* * *

On Andros, Valtor is walking on top of the portal, and the Trix are admiring his handiwork with the mermaid guards.

They are now terrifying monsters with sharp teeth, scaly green skin, and long faces.

On their necks in a mark - which means they are under Valtor's control.

Bloom can sense something - she doesn't know what, but she knows it is dark and bad very news.

She has a bad feeling that the wave was only the beginning of something terrible.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, season three of the cartoon is up! The changes I mentioned before are coming up soon, just keep reading!**


	34. Princess Ball Disaster

_**Princess Ball Disaster**_

A few days later, the Winx are still trying to contact Aisha with no luck.

She is likely underwater, and too busy saving mer-people and fighting stuff to pick up the phone - which is a spot-on guess.

Most of the Winx still have some last-minute shopping to do, but Bloom and Stella are ready, so Stella takes the two of them to Solaria using her ring.

It grows into a staff which she uses to go home.

* * *

 ***Solaria***

They land in a courtyard, and King Radius greets them. Stella told him all about Bloom during spring break, so he knows all about her.

He says that Bloom can just call him King Radius instead of 'Your Majesty' which will take some getting used to.

One servant takes Bloom's bags, and one asks for Stella's.

She says she tried to pack light this time, and then takes out the magical bag with her six bags full of stuff.

It opens, and drops her bags on top of the poor guy - burying him.

Stella gives Bloom a tour of the castle - which is as big as Asgard's palace.

Stella saves her favorite room, the Hall of the Universe, for last.

Inside, it has a replica of all the planets in the magical dimension.

While Stella was showing Bloom around, Valtor came to Solaria to restore his powers.

He is already very strong, but not at his full strength.

To restore that, he needs the power of the Kingdom of the Sun - and the sun always shines on Solaria.

When he phases through a wall and into the palace, he sees the brat from the dress store spying on Stella and Bloom.

He smiles to himself and hides when a woman comes and questions her.

The woman is her mother, and the two of them are plotting to take Stella's title from her.

She walks into the room where Stella is showing Bloom all the gifts she has for the ball.

* * *

Stella introduces Bloom to Countess Cassandra, who shows them the gift she gave.

It is an extremely bright tiara, that they can't actually look at.

Cassandra introduces her daughter Chimera, who is in the Beta Academy's advanced sorcery program - and is the brat from before!

Bloom tries to smooth things out, but Stella yells at Chimera, and denies her offer of the dress that they both wanted saying that she doesn't need any hand-me-downs from brats like her.

Chimera storms out of the room plotting revenge.

* * *

The next day, Stella wakes Bloom up at the crack of dawn to give an opinion of outfits.

When she finds Bloom still sleeping, she dumps Bloom on the floor by floating her mattress - and Bloom lands with a hard crash on the stone floor.

Later, she is getting her hair done and Chimera has a spell ready to make it go horribly wrong.

As Bloom holds up a mirror for Stella to see her reflection, Chimera casts a spell - one that will temporarily turn Stella's hair into snakes.

By pure chance, it hits the mirror Bloom was holding and bounces back - hitting Chimera.

She runs off shrieking, and ties her snake-hair into a ball on her head, until she runs into a servant wheeling a cake through the hallway.

She is now splattered with cake and her snake-hair comes undone, then falls limply to her sides.

She runs to her mother's room and complains about how the mess is all Stella's fault.

Valtor overhears and offers them a deal. He uses his power to fix Chimera's appearance, and offers them the power to make their plots reality.

In return he wants them to take him to the sun of Solaria, which they agree to easily.

* * *

On the way, they run into Bloom – literally, in Chimera's case.

She is looking for Stella, and was so focused on looking for her that she and Chimera nearly fall down the stairs, except Cassandra stops the fall.

When both girls are back on their feet, Bloom says "Oh, sorry Chimera."

Chimera sneers and says "Watch where you're going!"

Bloom gets a good look at Valtor, and the feeling she had at the beach returns full force.

She says "Um, well I'll just be going then. Bye!"

She runs out of the room, and runs to find Stella.

Valtor asks "Who is that girl?"

Chimera says "Nobody. Just one of Stella's pathetic friends."

Valtor is not so convinced, he was getting the feeling that he should know her from somewhere - but he pushes it aside, telling himself she's nobody important.

They make their way up to the top of the tower, and Cassandra orders the guard to leave.

When he does, she unlocks the room containing the power Valtor wants.

He steps toward the ball of sunlight, and puts his hands in it.

The glow envelops him, and he walks back after a minute of absorbing the power.

He gives Cassandra and Chimera the power he promised, and vanishes.

When Valtor used his powers, Bloom sensed it like no other power before, and she remembers the man she saw with Chimera and Cassandra.

She decides to tell Stella about it after the ball, and goes to get ready.

She meets everyone outside the palace just as the Owl lands, and leads them in.

* * *

 ***Ballroom***

When Stella comes out, Brandon looks like he can't even think anymore.

Sky closes Brandon's mouth before it hits the floor.

King Radius makes the special announcement: he is going to marry Cassandra!

This was not at all the news Stella was hoping for, and goes to her friends as soon as she can.

Her father is marrying Cassandra in months, and there doesn't seem to be anything she can do about it.

Musa says that at least she has a few months until the wedding - between two and three - and Brandon tries to comfort her.

He got her a gift, but says he'll give it to her later when she puts it on a tray to go with her other gifts.

As she and her father open the ball, Chimera casts a spell on Stella that transforms her into a monster.

As her father tries to help, Cassandra puts a spell on him that puts him under her influence.

She whispers in his ear " _Radius this monster is not your daughter, listen and obey. This monster is not your daughter, now do as I say_."

He gets angry, and says "Guards! Take this monstrous creature away. This is not my daughter!"

"No daddy! It's me!"

* * *

The Winx all transform to protect Stella - except Stella.

Her powers are gone!

She runs up the stairs, and the Winx follow her.

Brandon and Sky try to fight, but Bloom tells them to get back to the ship and get ready to leave.

It starts to rain, something that has never happened on Solaria; and the rain is dark magic.

The Winx make it to the Aviary Tower, but when they start to fly to the top the guards chase after them on a device called the Speed Stairway.

Bloom tries to stop them with a firewall, but they deflect it with their shields - but nearly get cooked from the heat.

The guards think the Winx are trapped, but they are more than ready to fly out the window.

Stella falls through the glass though, and the Winx all go after her.


	35. Escape From Solaria

_**Escape From Solaria**_

They catch her, but the dark magic rain makes it impossible to use magic to slow their fall.

They don't go splat though, just land in a sore heap.

The Winx all try to comfort her about what happened.

When they hear the guys voices, Stella hides behind a tree so Brandon doesn't see her as she looks now.

They explain what happened - making up a few things that are actually facts - aside from the guards being under a spell, they were just under orders.

When Brandon asks where Stella is though, the guards catch up.

The two specialists hold them off while Stella leads them off to a way out.

Bloom throws Sky a tracker so she can send their coordinates when they are safe.

The hounds of Solaria are released to find them - but instead of attacking Stella, they lick her face when they smell her.

Her father got them to protect her when she was young, and they still recognize her no matter what she looks like.

After the hounds go back to the palace, Stella leads the Winx to an old hollow tree with a passage straight to the fountains.

She takes them through the tunnel but it changed - there is a lot more mud, and a bottleneck.

Stella gets stuck at the end of the narrow squeeze, and the four girls pull her out.

They make it past giant spiders, and a lake full of leeches, and into the fountains.

Bloom makes Stella a cover-up that matches her torn dress, and then sends their coordinates to Sky and Brandon.

* * *

 ***Interdimensional Portal***

At Andros, the Trix comment on how Valtor looks the same, but then he asks about the girl he saw in Solaria.

The Trix tell him about Bloom and the Winx - and he says that they can destroy all of them but Bloom, she is his.

On the ship, Bloom contacts the school to let them know they are coming.

In the library, Knut is cleaning when they all walk in.

He sees Stella in her current form-and immediately falls in love with her.

Bloom tries to explain, saying "Knut, you remember Stella. You know, long blonde hair, warm brown eyes - she went with us through the tunnels to get into Cloudtower to find the Dragon Flame." when he offers Stella flowers - with the heads eaten off because he got hungry.

Flora offers to put a spell on Brandon so that he will only see her inner beauty and Stella quickly accepts.

After about a week, Concorta finds something that may break the spell on Stella: The Mirror of Truth.

Its kept in a cave on the far side of the Barrier, the mountains that encircle Magix City.

Concorta says that the mirror has the power to break the spell, but they have to figure out how to use it.

The journey will also be a dangerous one - not to mention long - because the mirror is guarded by icy storms and flying sentries.

She also says that they will know the mirror when they see it - which is about the worst description ever.

When they leave, Stella is wearing her cover-up again, and Flora has already put the spell on Brandon.

He calls her beautiful, which convinces her that it is working.

When they get close to the cave after another week, a freak ice storm starts - so weird that they would swear Icy was involved if they didn't know better.

When the hull starts to get weighed down by ice, Bloom offers to go out and melt it.

Sky says it is too dangerous because they don't know how strong the ice guardians will be.

Bloom suggests a power dive to get rid of the ice, and they pull up to get enough altitude.

The others start freaking out, and Stella can't look.

Brandon grabs Sky's arm and tries to get him to pull up, but he insists on waiting for Bloom to say when.

The Winx all ask when, but Bloom says to wait.

When the ice falls off, she yells "Pull up now!"

They get out of the dive just in time, and see the cave.

Bloom senses something big coming, and there are a lot of them.

Suddenly, the whole ship shakes, and something is on the windshield.

It looks alarmingly like a giant claw - because it is!

There is a giant griffon-like creature grabbing the ship!

It's another one of the guardians of the mirror, and it doesn't care if they are friendly or not.

* * *

 **AN: Had to adjust the timings so that Summer break would be gone - yes, I know it takes away from the time 'til the wedding, but they make it in time. As for Stella's problem, think they're going to fix it? Find out next chapter!**


	36. The Truth of Stella

_**The Truth of Stella**_

The three Griffons attacking the ship have beat it up bad.

The windshield is cracked everywhere, and the Griffons are each big enough to hold the ship in their claws on their own.

The Winx go out and fight them except for Stella, who can't and so is sitting with Brandon - who only sees the gorgeous girl he loves, and not the spell that changed her appearance.

They fight off the griffons, and then a massive one, far larger than the others, latches on to the ship - and Bloom suggests that it might be the mother.

Flora is horrified to find out that they were fighting baby animals, and they do a relocation spell that sends them away - but not very far because they have never done that spell before.

They get into the cave, and the Winx find the ice spirits the Concorta mentioned.

The spirits say that the spell on Stella will be broken when she finds herself.

The guys wait in the cavern with the columns that were speaking to them, while the Winx start exploring.

They start looking for the mirror, and Stella goes into a side-cave that ends with a reflective piece of ice.

She talks to her reflection and touches the ice.

It vanishes and she walks into a cave with a pool of ice.

Bloom notices she isn't with them anymore, and they all start calling for Stella.

Brandon hears them, and comes running, and they all start looking for Stella.

Brandon finds her, and when she says that he doesn't understand why she is so upset because of Flora's spell, he admits that the spell never worked.

He could see her the whole time - green skin and all, and wasn't afraid.

The Winx all tell her what they see when they look at her - all good things - and Brandon gives her the gift he has for her.

It was his mother's pocket mirror and now he wants Stella to have it.

It is the best gift anyone has ever given her-because of what it means and who it came from.

As Stella's tear hits the ice, it breaks apart, and so does the spell.

She changes back to her usual self, and the Winx all jump for joy in a big group hug.

* * *

When they get back to Alfea after a final week of travelling the school year has started again - dashing any chance of Bloom visiting home.

The Winx all laugh at Musa's impression of Stella in front of the mirror, except for Aisha.

She is back from Andros but won't talk about what is happening there.

Stella bumps into her old friend Nova, who catches her up on what is happening on Solaria: Cassandra and Chimera are taking over.

Cassandra is basically running the kingdom and Chimera is trying to replace Stella as princess.

Meanwhile, Musa meets the princess of her world, Galatea.

She is making instruments play one of her compositions - and it sounds like there is a professional orchestra in the room.

They start talking, and then Mrs. Faragonda has an announcement to make.

All the fairies are on the quad, and Mrs. Faragonda talks about an important test for the Winx's class.

In the first year, the goal was to gain their Charmix.

Now, the goal is to gain a higher transformation: Enchantix.

The only known way to do this is to sacrifice yourself for someone from your birth planet.

The test will come to them, and there is no knowing when or where it will happen.

Bloom is crestfallen at that - there is no one from Domino, except for Daphne who is a spirit.

There is no way Bloom can see that will get her Enchantix.

Later that day, the Winx are going out, but Aisha says that she isn't in the mood.

When they say that they want to help, she says "Help? I fear none can help Andros."

She explains how Valtor broke out of Omega and has invaded her world.

Things are getting very bad, and there seems to be no hope for the planet.

The Winx all say that they will try to stop Valtor, and Bloom promises to do everything she can to stop Andros from meeting the same fate as Domino.

* * *

 **AN: Looks like Bloom's stuck for Enchantix, she'll figure something out though! She's never been one to let a little problem like the impossible get in her way!**


	37. Fighting For Andros

_**Fighting for Andros**_

The next day, Aisha gets news from her parents: things on Andros are getting worse.

Even the castle isn't safe anymore, and nobody can figure out how to stop Valtor.

Bloom insists that they have to go there to stop Valtor, but there is the problem of classes.

Techna half-jokes that Mrs. Faragonda wont exactly give them a hall pass to go save another planet, and Stella comes up with a plan on the spot.

She puts on a hat and matching scarf and pretends to call the school nurse faking being sick with something.

Bloom says "Well, not exactly an award-winning performance, but it will have to do."

Stella says "I'll stay here and cover for you guys."

Musa asks "You're not coming with us Stella?"

"I can't, I have to find a way to save my father. He must be under some spell from Cassandra."

She keeps talking about what happened and they all agree that he must be under a spell - and they understand completely what Stella needs to do.

Bloom spends an hour saying goodbye to Sky, while the rest of the Winx get ready to leave.

When she finally gets off the phone, they go using Techna's teleporting device - which won't be detectable by magic.

Stella makes the call, and the Nurse buys it - hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

 ***Andros***

The rest of the Winx come out of Techna's dimensional passage in the throne room of the castle on Andros.

After talking with Aisha's parents - who want them to be safe - they go out and look at the state of Aisha's ocean.

It is brown - and it looks polluted.

The mermaids have been transformed into creatures with scaly skin and fangs for teeth.

They growl and snap viciously at anything near them, including one another.

The Winx try to break the spell on one of them as a test - if they can free one, they can reduce Valtor's army, if slowly.

They almost manage to break the spell, but fail at the very last second.

Techna is knocked into the filthy water, and Musa and Flora pick her up.

Musa plays some music to the mermaid, and she swims away.

They joke that maybe she likes country instead, and keep looking for Valtor.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

At Alfea, Nova visits Stella with very bad news.

But, Griselda comes in with tea for the girls who are supposedly sick.

Stella changes the pixies to look like the missing girls, and she leaves the drink on a table - still believing the girls are at Alfea.

Nova comes back in once Griselda leaves, and Stella and Nova sit down on the couch for a long talk.

* * *

On Andros, the winds are getting bad to fly in, and push the Winx back a few feet.

Then they have to turn back because of a tidal wave heading straight for them.

They make it to an island, and get hit by the wave.

When it retreats, they are all soaking wet, but alive.

Aisha says that she should have never dragged them into her problems, but Bloom says that she would help no matter what, and the rest of the girls agree.

The Trix watch in amusement as their enemies go to stop Valtor - like the four villains watched the failed attempt to break the curse on the mermaid.

Valtor thought the attempt to free the mermaid was cute, and when Icy suggests going to fight the Winx, he says "By all means; nothing like a visit from old friends."

He bows as they walk past him, and the three witches smirk as they think of the shock the fairies are going to get.

The fairies in question are flying towards the portal, and Bloom is making plans for the fight.

"Ok, our best bet is to use the element of surprise. We'll come in from the east and attack. Valtor won't know what hit him. Techna, can you make a diversion?"

"Yes. I've been working with complex holograms for situations like these, and one of them should work on Valtor."

Musa says "It's time to crash this party!"

Stormy says "You don't have to crash - because we've been expecting you!"

All of the Winx except Bloom are completely surprised that the Trix are out of the Omega dimension - Bloom had a feeling that they would show up.

She thinks _I knew it. Who traps an ice witch in_ _ice_ _?_

The two groups start fighting, and the Trix are easily beaten back.

Bloom blasts Icy out of the air, and she makes a circle of ice to land on - with an obelisk that she slides down on.

When Bloom isn't looking, she hits her with it - sending the fairy flying through the air and away from the fight.

Valtor watches the whole fight - and can't help wondering about Bloom.

"That girl, Bloom, is different from the others. She is very powerful. It's as if I've known her my whole life - but who is she really?"

When he sees where she lands in the ocean after being knocked out - on a shrine, or something, sitting on the sea floor - he goes to investigate.

* * *

While the rest of the Winx angrily fight Icy for hitting Bloom in the back like a coward, Valtor raises the shrine Bloom is on.

She fell to the sea floor unconscious, and doesn't remember the shrine rising.

When she stirs, she starts coughing up water, and Valtor moves aside the curtain of water still falling.

She doesn't notice him walk up to her as she coughs up the last bit of seawater.

When she opens her eyes, she sees him - though blurrily.

" _cough, cough_ Who are you? What do you want?"

He kneels down and wipes the bangs from her eyes, though she flinches away.

"Don't be afraid Bloom. We're old friends, you and I. Don't you remember?"

She looks at him at that part, and doesn't believe a word of it - though she doesn't show it.

"Don't be afraid, Bloom. Oh, I'm sure you've heard rumors about 'big, bad Valtor', but I'm not so bad - once you get to know me."

"Ugh, I already know enough about you! Your destroying Andros!"

Valtor just smirks at this, and says "If you knew my story, you'd understand. I was once powerful and respected, but then things changed. And now that I'm free, I'm taking back what is rightfully mine. I'm going to be the supreme sorcerer of the magical dimension-and your either with me or against."

Bloom says "Well put me down for against!" as she jumps back.

The Winx have angrily finished Icy for now, and go looking for her - and Aisha sees her on the shrine.

"Oh, I'd rethink that if I were you Bloom. I don't like hurting others, but I will do what needs to be done."

Bloom sarcastically says "You don't like hurting others? That's a real laugh. If you don't, then why did you help the witches destroy Domino?"

She has no idea where that last part came from - but she gasps in horror because she immediately knows it's the truth.

She tries to blast Valtor, but he catches the attack with one hand and snuffs it.

The Winx attack, but he dodges them all.

He says "I gave you a chance to join me, but now we'll have to be enemies. Which means I'll have to destroy you, but not now - when the time is right."

Aisha challenges Valtor to try and save her planet, but he blinds her with a spell.

When the light from his magic fades, Aisha is alone on the little shrine, and when the Winx go to her, she says she can't see.

When she opens her eyes, her irises are white!

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, right, Valtor doesn't like hurting people. I wouldn't believe that for a second, not after he goes around conquering planets and destroying them.**


	38. Aisha's Family

_**Aisha's Family**_

Two nights pass and the Winx still haven't returned, and Stella is getting worried.

"Why did I let them go to Andros without me? What was I thinking?"

Amorae answers "You were thinking they were all-powerful and strong enough to handle this on their own."

"Then I must have been crazy. And even crazier, my BFF's are without me on Andros and my father is under Cassandra's evil spell!"

She sits on the bed and holds her head in her hands, remembering her princess ball going horribly wrong.

"I'm confused, powerless, and I don't know what to do!"

Piff says something in her baby-speak that makes Stella smile, and she keeps thinking.

Suddenly Griselda comes to the door, wanting to know why the Winx missed classes again and why they didn't report to the nurse if they are still sick.

Stella comes up with the excuse of trollpox, and changes the pixies to look like their bonded fairies.

They are covered in red spots, and Griselda buys it.

* * *

On Andros, the Winx are on a beach, and promise to help Aisha get her sight back.

A mermaid without Valtor's mark comes to the shore, and says "I mean you no harm, fairies of Alfea."

Aisha recognizes that voice, "Cousin Tressa, is that really you?"

"Princess Aisha, your eyes…"

"My friends have been my eyes ever since Valtor blinded me with a wicked spell. But I will still fight to my last breath to save Andros."

Tressa starts to cry and says "Not you to. You were my last hope - now I fear there is no saving Andros."

"Oh Tressa, don't cry."

"Valtor's destroyed the underwater world using black magic. His evil spells transformed everyone I love into monsters. The city of mermaids is in ruins and _my mother is his prisoner_."

Tressa starts to break down, and Aisha says "Don't give up Tressa, I haven't. I might not be able to see, but I can still fight to save my aunt Queen Ligea, and the mermaids."

Bloom says "Ok ladies, who brought their bikinis?"

Musa says "Who needs a bikini when you've got wings?"

When Bloom asks why Tressa looks upset, she admits that she ran away in fear while everyone else was fighting to protect her mother.

Bloom says that it takes courage to admit to being afraid, and then they set off.

Except the Winx can't breathe underwater.

Musa asks "Um guys, air-breather over here. How do you expect us to get to the bottom of the ocean without gills?"

Aisha replies "And princess of Andros over here. Give me your hands."

She uses her powers to let the Winx survive the journey to the ruined city - and it protects them from the cold too.

They transform and start swimming, with Bloom holding onto one of Aisha's hands so she stays with them.

* * *

Meanwhile at Alfea, Stella is worrying so much she might actually get sick and have to miss class.

She is pacing when Nova comes in with big news from Solaria - about her.

Cassandra has declared Chimera the new princess of Solaria, and Stella's father hasn't done anything but sit on the throne - the one brought over for Chimera - while Cassandra orders everyone around.

Every time he starts to come out of the spell - even a little - she asserts her influence over him again.

* * *

The city of mermaids is like a ghost town, there is nothing stirring there except a few fish floating past - like tumble-weeds in a western movie.

They aren't exactly alone though: some spelled mermaids followed them and attack.

Tressa keeps Aisha safe, while the rest of the Winx fight.

* * *

Stella decides to go back to Solaria after hearing Nova's news, and changes Piff to look like her and the rest of the pixies to look like the Winx.

Unfortunately, when the adults - and teenager - go up to pack Stella's stuff, Piff wakes up and crawls out the door.

When they go to find her, they get busted by Griselda.

* * *

The Winx fight off the mermaids easily, and go to the trench where Ligea is being held.

They fight off some coral that tries to grab them, and when they reach the bottom of the trench, they find Ligea's crown.

They head into the Kraken's lair, where Valtor is keeping her captive.

But when Musa asks what the Kraken looks like, one swims up in front of them and takes Aisha!

They swim after her as fast as they can - tracking them from Aisha's screams and the names she's calling it, including Calamari - and find Queen Ligea in the process.

Tressa frees her while the Winx keep going.

She hacks the bars away, and gives her the crown they found.

Then Tressa catches up with the Winx and frees her cousin.

She chops off two of the Kraken's tentacles, and it floats there apparently dead.

The Winx all congratulate Tressa on the victory, and they swim back to Ligea.

Unfortunately, minutes after they swim off, the Kraken regrows its arms and goes after them.

Ligea offers to break the curse Valtor put on Aisha's sight using the coral gem in her scepter.

It has powerful healing magic, but needs the last rays of sunset to work.

They swim for the exit, but the Kraken catches up with them.

The Winx attack it so that the mermaids and Aisha can get away, but they do more damage to the cave than the Kraken.

They collapse the cave to get away, and get out of the lair just in time.

As they are swimming away though, the Kraken bursts through the rocks in front of its cave, and hits Queen Ligea with its stinger in the back!

It swims away, as Tressa holds her mother begging her to wake up.

She does, and says that she has never been prouder of Tressa before going out again.

Aisha doesn't even think about it, and decides to save Ligea instead of her sight.

Bloom gets them to the surface, and Aisha uses the scepter to save Ligea - sacrificing her sight and earning her Enchantix!

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, she's got Enchantix now! Yay, but they won't have the reception they think back at Alfea...**


	39. Detention

_**Detention**_

While, the Winx are on Andros, Valtor takes over a kingdom called Espero - the most enchanted kingdom in the Magic Dimension.

It's a favorite spot for vacationers everywhere, and absolutely gorgeous - one couple had just arrived, when the Trix started making trouble.

Valtor appeared in front of them, and scared the poor couple half to death.

He conquers the planet in no time at all, while the Winx are going back to Alfea.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

Aisha is still blind, but she has her Enchantix.

The other students stare at her, until Griselda comes forward, very angry.

"There you are. You ladies have some explaining to do about your unauthorized absence."

Bloom steps forward saying "Yes Ms. Griselda we know - but first Aisha needs help."

Aisha opens her eyes, showing everyone the white irises.

Griselda looks shocked and upset, and takes them straight to Mrs. Faragonda.

Stella rushes in just in time to see Aisha.

Mrs. Faragonda explains about Aisha's new fairy dust, and she uses it on her eyes.

It rains down on her closed eyelids, and she opens them after it is gone.

Her irises are blue again, and she gets a good look at her new form.

"I can see! I can see!"

Her transformation fades, and the Winx all hug her excitedly.

* * *

Both adults are happy that Aisha has her final fairy form, and her sight - but Griselda still has a job to do.

She clears her throat and says "While I do hate to ruin the happy moment, there is still the matter of your punishment. While you had good intentions, you still left school grounds without any kind of approval. As punishment for leaving school grounds without permission, and trying to deceive me by having Ms. Stella and the pixies impersonate you, you are each assigned to work in the restricted section of the library to reorganize the entire collection of old books for Mrs. Barbetea - and that's without using magic. Your detention will last until all the books are neatly shelved, is that clear?"

Bloom says "Yes Ms. Griselda. Let's go Winx."

They all walk out to get to the library and start their punishment, but Bloom has a visitor - Sky!

Aisha says "Hey Bloom, looks like you've got company."

She points and her boyfriend is leaning on his wind-rider.

She runs over to him and says "Hey, what are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining but..?"

"I was just on my way back to Red Fountain, and I really wanted to see you. I heard you guys saw some action on Andros, and I wanted to make sure your okay - and I wanted to ask you something."

Sky puts a hand on Bloom's cheek, then says "As you know, I'm the crown prince of Eraklyon, and this weekend is the anniversary party. I would really like you to come so I can introduce you to my parents and, well, everyone."

Bloom looks nervous and says "Introduce me to everyone? That's a lot of people Sky."

"Well, I want them to know just how important you are to me."

Bloom hugs him and he says "So I guess that's a yes then?"

"Absolutely. And nothing in all of creation will stop me from being at your party."

Bloom bites back the thought that they all have detention, and just says "Sky, I have to go - but I promise I will be at your party."

They kiss, but Valtor was watching the whole conversation.

* * *

 ***Interdimensional Portal***

He just stares at Bloom's image, while Icy talks away.

"You know, I pictured all the magic of Espero being…well, different."

She is staring at three scrolls inside an orange bubble.

Darcy says "Don't waste your time. Your talking to yourself."

"That so doesn't work for me."

She walks over in front of Valtor and says "Hey, what gives? We just made off with all of the magic on Espero! Add that to what you took from Solaria and Andros, and we're on a roll. But instead of being happy, instead of being excited, instead of being grateful to me and my sisters - you just stare and stare and stare at _her_! I mean really, what is so interesting about Bloom?"

Darcy whispers to Stormy "I think he has a crush on her."

Stormy gets mad and static crackles through her hair.

"I'm studying her. Bloom is an enemy we can't afford to underestimate - you three of all people should know that. We need to get her out of the picture for good, before she can put a stop to our plans - and I think I know how. I just had a great idea, and it involves that party."

* * *

A few minutes later, a protective dome encircles Alfea, and the entire school is called to an emergency assembly.

Mrs. Faragonda explains the dome, and the attack on Espero.

The school will sooner or later become a target, so all the teachers made the dome to protect the magical secrets there.

Special permission to leave the school can only be given by Griselda - and the Winx still have detention.

Ten minutes after the assembly, the Winx and their pixies are in the library - and there is a massive pile of books for them to sort.

Techna realizes the books are books of curses and other dangerous spells and creatures, and Mrs. Barbatea says that they should handle the books carefully.

Sky's party is the next day, and it looks like there is no way the six girls and six pixies can get all the books sorted in time.

Aisha gets them moving faster, but Bloom doesn't know a thing about how to act in front of the royal court.

The princesses give her a crash course on the matter, while they sort - balance, etiquette, etc.

Bloom has never very good balance, she was always tripping over her own feet as a kid, but it got better when she discovered her true powers.

As for etiquette, she knows something of how to act in front of royalty, she grew up as the daughter of the king and queen of Asgard after all, but probably not enough.

Stella manages to ratchet her nerves up even further than they already were when she describes what she imagines will happen: a romantic scene where the prince and princess are the stars of the party, and everything goes perfectly - but the princess knew exactly what to do, and wasn't a fairy with the craziest life imaginable.

She gets the curtsy down - mostly - and they are actually making good progress with the books.

They manage to get them all sorted, just in time for dinner - and they are all ready for that.

* * *

Valtor paid Diaspro a visit while the Winx were sorting and teaching, she was being a spoiled brat again because Sky is taking Bloom to the party.

Valtor appeared in her mirror and told her he could help.

He gave her a potion to give to Sky - and all he asks in return is that Bloom be weakened heavily.

She readily agrees, and when he leaves she is already planning a way to give Sky the potion without him knowing.

* * *

When the teachers finish their inspection of the library, they are all very impressed, so Mrs. Faragonda grants them permission to go to Eraklyon the next day!

Mrs. Faragonda holds Bloom back for a minute, and tells her about her parents and the Company of Light.

Valtor was formed from a piece of the Dragon fire that became corrupted by darkness and shaped into a man by the Three Ancestral Witches, the Ancestors of the Trix.

He was the last person to have seen Bloom's birth parents, so he may know the answer to what happened to them.

The rest of the Company - which Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin were part of - were unconscious when Valtor was sealed away, so only he might know.

Faragonda also tells Bloom about a planet called Pyros where she could go to get stronger - because there is almost no way she could get Enchantix.

Pyros is full of dragons of all kinds, and is extremely deadly.

It is a last resort - a place to go only if there is no other option.

Bloom understands, and goes to bed - she has the feeling tomorrow will be crazy.

* * *

 **AN: What do you think will happen at the party? Will Diaspro get her way or will Bloom find her out and stop Valtor and Diaspro's plans? And how would she be taken 'out of the picture'? REad more to find out!**


	40. Party On Eraklyon

_**Party on Eraklyon**_

The next day, the Winx are on the Owl, going to Eraklyon.

They packed all their things earlier, and now they are just relaxing.

Bloom is out cold, she spent most of the night before processing the fact that Valtor is the last person to have seen her birth parents, and that he is literally made of magic - dark magic.

He _is_ a piece of the Dragon Flame, which means she can sense him anywhere; find him anywhere.

She doesn't want to think about what else it might mean.

She has a nightmare about her friends verbally attacking her, but it was just a dream brought on by a lack of sleep and an abundance of worrying and thinking.

She wakes up with her head in Aisha's lap, and after a moment the dream comes back to her.

She almost flips, but Aisha assures her it was just a dream.

Stella comes over and says "You're just worried about Sky's big party. After all its not every day you get to hang out with your boyfriend's parents - especially when they're the king and queen of a planet."

Bloom goes a shade paler at the fact, and says "I'm just worried about what they're going to think. I hope they like me."

Sky comes over and says "They are going to love you Bloom - just like I do."

He pulls her into a hug, and they are like that for almost a minute, before Riven says "Uh guys? Hello - knock off the public affection."

They all laugh at that, until a burst of light appears in front of the ship.

Brandon asks "Hey what was that?"

"Don't worry guys. That's just the magical fireworks to welcome all the guests. What do you think?"

They all gasp at the different fireworks leading the way to the palace - which is sparkling like someone shook a giant tube of glitter over it.

Techna hugs Timmy and says "Oh Timmy, isn't it beautiful?"

"Well, you look happy."

"I am, I just can't wait for the party. It'll be - whoa watch out!"

The Owl nearly hit a tree but Timmy pulled up at the last second thanks to Techna's warning.

Musa says "Rumor has it, there's going to be a huge orchestra."

"That's right."

Stella says "And I heard the cake is over twenty feet tall!"

"That's also true."

Riven says "And I heard every guest will get a brand-new hover-bike."

Sky asks "Now where did you hear that?"

"Actually, I made it up - but wouldn't it be cool?"

They all laugh again, and the Owl lands.

Sky has to go, his parents are waiting, and the Winx still need to put on their dresses.

* * *

About ten minutes later, after everyone is dressed, made-up and in the courtyard, the royal families are announced one by one.

When Stella's father, Countess Cassandra and Chimera are announced, Stella tries to go to them.

But a guard stops her and the Winx drag her back.

Finally Sky's family is announced, and Bloom's heart almost stops when they walk out.

Sky is wearing a formal suit with a massive collar that goes up to his ears.

Good thing its open in the front, he locks eyes with Bloom instantly and she somehow stays on her feet.

After everything she's faced - Magical and Asgardian - she's scared to death that she will mess up tonight.

* * *

Diaspro watches from the shadows, and takes out the bottle with the potion Valtor gave her.

* * *

Bloom is facing Stella - more nervous than in any fight she has ever been in - when she says "Bloom, look. Here comes your prince."

Bloom whips around to see Sky barely three steps away.

He says "So what do you think? Are you ready to start the ball?"

"What? You want us to dance in front of everybody?"

She is looking at Sky nervously, and her face is starting to turn red again.

"Of course. And after that I'll introduce you to my parents, and all the guests. And then I'll make our big announcement to everyone."

Bloom whispers "Catch me if I faint. I may be a princess, but I don't feel like one."

"Bloom, it'll be fine. I promise. Just look at me for the dance."

She looks into his eyes for the whole dance, and again it's like everyone else disappears.

She doesn't even remember the dance, only the kiss at the end.

"Wait here a sec Bloom. I'll be right back."

Sky walks toward his parents, and Bloom opens her eyes.

The Winx rush over to her and she asks "Well, how was it?"

Musa says "You two were magical Bloom."

Stella adds "Told you there was nothing to worry about."

* * *

The girls talk about how wonderful the dance was - mostly the rest of the Winx telling Bloom how great it was - and Sky bumps into Diaspro.

"Oh, hey Diaspro."

"I haven't seen you in so long. Is that any way to welcome an old friend?"

"Well I-"

"We were very good friends once. If I recall, we were more than friends."

"Yeah well, that's all ancient history Diaspro - and I really don't want to talk about it. We can still be friends but that's all."

"Of course, well let's just have one toast in your honor. And to Eraklyon."

She is holding two cups, and passes one to him.

He drinks it, not suspecting any treachery.

Bloom sees them drink from the cups, but doesn't know what was said or what just happened - she does feel some dark magic, but she can't find the source.

Sky stops for a moment and then says "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an important announcement to make."

He walks over to his parents and then King Erendor says that Sky wants to have a word.

* * *

He goes up to the microphone, and Bloom is incredibly happy.

"Thank you everybody for being here tonight. And for celebrating this moment of great joy. I would like all of you to meet the sweetest, most beautiful and intelligent girl in the whole magical dimension."

Sky's description makes Bloom look down and blush hard.

She looks up again, just in time to hear Sky announce the name of the girl - Diaspro!

Bloom watches as Diaspro walks forward with a huge grin on her face and hugs Sky.

It doesn't feel like her heart is broken - it feels like her heart is ground to dust.

Bloom starts crying silently - she has spent enough time dealing with Thor to know how to not break down completely.

All of Bloom's friends, Winx and Specialist alike, are talking about how Sky blindsided them.

Brandon even says Sky has gone insane.

When the Winx go to Bloom, she starts whispering "How could Sky do this to me? He led me on all this time?"

Stella says "Bloom, there has to be an explanation for all of this."

"Diaspro is his ex-girlfriend. What if all this time he said he was in love with me but was really in love with her?"

Different thoughts flash through Bloom's head all at once: he cheated on her with Diaspro, he cheated on both girls, he was playing with her feelings the whole time.

None of the options are good.

Stella says "If that's true, he's messing with the wrong people. C'mon girls."

She marches toward the two blondes, and this time freezes the guard that stopped her before.

Musa unfreezes him saying "If I were you, I'd stay out of her way, she's a little upset."

Aisha says "We're all upset."

Diaspro sees the five angry girls and one crying girl marching toward them and says "Those girls are out to get me, they're dangerous Sky, dangerous!"

"Yes my love."

"They're witches Sky, minions of Valtor. You have to stop them!"

"Yes my dear."

When they get within three feet, Sky yells "Guards, arrest those witches!"

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like they got their way. Wondering how Bloom's going to disappear from the picture? Keep reading to find out!**


	41. Fleeing Eraklyon

_**Fleeing Eraklyon**_

King Erendor asks "Sky, what's the problem?"

Sky points to Stella and says "That witch is one of Valtor's spies, and so are her friends. We have to stop them."

Guards surround them until Bloom says "Winx, grab my hand!"

They each put a hand on top of Bloom's and she starts glowing orange.

Suddenly, they disappear, and are now in front of the maze of bushes.

The six girls run into the maze of plants while the rest of the guys try to get to them.

Timmy and Riven try to get their girlfriends' attention - but they are too busy not getting arrested to hear.

* * *

Valtor and the Trix are watching the whole scene, and Valtor is impressed.

He comments on how Diaspro would make a perfect fourth Trix, but the three witches - while quietly thinking the same thing - do not look happy at the suggestion.

Valtor laughs and says he was kidding, and they keep watching Diaspro's work.

* * *

Bloom is crying to herself while they are all running.

One of the guards orders them to stop, but Stella says "Or what?"

The guards start shooting at them, and Musa says "You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you Stella?"

Aisha says "We have to fight back."

Flora says "But we can't hurt them, they're just following orders!"

Techna agrees with her, and Bloom gets an idea.

"Split up!"

Stella says "What? Bloom we can't split up, we don't know-"

"The maze, exactly. These guards do, and if we stay together we're all going to get caught. Professor Palladium taught us to navigate unknown environments, so let's put what we've learned to use."

They all take a different direction, and stay ahead of the guards.

They all manage to lose their followers, then meet up at the exit somehow.

But as they go to leave, an arrow is shot, narrowly missing Bloom's head.

She gasps at the shooter: Sky!

"You made a big mistake coming here, you witches."

Stella asks "Ok, now can we use magic on them?"

Aisha says "Let me take care of it."

Aisha makes a Morphix barrier that fires every shot back twice as hard - which makes the guards and Sky duck when all their arrows come back at them.

The Winx head for the ship, except for Bloom - she stays for a minute to talk to Sky.

"Go on Winx, I'll join you in a minute."

They all go, but after a minute Stella goes back.

While they are gone, Bloom asks "Sky, what has happened to you? And why did you do this to me?"

She nearly chokes as Sky tries to hit her in the face.

"Be quiet! I don't want to hear another word out of your lying witch mouth!"

He tries to shoot Bloom, which ends up nearly hitting him as she starts crying again.

"Why you-"

He throws the bow at her, which just makes her cry even more.

"You can't hide forever, I will find you!"

In response, Bloom turns invisible, shocking the guards and infuriating Sky; she _can_ hide forever if she wanted to.

Stella comes back just in time to run into Bloom.

"Bloom, what happened? C'mon, the guys are ready to leave."

She hugs Bloom as they walk away - and the oldest guard thinks that Bloom didn't look like a witch, just like a girl who had her heart broken tonight.

Sky's words ground Bloom's heart to dust a second time - if anything else happens, Bloom doesn't think there will be any water left in her body.

They make it to the ship, but Flora is hit with a stream of fire.

She falls to the ground, while Bloom absorbs it through her hand.

They all look up to see Sky riding a dragon with two other guards riding some.

"Back in the day, witches were punished with fire - and it's about to get real hot in here."

The Winx transform, and Brandon and Riven help Flora onto the ship.

Sky yells "You traitors, those witches put a spell on you!"

Brandon mutters "I don't know what you're talking about, but your starting to act like a real jerk."

Sky shoots at Brandon, grazing his shoulder while saying they aren't his friends anymore.

* * *

Bloom is distracting Sky - but she can't fight him, even after everything he has done to her tonight - when one of the dragons goes after Stella's father.

Cassandra and Chimera abandon him when it lands in front of them, telling him to hold the creature off.

Stella sacrifices herself to save her father from its breath, and earns her Enchantix.

They all get onto the ship, as the other two dragons under the control of their riders shoots fire at the ship.

Bloom takes control of the jets of flame to make a shield around the ship.

The fire dissipates, and the guard and king and queen are shocked.

Only someone with immense power - power over fire - could pull off something like that.

The only magic users in all of knowledge with that kind of power are ones with the major powers of the magical dimension - and only one of those powers is over fire: the Dragon Flame.

They all know who the last holder was - the baby princess of Domino, the second daughter of Marion and Oritel.

She was going to be a fairy, but the planet was destroyed.

* * *

For Bloom, the dragons were the last straw - she has always had a thing for them and Sky knows it.

Her heart was ground to dust again - three times in less than an hour - it feels like she doesn't have one anymore.

The Owl flies away, with all the fairies on board.

As soon as it leaves the Eraklyon atmosphere, Bloom breaks down in hysterical sobs.

Stella hugs her, and Bloom returns the hug as hard as she can with the fact that she is sobbing into Stella's shoulder.

* * *

Valtor and the Trix watch Bloom break down with satisfaction - and Valtor thinks _Now to wait a while._

* * *

Bloom sobs all the way to Magix, and they teleport up to their dorm so that nobody will see her.

When they get all their dresses off magically, Bloom grabs hers and sets it on fire - she will never wear it again.

When they get into their Pj's Bloom is still crying - it seems like she will never stop.

They understand, Bloom gave her heart to Sky completely - she trusted him, and then he stabbed her in the back in the worst possible way.

Bloom listens to music to try and calm down, but it doesn't work.

Eventually, the Winx come into her room and sit with her on the bed.

She is wearing headphones connected to her phone, and is listening to a really sad sounding song.

Stella hugs Bloom again, and Musa has the idea to play a lullaby that her mother would sing to her when she was upset.

Bloom finally falls asleep after four hours of nonstop crying leaning against her best friends' shoulders.

When she wakes up the next morning, she is sick from heartache, and all the crying.

She has a fever, cough, can't eat anything, and her eyes are so puffy and red they are swollen.

She gets permission to stay in bed, which is where she stays all day, crying her heart out again.

* * *

 **AN: Looks like Valtor got what he wanted when he asked Diaspro to weaken Bloom - she's a total mess! Find out what happens to her next chapter!**


	42. Kidnapped Again!

_**Kidnapped Again!**_

A week after the disaster of a party, Bloom is still a total mess, but she has to go to an assembly.

Some of the parents don't trust her.

They talked to Mrs. Faragonda, and said that they would like Bloom to be removed from Alfea.

If not, they say that they will take action themselves.

Bloom's magic is not working right today, so Stella does an illusion to cover up her tear paths, red eyes, and frizzy hair that hasn't been brushed for a week.

She has had other things on her mind, and the story about what happened on Eraklyon is already all over school.

* * *

 ***Assembly***

Faragonda says "My dear girls, it is my duty to inform you that a powerful sorcerer has escaped from the Omega dimension. His name is Valtor, and he is extremely dangerous."

One student asks if the school is safe, and she replies "For now, we are safe. But our school may well be a target. So we must all be extra vigilant, and report anything suspicious. Valtor is looking for revenge, and he may come after me - or even Bloom."

Bloom has her head down trying not to start crying in front of the entire school - especially when she can feel the eyes of all the students on her.

Her head only whips up when she hears the next sentence.

"Some parents here see Bloom's presence as a problem, and have asked me to remove her from our school."

This is like another knife in her back - what has she ever done for people to think she is untrustworthy?

The Winx all gasp at this, as does the rest of the school.

Everyone had heard rumors that Bloom was connected to Valtor somehow - but Bloom had a school-wide reputation for helping anyone, no matter what the problem.

And everyone has heard how she won the Battle for Magix and stopped the Trix - so nobody can believe that someone would think Bloom would help Valtor.

She is interrupted from her hurt thoughts when Mrs. Faragonda says that she will turn down the parents' request.

She goes on about how she knows her students, and the parents get up to leave angrily.

But Bloom shocks everyone - especially the parents - when she asks to leave.

"Mrs. Faragonda, if some of the parents don't trust me because of a rumor, then maybe I should leave. I was going to ask if I could have some time away anyway - not forever, just a few weeks. I'll be going back home, until everything settles down some - and the rumors about me are stopped one way or another."

Stella asks "Bloom what? You can't leave! We need-"

The rest of the Winx are also protesting, but the stop when Bloom turns around and says "I need some distance Stella - maybe another universe will be far enough away. And if you need me, all you have to do is call."

Mrs. Faragonda says "If this is what you want Bloom, then you can certainly take some time to yourself. Feel free to come back when you're ready."

"Thank you Mrs. Faragonda. I'll go pack."

Bloom walks past the parents, and then speeds up when she feels more tears coming on.

Stella runs after her yelling "Bloom, wait!"

* * *

After the meeting, the rest of the Winx leave with the school population, and Musa overhears one of the students arguing with her parents.

"How could you do that to her? All she has ever done is help anyone!"

"The rumors that she is connected to Val-"

"Those rumors are total bull, mom! If you knew her, you'd know she doesn't have a mean bone in her - much less evil!"

"She was run off of Erak-"

"Mom, her ex-boyfriend was the prince! They were run off because he said they were _witches_! She just had the worst breakup in the entire dimension - and then you do this to her?"

"Really? She didn't look like she was upset."

"Her friend was doing an illusion mom, I was right behind her and I could sense it. She hasn't been seen for a week, until now!"

When Stella caught up with Bloom she tried to convince her to stay, but Bloom wouldn't change her mind for anything.

Stella heads off the rest of the Winx saying Bloom wasn't going to change her mind.

* * *

 ***Bloom and Flora's Room***

Bloom packs her bags, then takes a look at her drawings for a moment and nearly breaks down in tears again.

But before she can walk out the door, the Trix teleport into her room!

Bloom can't fight, but she gives it her best shot.

She uses one of her bags as a shield, and Icy's attack freezes her bag instead of her.

But Darcy gets behind her and knocks her out cold with a spell.

They shove Bloom's stuff under her bed so nobody will know she's in trouble.

They teleport away minutes before the Winx get back to their room.

To them, it looks like Bloom has already left for home.

* * *

That night, Mrs. Faragonda puts a protective spell over Alfea to protect the school from Valtor and the Trix.

It's too little, too late for Bloom though - she is already in their hands.

Stella hasn't heard from Brandon at all that week, so she when he calls, she is furious.

He says that he went to talk to Sky, and has an idea of what happened - but he needs more info.

He promises to call again when he has it, then hangs up saying that he loves her.

Another week later, Sky announces his wedding to Diaspro - and nobody knows Bloom's missing yet!

The Winx decide to go to Eraklyon without Bloom to confront Sky - and in Stella's case, possibly punch him out.

If Sky really is a cheating jerk, Bloom doesn't have to see him again and get another knife in the heart.

If he is under a spell, they can break it and surprise Bloom when she comes back.

Either way, they are going to find Sky and get some answers.

* * *

 **AN: What's going to happen to Bloom? Gotta keep reading to find out. Don't have to wait long!**


	43. Captivity Starts

_**Captivity Starts**_

 _Ohh, my head. What happened? Wait, not again! For Magix's sake, this is getting ridiculous…_

Bloom opens her eyes, remembering what happened in the dorm room, and glares at her captors: Valtor and the Trix.

Icy notices she's awake - not to mention trying to set her hair on fire - and says "Hey Valtor, she's finally awake."

Bloom's heartache is forgotten for the moment, because for the first time in a week she is _mad_.

She is tied to a rock column, with magic ropes that confine her powers to her body.

She can keep herself warm, use magic on herself - but anything outside of her body is virtually impossible - unless her magic overwhelms the power of the spells on the ropes.

"Well, well. It's about time Bloom. You're one heavy sleeper."

She sarcastically replies "Old friends, huh Valtor? News flash - old friends don't have each other kidnapped and tie them to giant pillars of stone!"

She starts struggling to get free as Valtor walks forward.

"Well, your memory is good, Bloom. I offered to let you join me, and I'm willing to offer that again."

"You destroyed my planet, you had me kidnapped, and you think I'm going to join you?"

She laughs derisively, saying "You've got a really messed up view of the world if you think that. I'm not the Trix, who go from one bad guy to the next, and I'm not evil either. If I join you, then all the parents who didn't trust me for no reason will have been right - and that's not what I want."

"Fine Bloom, but don't think you're leaving anytime soon."

"Never crossed my mind." Bloom glares as she says this, then turns invisible.

Darcy looks intrigued that she can do this without even moving, and goes over to look.

After about a minute Bloom says "If your hoping to drive me crazy, it isn't working Darcy."

"How did you turn invisible without so much as blinking? That's almost impossible even for me."

"Like I'm telling you!"

* * *

Bloom sits there in a trance for the rest of the day, and the next week and a half until Valtor decides to switch tactics.

Bloom is surviving perfectly fine without doing anything - so he decides to shake her up some.

The Trix are more than happy, they wanted to see some crying or hysterical begging from Bloom - not her sitting there like she is perfectly safe and nothing is wrong.

It is hours before Sky and Diaspro are going to be married, and Valtor calls the bride-to-be using the wall of smoke.

When her face appears, she says "Hello, Valtor. What's the occasion?"

"It's yours actually - your wedding to Sky. I have an old acquaintance of yours here, and I thought she would like to say hello."

He steps back to reveal Bloom tied to the giant stone column.

"Well, if it isn't Bloom. I wonder how you got there."

"If your calling to offer an invitation to the wedding Diaspro, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse - I'm a little tied up at the moment."

They are beginning to see Bloom's sense of sarcasm, black as it can be at times.

"An invitation? Well aren't you full of yourself?"

Bloom deadpans "Nope, just tired of people I care about leaving me."

Bloom starts singing 'Better Than Revenge' by Taylor Swift, making all of them stare at her as she makes guitar noises by illusion.

When she gets to the lyrics, Diaspro turns bright red and a vein starts pulsing in her neck.

"She's not a saint, and she's not what you think, she's an actress, whoa! And she's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa!"

Diaspro is getting tired of Bloom's apparent lack of caring - about her heartache, or the fact that she is kidnapped - and says "Well, maybe this will show you - I put a spell on Sky."

"Sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know, or pushing people down to get you where you want to… _Wait, what?_ "

"That's right, he never left you of his own free will, Valtor gave me a spell to control him - he's my own life-sized puppet now. And he's mine!"

Diaspro smirks as she says this - until Bloom starts glowing bright orange and then catches fire.

"YOU SELFISH BITCH! I SWEAR, IF I _EVER_ GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU WONT NEED A FEW HEALING SPELLS - YOU'LL HAVE TO MAGIC UP _A WHOLE NEW YOU_!"

Bloom's eyes are bright orange, and the column she is tied to explodes - meaning she is absolutely furious.

She blasts the Trix into a wall, and sends Valtor to his knees with one shot.

She then hits Diaspro through the curtain of mist with a blast that is actually on fire.

She is slammed into the wall and knocked out.

Bloom's body is on fire - Dragon Fire - and she is _mad_ ; mad that she fell for the trick, mad that she didn't realize something was wrong with Sky, she should have known!

* * *

She is one instant from touching the curtain and going into Diaspro's room to finish her when she is hit with a spell from Darcy.

"Stay out of this, unless you want to join her."

She hits Darcy with another shot that sends her back into her sisters, then screams and falls to her knees holding her head in agony.

She looks up at Valtor, who is holding his hand out, then attacks him.

She nearly wins, but he manipulates her using the connection between their powers.

She is unconscious - and so is Diaspro.

Icy says "Okay, maybe getting her mad was not the way to break her."

Darcy says "You think? I swear I saw murder in her eyes. Along with more power than the three of us combined."

Stormy is the last to get up saying "Yeah, remind me to never get her _that_ mad again. At least not without a major power boost."

Valtor is trying not to pass out - knocking her down then out was much harder than he thought it would be.

She was far too powerful for the spells he put on the ropes to contain - he needs somewhere to keep her where she can't burn her way out when she gets mad to the point of erupting like that.

Only a total idiot would get Bloom as angry as Diaspro just did.

When she is that mad, right or wrong aren't really on her mind - and being the most powerful magic user in a dimension means she is a very bad enemy to make.

They are just lucky she isn't the kind of person to go for revenge on someone, because if she were, none of them would sleep easy knowing she was anywhere near them; contained or not.

* * *

Diaspro is knocked out for hours - which is just what the Winx need, because while that was happening they were going to confront Sky.

* * *

 **AN: Ooh, they shouldn't have told her that. Maybe they'll get Bloom angry enough that she'll win and beat them all with just her Charmix! And maybe Diaspro is going to get a fiery exit out of all their lives at some point.**


	44. Finding the Truth

_**Finding the Truth**_

Stella, Musa, and Flora tell Ms. Grizelda that they are going on a picnic, and Stella says they will find a nice 'picnic-y spot' as an excuse when Riven shows up in the Owl.

Stella made picnic baskets for the other two girls to carry, and they just hope that they will be back in time for curfew - eight at night.

The shield goes up then, and if they aren't back, they will have to spend the night outside the campus.

They make it to Eraklyon with no trouble, and Riven lands outside the castle.

He draws the guards out doing that, so the three fairies can sneak inside.

* * *

 ***Eraklyon Palace***

They find Sky alone, and Stella marches up to him and says "Alright Sky, you'd better have one really fantastic reason for hurting Bloom like that - or I swear you're going to get it!"

"What? I don't know how you three got in here, but you'd better leave now!"

"Not until you explain yourself mister! If you loved Diapsro the whole time, then you'd better explain playing Bloom. And if you loved Bloom - then you'd better start talking as to what happened at your party!"

Sky has had enough and attacks Stella with his sword.

She dodges, then the three fairies run.

They run through the castle, until Stella is grabbed by Brandon from a side-corridor.

She hugs him, and he says that he snuck inside to talk to Sky, but Diaspro never leaves his side.

They all realize that they haven't seen her yet - but before they can wonder about it a guard sees them.

Brandon distracts him, by fighting with him, and the fairies keep running after he tells them to.

Sky corners them in a room with suits of armor, and Stella transforms and attacks Sky.

Stella knocks him into a suit of armor to keep him from attacking her friends.

She mentally apologizes to Bloom - until they see the tear in the shoulder of his jacket.

On his shoulder is the mark of Valtor - and all the explanation they could want.

Musa says "Of course! That explains everything!"

Stella says "If Sky has been under this spell since the party, then he didn't mean to hurt Bloom! And I bet we can all guess who put the spell on him!"

The three fairies all say "Diaspro!"

Stella uses her fairy dust on Sky's shoulder, and he starts shaking.

The mark disappears, and Sky looks around when it does, and says one word "Bloom?"

He then collapses, and Flora puts a hand on his forehead, only to pull it away fast - he is burning up now.

* * *

Some of the guards find them before they can do anything though, so they hit the road.

Musa and Flora transformed when they saw Valtor's mark on Sky, and they fly out of the window.

Brandon crashes through a window - and Stella nearly goes back for him, but he tells her to go.

He holds off the guards as long as he can, but when the Owl flies off he is disarmed.

They make it back to Alfea minutes before the protective shield comes up, and Riven flies off right before it comes up.

They are all ecstatic - especially Stella, who can't wait to tell Bloom.

She will be so happy, and they really miss her.

Aisha came back from Andros in tears because her parents arranged for her to be married to a guy she has never met named Nabu - but she cheers up some when she hears the news about Sky.

When they call her from the room she and Flora shared though - they hear an answering chime under her bed.

When they find all her stuff shoved under her bed, they are confused and kind of upset.

But when they open up the bag with the chime for Bloom's phone, all her stuff is still there.

Musa asks "She left a bag of her stuff, all packed, under her bed?"

Flora drops to her knees and sees all three of Bloom's suitcases.

Stella uses magic to bring them all out, and they all gasp when they see the last one - its covered in ice!

Flora says "Oh no! What happened to Bloom?"

Stella doesn't say anything though as a massive sense of guilt comes crashing down on her - if she had convinced Bloom to stay, this might not have happened.

Techna says "Oh, Bloom! Winx, we have to tell Mrs. Faragonda!"

They all run to her office, just as she is leaving for the night with Ms. Grizelda.

"Mrs. Faragonda, Ms. Grizelda, it's an emergency! We think Bloom's been kidnapped by the Trix!"

Stella is hysterical, and Techna does the explaining.

"We went into Bloom and Flora's room to call her, but heard her phone under the bed. When we looked, we found all her stuff under the bed. One of her bags was covered in ice - and Stella would you stop freaking out quite so much?"

Stella is hysterical, thinking that Bloom didn't even make it out of the dorm room.

Mrs. Faragonda looks into the past and they all watch Bloom's kidnapping - and it sends Stella over the edge.

While the Winx try to comfort Stella, Mrs. Faragonda calls a meeting with the other teachers.

"Bloom has been kidnapped by the Trix - and is now in Valtor's hands. He may try to use her to take over the magical dimension - or worse, he may take revenge on her for his defeat by her parents. Either way, the magical dimension is in extreme danger - more than ever before from the Trix or even Darkar. We must all be ready to face an evil more dangerous than any before."

* * *

 **AN: And here we go, full-panic mode has effectively been activated. Stella's hysterical, no surprise there, and the whole school is on high-alert - Red Fountain and Cloudtower likely will be as well.**


	45. Conquering Cloudtower

_**Conquering Cloudtower**_

For the next week, Stella can't focus on anything - between Brandon getting captured by the guards, and Bloom being kidnapped for days, she is a total mess.

Secretly, she blames herself for both times Bloom was kidnapped - she went right by Bloom and professor Avalon a.k.a. Darkar in the hallway.

And if she had convinced Bloom to stay - or hadn't tried to - she might be alright instead of kidnapped and held captive by an evil wizard who helped destroy her planet.

Flora has an idea to help them relax: Herbal tea. it doesn't really calm Stella down, but the effort is nice.

* * *

 ***Interdimensional Portal***

On Andros, in the dimensional portal, Valtor is trying to think of somewhere to go.

"Andros, the water planet - and every drop of it under my supreme control, no wonder I feel so washed up. I say we go somewhere the roof isn't leaking over our heads 24/7. We need to move up in the world - to a different world. Any ideas?"

Bloom says "Yeah, how about you four go back to Omega and climb in your ice capsules? I'm sure nobody's taken them yet."

They all glare at her, which she returns without missing a beat.

If they are going to kidnap her, she is not going to be a good little fairy and sit there quietly.

Stormy says "How about we take over Darkar's old palace?"

Darcy shoots down that idea fast saying "No way. I don't do basement floors."

Valtor says "I agree, we need a high floor, with a nice view."

Bloom yells "How about you four give up the evil business, and get an apartment room on Earth? No magic, but some excellent views - if you enjoy skyscrapers for a sunset."

This time when they give her death glares, she grins maniacally at them - they noticed she has apparently gone slightly insane after her chat with Diaspro.

Like something broke inside her - or like something hardened and can't be broken.

Either way, Bloom is messing with them as hard as she can - and really getting to them.

They tied her to another rock column, and tied her hands behind her.

He feet are bound as well - it actually reminds her of the time she was captured right before New York.

When Icy suggests Cloudtower castle as their next stop, Bloom, unbelievably, starts laughing.

Valtor says "Something funny Bloom? Maybe you'd like to share the joke."

"If you think you can just waltz into any of the schools, you four have another thing coming!"

She breaks out in another fit of laughter, so Valtor gags her with a gesture - though to everyone's annoyance, she keeps laughing.

There is a crazy look in her eye, and they think she might have actually snapped - but her prediction is spot on when the image of Cloudtower zaps him as he tries to open a portal there.

Valtor looks over to see Bloom doubled over with tears, and when he removes the gag, she is laughing so hard her sides hurt.

When she can say anything, she says "Caaaaallllllled it! Did you really think they wouldn't be expecting you after what you did on Espero?"

She draws the first word out, relishing the fact that Valtor can't get into the schools.

He knocks her out, saying the four of them would have to rewire the magic for the school.

* * *

 ***Gloomywood Forest***

When Bloom wakes up, she is tied to a tree with her wrists in front of her.

Her legs are free, but the ropes around her wrist are strong, and she has a gag on.

She is in the forest just outside Cloudtower - she can see the school from where she is.

She pulls at the ropes, until they give, then makes a break for it away from the school.

Unfortunately, she took too long with the ropes and Valtor and the Trix are coming back for her.

The four tackled Bloom to the ground when they caught up with her, and they had no easy time getting her back to the school.

Her wrists are still tied together, and she can't use any magic - but she makes a good effort.

Valtor fights Mrs. Griffin in her office, while the Trix attempt to drag her through the school.

When they get to the cafeteria, Bloom runs forward, and shakes off the gag for a minute, screaming "RUN! EVERBODY RUN!"

The Trix come in behind her, but it's too late to stop Bloom.

She got all the witches attention - and some teachers' as well.

Griffin demands "What are you doing here? Each one of you was expelled! And what are you doing with Bloom?"

Icy smirks while Darcy and Stormy struggle to keep Bloom from fighting, saying "Let's just say we pulled some strings to get back in. As for Bloom, our friend here has plans for her."

She steps back to reveal Valtor and goes to help her sisters get Bloom under control - easier said than done.

Darcy made a magical gag again, but it doesn't stop Bloom from fighting back some.

She tackles Stormy hard, head-butts Darcy, and stomps Icy's foot before Valtor hits her with a spell again and knocks her out.

He then puts his mark on all the student witches and teachers.

* * *

He puts Griffin in one cell - and puts Bloom in the very bottom cell in the dungeon.

It's from when the castle was first built - and there are so many old spells on that specific cell, that not even Bloom could get out of it, at least not unless someone lets her out; or she does something impossible like break the spells.

There are hundreds of spells on each stone for preservation, containment, and magic dampening.

The door is more solid than anything Bloom has broken before - due in no small part to the Oppositus spells and break-proof spells on it.

She can't touch the bars without getting magically electrocuted and being thrown to the wall behind her painfully hard and fast.

There is virtually no way for Bloom to get out - which is exactly what the four were hoping after Bloom's latest battle with them.

The cell has a wooden bench, straw on the floor, and a skeleton in one corner.

They throw Bloom to the floor and quickly shut the door before she can wake up - they found the Dragon Flame makes spells affect her maybe a third as much as they normally would.

* * *

 **AN: And this is literally the only way they can keep the most powerful person in the universe contained - think King's Cage, where Mare Barrow was trapped and couldn't use her powers. Can Bloom do anything? Find out next chapter...**


	46. Hell Begins

_**Hell Begins**_

Griffin wakes up in a cell and sees Valtor and the Trix standing in front of her.

She gets up as he says "Cloudtower and its magic secrets are all mine now - and the taste of victory is sweet."

"You will pay for this Valtor! And you three traitors will get what you deserve."

Stormy says "Yeah, like total control of the school and you in prison!"

"They're traitors just like you were Griffin."

"That's not true!"

"Oh really? Weren't we once fighting side by side? Fighting under the command of the three ancestors - the mothers of all witches? Together we studied the dark arts, so we could rule with fear. We were going to conquer all the realms of the magical universe. Well, that is until you decided to turn on me - and joined our worst enemies: The Company of Light. The same enemies who would later defeat me."

Valtor sounds bitter at this, and Griffin says "I followed my conscience and tried to make up for past mistakes!"

"Your only mistake was betraying me! And for that you will be locked away for eternity. You are not the first to fall - and you will not be the last."

He makes a set of magical bars as they walk out, leaving Griffin trapped in the cell.

"Now I'm going after the others - and I won't stop until all remnants of the Company of Light have been extinguished forever."

Griffin grabs the bars, only to get shocked by them and thrown into the wall behind her - wondering what he meant by she was not the first to fall.

Marion and Oritel are still gone, Hagen is holed up in his castle, and Saladine and Faragonda haven't been attacked yet - so who has fallen?

* * *

The first thing Bloom feels when Valtor's sleeping spell finally wears off that night, is a crushing weight on her body, mind, and magic.

When she opens her eyes, the first thing she sees is a dusty old skeleton next to her.

After a throat tearing scream, and scooting as far away as her tiny cell allows, she looks around at the rest of her decorations.

The wooden bench is held up by two metal chains, and is seriously in need of a cleaning.

The straw she is sitting in is old and stale smelling, and the walls are dark grey.

She could burn words in them and they would be seen, but she can sense the magic in every pore of the stones - there is no possible way she _couldn't_ sense it.

It's like being under a suffocating blanket she can't move or touch - only fight against.

She can't focus, can hardly make a small flame on her fingertip.

She never realized how hard it could be to use magic - its inside her, and all she ever had to do is focus on it.

Now it's like a dam has been built and she can hardly break through it.

She gets mad, and screams " _Valtor! You destroy my planet, you grind my heart to dust, you kidnap me!_ "

She screams in rage and frustration - and holds out her hands out of habit.

A blast of magic explodes, and hits the door dead on - then comes back just as fast.

She is slammed into the far wall - which isn't that far - and gets a good bruise on her back and double-vision for her anger.

It's like a wall snaps back into place when she is hit - her anger apparently overpowers any magic trying to contain her, but once it's gone she can't just get angry again.

She is well and truly caught - her magical senses only go as far as the door; except for Valtor, she can still sense him.

Not even all the magic stuffed in the cell with her can block that out - the one sense she wishes could be smothered.

She can't sense heat and magical signatures, or any heat signatures for that matter, but she can sense Valtor's flame - he isn't in Cloudtower anymore, so maybe the witches that are now his zombies are with him, and the school is empty.

Whatever the case, she needs to find a way out.

She starts to meditate, and makes an interesting, and surprising, discovery: she can identify the spells surrounding her.

She gets an idea as a last resort - because it will take so long to get ready, but she starts anyway.

Her idea is to remove the spells from inside the cell - break them one at a time.

She starts in the middle, on the very middle brick.

She burns a dot in the middle of the brick - you wouldn't even know to look for it unless you knew her secret.

To the casual onlooker - and hopefully the power-hungry, arrogant witch or megalomaniac wizard - it will look like she is sitting on the ground in defeat.

What nobody on the outside could know is, she is sorting out the spells on the stone she is sitting on, breaking the web of magic she is encased in bit by bit.

Even if she only breaks the spells on one brick, it will be enough if she can only get out.

She sits on the stone, and starts concentrating, blocking out the crushing weight of hundreds of centuries-old spells, and focusing on the ones directly beneath her.

She directs all her magic downwards and slowly begins chipping away at the barrier of magic entrapping her.

* * *

 ***Many hours later***

After hours of mind-numbing work, she has made barely any progress at all - a few spells gone, not nearly enough to get out.

She sighs and says "It's going to be a _very_ long stay."

She can tell Valtor is back, but that is all - she can only guess where he was.

Alfea?

Red Fountain?

Lake Roccaluce?

She knows from the strength of his Dragon fire that he couldn't have left the general area, but beyond that she has no idea.

She may be cut off from the world, but that won't stop her from trying to get back to it.

Bloom can't sense anybody but Valtor, and nobody but Valtor can sense her - and even he is having a hard time doing it.

Unlike Bloom, he can only sense her when they are close - so he couldn't sense her if she was on another planet.

To anyone else, the dungeons of Cloudtower are totally empty if they went looking from a distance.

Bloom's magic is not only contained, it is disguised - nobody would find her unless they found the cell first, and that is almost impossible with Valtor there.

* * *

 **AN: How long's it gonna take her to get out? Will she do it before they figure her out? Coming soon...**


	47. Alfea Attacked!

_**Alfea Attacked!**_

While Bloom was working on a way out of her cell, Valtor was indeed out of the castle - and at Alfea.

He took his zombified witch army and attacked Bloom's school.

At first there was a sudden storm, then when the protective shield came up, lightning started hitting it.

After that, witches started falling from the sky shooting more lightning.

Faragonda goes to fight Valtor, while Grizelda rallies the rest of the fairies.

The rest of the Winx fight the Trix, and Stella and Aisha do a convergence that knocks the bewitched witches out.

Palladium makes a new protective shield because the original failed after around two minutes of spelled lightning.

Valtor appears from the sky and says "We meet again Faragonda. But what do you know? This time your friends from the Company of Light aren't here to back you up."

"Valtor, you bewitched the girls from Cloudtower!"

He smirks and says "Yes, I am often told how bewitching I am. And with the witches' help, I will take your magic formula's and secrets and use them to become what I once was: the most powerful sorcerer in the magical universe!"

He attacks Faragonda at the last part, and she blocks it with a shield.

She blasts back at him saying "Not on my watch! And not under my roof - or over it!"

They attack back and forth, until Valtor sends her flying to a clearing in a bubble of magic, saying "It's been a blast Faragonda! Thanks for everything!"

When the smoke clears around Faragonda, she is in a small crater, and it suddenly glows with Valtor's mark.

The ground under her rises, and she flies up - but a twister emerges from the ground and pulls her down.

Valtor laughs and says "You never would have let anybody defeat you. Your losing your touch, Faragonda."

He has to look away as a bright cocoon of green-yellow light rises from the ground with Faragonda inside.

"Oh yeah? Very doubtful, Valtor!"

She blasts him and he goes through about five trees - then yells "Griffin has fallen and now you are going down to!"

"Griffin will rise again, and I shall stand with her - and Bloom shall be freed as well!"

Valtor gets really mad, and releases an explosive amount of power at Faragonda.

* * *

Everyone at Alfea sees it - while Aisha and Stella were arguing about whether to stay and defend Alfea or help Mrs. Faragonda fight, a gigantic explosion happened, and blew all the fairies and witches at Alfea back a few feet.

It was a blast that rivaled Bloom's biggest explosions, and it could only have come from Valtor.

Palladium and about a dozen fairies set up a perimeter, and it is holding, with the fairies charging it with their magic.

Unfortunately, the Trix slipped in as a dust cloud through a small hole when it was forming.

The fairies are all patrolling the corridor to the Hall of Enchantments, and they lure Galatea away from the others.

Aisha and Stella went outside to check on the barrier, and with Bloom gone they don't have their best fighters.

Galatea orders the Trix to stop, and tries to fight them, but Icy freezes the bubble she puts them in, and Stormy breathes on the ice and cracks it.

Darcy teleports behind Galatea, and Icy threatens to freeze the princess solid.

She sends Musa a sound-wave message, using an emergency means of communication that the Trix can't pick up on - even Darcy, who is the wild card out of the three.

She can turn illusion into reality, and her illusions are extremely realistic - all this is going through Galatea's head as she is forced to lead the witches through Alfea to the Hall of Enchantments.

She takes the _really_ long way around, but Musa only gets a clear message when she stops moving and focuses completely at the task.

The three fairies get there just after Galatea uses a little magic to make books fall on the witches' heads.

Icy freezes Galatea and then freezes her wings and breaks them.

Before Stormy can hurt Galatea further, Musa hits her with a spell, then flies over and hovers over her her princess protectively.

The three fairies fight, and get the better of Icy and Stormy by slamming them into the wall after Flora made some vines to catch them.

Darcy sets fire to the whole library at that though, and the three witches leave.

Flora tries to put the fire out, but there is dark magic in it.

Bloom isn't here to absorb the flames, so they can't do anything to stop it.

Galatea hasn't said or done anything since she lost her wings to Icy and Musa carried her out - but now she runs back in to try to save the books and spell codes.

Musa goes in after her, and refuses to leave Galatea when the smoke gets to be too much.

She earns her Enchantix - asking what's happening when she starts glowing bright pink - then puts the fires out when she realizes she has earned the next level of power.

She sprinkles her new fairy dust over the fires, and they go out instantly - and then she gives Galatea some too.

A dark spell of Icy's took her wings, and Musa restores them.

Galatea is overjoyed and hugs Musa as hard as she can for doing this for her.

The witches leave the school, and Aisha even says "Witch, witch go away! Don't come back another day!"

Everyone celebrates - and Whiz-Giz even hugs Palladium unexpectedly.

Hours later the next day, Mrs. Barbatea thanks the Winx for saving the books and Grizelda thanks them for stopping the Trix.

She then tells them that Mrs. Faragonda hasn't been seen since the fight with Valtor - so they all decide to look for her.

* * *

 **AN: Think they're going to find anybody - Faragonda or Bloom? Read and find out!**


	48. Looking For People

_**Looking for People**_

The Winx go looking for Mrs. Faragonda, with some help from the pixies - who even dressed up in detective outfits!

Murda is thinking about her friend Lucy, who is currently under Valtor's control along with the rest of the witches.

* * *

While the Winx and the pixies look through Gloomywood forest for Faragonda, Valtor is furious with the Trix.

They didn't get the secrets from Alfea, and their attempt to send Alfea to ashes was stopped as soon as they left.

Valtor says he needs one person with real talent - to share all his power with.

He then tells the three confused witches that he will give them one last chance to redeem themselves and sends them to keep an eye on Bloom.

They all have to bite back a groan - turns out having Bloom as a prisoner is not nearly as fun long-term as just turning her evil.

* * *

Meanwhile, the five fairies search for a while for Mrs. Faragonda, before finding a giant clearing full of holes and smoking tree stumps.

Lockette can't sense Faragonda's presence anywhere - or Bloom's, she tries - the fight left residual dark magic in the area and its messing with the pixie.

Flora asks the trees what happened, and learns the best news possible - Faragonda is alive!

The trees saw Valtor fly off in the direction of Cloudtower after the fight was over, so the Winx go there.

They find Murda - who thinks they are the Trix and cowers down in front of them.

Musa says "I have never been so insulted in my life!"

"Oh, phew, it's you guys."

Flora helps Murda up and asks "What are you doing here Murda?"

"I had to come - I'm just so worried about Lucy and the other witches."

They all go inside after agreeing to stick together - and find the witches laying on beds after a few minutes.

* * *

Their eyes are pure white, and Techna determines they are under a dark spell that has them in a kind of suspended animation - probably so they can fight again.

Lucy is nowhere to be found, which upsets Murda even more.

They don't find Bloom - even though they have been trying to sense her ever since they walked through the doorway.

Suddenly, they hear something, and run out to discover the doorways are disappearing and there are two monsters coming for them along with the witches.

The Winx fight, and Valtor is watching - along with the Trix, who have had enough of Bloom's jabs at them for a month.

Icy asks "Don't they know its rude to show up without an invitation?"

Valtor is getting more annoyed by the second, and asks "And don't you three have something else to do? Didn't I give you an order?"

Darcy says "Yeah, but guarding a captive fairy is a waste of our dark talents - and guarding a captive fairy who makes jokes about the fact we're guarding her and uses us as judges for her handstands is just annoying and degrading. Order us to fight them!"

Stormy suddenly looks closer and then says "Murda! That fairy wannabe - what's she doing here?"

Valtor asks "You know this girl?"

Icy says "She used to study here, but switched to Alfea. She's not a witch - she's a switch."

Valtor's expression goes from annoyed to curious - he needs to deal with Bloom later, but right now he can enjoy using a friend of the Winx to betray them.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower Dungeons***

Bloom is relieved she can stop doing her terrible handstands - but they did let her stay on the stone without seeming too obvious she was trying to stay there.

She sits back down and keeps focusing - glad the Trix finally got tired of the jokes she isn't sorry about in the least for about how Valtor thinks they are not worth the effort.

She would normally feel awful about the jokes - but not this time, she has been hurt far too much by all four of them to regret anything she has to do now.

The Trix were already acting bored anyway - she just gave them a push over the edge, in the form of jokes about them and using them as judges for handstands.

It won't work forever - and especially not on Valtor - but she'll find something else to do then.

* * *

Meanwhile the Winx have just beat the monsters by knocking out the witches.

The monsters grabbed the sleeping girls and went through the wall saying that they would not be celebrating for long.

Then the doors come back, and Stella and Murda see two people through a door they have missed very much.

Lucy is lying on a bed, while Bloom is chained to the wall behind her with a cloth gag on.

Techna puts a pair of goggles on, and discovers it's a trap.

Murda gets to the fake Lucy first, and gets knocked to the floor by lightning.

Valtor appears, and fight the Winx.

They end up in the main hall, and get beaten when Valtor makes three giant hands come out of the wall.

Suddenly the two monsters from before show up.

One of them says "There is a disturbance in the dungeons."

"Is it Griffin? I bound her powers, so she can't-"

"No, it is Bloom. She is trying to escape."

"I knew I couldn't trust the Trix to guard her! You three finish the Winx off - they aren't a threat anymore."

Stella hears the whole conversation, and has a spark of hope.

Valtor strides away, while the three witches she and Musa put to sleep before come closer.

They escape thanks to Murda and some secret passages, and find Mrs. Griffin in a heavily spelled cell.

She sends them to find the guardians that roam the school, and after the two are freed from Valtor's spell, they tell the fairies what happened to Mrs. Faragonda.

Valtor trapped her in an oak tree, using ancient magic even they have no knowledge of; and the fairies thank them for the info.

They also tell the fairies that a girl is trapped somewhere deep under Cloudtower - but they don't know where precisely, only that she is somewhere in the dungeons under the school, and very deep in them.

It has to be Bloom, there's nobody else it could be.

Murda takes them out of the castle, and then stays to keep looking for Lucy - and now Bloom.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower Dungeons***

Meanwhile, Valtor went to stop Bloom's escape attempt.

She turned invisible - after a lot of focusing - and then when Icy went to investigate the apparently empty cell, she put her in a headlock.

She threatened to pour all her magic into Icy unless they let her out - Icy closed the door after coming in, ruining Bloom's chances at teleporting out - and the other two have no idea what to do.

"I swear you two if you don't let me out, you're going to be down a sister!"

Valtor stalks over, angrily saying "Well, well, well. It seems I can't even trust you three with the most basic of tasks - watch her, that's all you had to do! You didn't have to go in, or even talk to her, you just had to make sure she didn't get out! How could you mess that up?"

Darcy says "She was invisible! You said she wouldn't be able to use her magic!"

Bloom practically snarls "Yeah - that hasn't worked whenever I get mad since minute one, why would you think it would work now? So let me out, or I swear I'll burn Icy up from the inside out!"

She tightens her grip on Icy's neck, and she yells "Aaahh! If any of you have a plan to get her off of me, I suggest you do it quick - there may be a lot of spells in here, but she's heating up fast!"

Valtor focuses for a minute, then Bloom goes paler, and Icy sees her chance and starts struggling.

"No! Not this time. I won't-"

 _thump_!

Bloom fought back hard, but she had to focus on keeping Icy in her headlock, and fight a mental battle - she was outnumbered, and went unconscious in ten seconds.

Icy gets out of the cell as fast as she can, and Bloom is completely covering the stone she is working on.

Her magic has shut down again - and the Trix couldn't be happier for it.

The three witches watch the rest of the Winx find Mrs. Faragonda - and all three are plotting to get Valtor all to themselves.

They're privately thinking Bloom would have better chances at getting Valtor though - and she hates him!

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom tried to escape and nearly succeeded - shame Valtor learned of it. Nobody said she'd be the perfect little prisoner, well-behaved and content to sit in her little cell while the world is slowly destroyed. Think she's going to try again? Maybe - scratch that, definitely - but you've got to read to find out what they do next!**


	49. Saving Faragonda

_**Saving Faragonda**_

When the Winx get to Mrs. Faragonda, the pixies are already there - they had a run-in with some giant cats, Amore cast a spell on them so that they would be loving, then Piff put them to sleep after a few hours of petting.

After all that, Lockette tried using her key again, and it led them to an old oak tree - that had Mrs. Faragonda's face coming out of one side!

Flora can't free her - Mrs. Faragonda's life force is mixed in with the tree's.

The tree grew around Faragonda using Hibernation magic - a rare form of magic that only the elders on Flora's planet, Lynphea, know the secrets to.

They decide to go there the very next day, because it is getting late and they will need all their strength.

A robed figure watches them from up a tree, especially Aisha.

He doesn't go down to them, just follows them for a while - then goes to Magix City.

The pixies stay with the tree, and another robed figure listens to what they are telling Faragonda.

Particularly what Lockette says: the rest of the Winx are going to Lynphea to find a way to break the spell.

The figure is Lucy this time, and she turns into a snake and goes back to Cloudtower to tell Valtor.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower***

Valtor gives Stormy a boost in magic - a charm that makes her powers twice as strong.

"Well, how does it feel?"

"Electric!" Stormy holds her hands apart and lightning dances between them.

Lucy comes in and tells Valtor about the Winx's mission - and he comments that it would be nice if someone would finish the five fairies off.

Stormy leaves with the excuse of trying out her new powers, and Icy says she has something to take care of as well.

Darcy goes to watch Bloom for a while, as the Winx go to Lynphea.

* * *

 ***Lynphea***

Flora's little sister Miele meets up with them, and tells them that the sage is expecting them.

They go to the City of Flowers - where technology is forbidden and the winds from the mountains are too strong to fly through.

They take an air-leaf, which feels sturdy - they just have to hang on.

* * *

Stormy makes a dimensional passage to Lynphea, and Icy sees it and starts to jealously argue with her.

The three sisters have been doing that a lot lately - especially when on guard duty in front of Bloom cell, giving Bloom a good laugh.

The first time she almost couldn't stop, finally choking out "You all have a crush on him! That's hysterical - especially from Icy!"

The ice witch took immediate offense, asking "Why? Care to let us in on the joke Bloom?"

The temperature was dropping, but Bloom didn't really care.

"You have an ice cube for a heart - I didn't really expect you to have any feelings other than greed and coldness. And besides, you three only want him because he is the most powerful person you've ever met."

She started laughing again when Icy lost her temper and tried to freeze her - and her powers bounced back and hit her instead.

"Oh, that never gets old! Do it again, I'm begging you!"

She held her aching sides, and tears were streaming down her face as she tried to breathe through her laughter.

* * *

Stormy summons storm harpies to attack the Winx while they ride the air-leaf.

Stella discovers her Enchantix wings are strong enough to fly in the strong winds, so the three with Enchantix fly out and fight most of the harpies.

Flora and Techna take care of the ones that slip through, and soon enough they are all beaten.

* * *

Darcy looks in the crystal ball, and scrys Stormy on Lynphea.

She does the same with Icy and sees her on the Nature planet as well - then decides that her sisters are not going to show her up in front of Valtor.

* * *

Miele and the Winx get to the Sage of Lynphea and she tells them that a special tree called the Black Willow weeps.

Its tears can turn back time - and they have to get some to Mrs. Faragonda fast.

Soon the spell will be irreversible - so they have to hurry.

The five fairies ride giant ladybugs to the water stairway, and Flora sends Miele home.

* * *

Icy and Darcy meet and start jealously fighting.

Then Stormy shows up and they all start fighting amongst themselves.

Bloom's words amidst her laughter go through Darcy's mind, and she suddenly starts laughing as well.

When her sisters wonder what's so funny, she says "I can't believe it. We're actually fighting over a guy!"

The other two start laughing also - turns out Bloom was right.

* * *

The Winx climb up to the willow, and then discover that Miele came anyway.

Stella has the great idea to get the magical water using a magical goblet she makes using a rock.

The Trix ambush them though, and Darcy poisons the Black Willow.

When Flora uncharacteristically attacks her for it, she is knocked to the ground - and then Miele takes a hit meant for her sister.

She is thrown into the brown water - and Flora does a spell called 'Venus Gobbler.'

Three Venus flytraps grow out of the ground and swallow the Trix whole - and Flora jumps into the poisoned water after her sister.

She gets to her, and makes a magical bubble to carry Miele up to the surface.

A tear from the willow turns the water pure again, and Miele tells the Winx what Flora did while crying.

Flora earns her Enchantix, and uses her fairy dust to bring the willow's branches to life and grab the Trix.

The three witches are thrown into the water, and Flora flies over to her friends.

As they talk, and Miele thanks Flora for saving her, the Trix climb out of the pool of water - but they aren't the same witches who were thrown in.

They were turned younger!

They look like they're about ten years old, and the Winx all start laughing.

After the three ten-year-old girls run out - and back to Valtor - Stella makes another magic cup to hold the water because Darcy broke the first.

They take the water back to Mrs. Faragonda, and she is restored.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Cloudtower, Valtor sends the Trix to guard Bloom because he is fed up with them for a while.

After about an hour though, he goes down to find Bloom in hysterical laughter while all three witches yell at her futilely.

"Hm, it seems it's a good thing I came down here."

Bloom is sitting on the ground holding her sides like they might split open, and after a minute manages "I don't know what spell you put on them - but do it again, I'm dying to see what they looked like at five!"

Stormy yells "Why you little-"

"If I were you Pigtails, I wouldn't say anything about height. From where I'm standing it looks like you could use a few inches. Oh I can't wait to tell my friends about this…"

Stormy goes a brilliant shade of red while Icy says "It's because of your friends, that we're like this!"

Bloom sputters for a minute before bursting out into an even harder fit of laughter.

The three witches go as red as Bloom's hair, and Valtor says "Enough, you three - out. If all you can do is amuse her, then go."

The three girls pout and walk away, plotting revenge on Bloom - and Flora.

Truth be told, they manage to get to Bloom about half the time - just not lately.

After they started fighting over who Valtor liked the best, Bloom found a new way to get back at them.

But Darcy uses her illusions to trick Bloom, usually of Sky or the Winx, and it would almost always work.

Normally it wouldn't fool Bloom, but she is trapped in the cell; and she can't sense any heat signatures or magic other than Valtor's.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I loved the scene where the Trix were turned younger. Bloom's not exactly being herself - but cut her some slack, she's trapped with no way out aside from driving her guards off so she can continue working on breaking the spells in the stones one by one. Desperate times, desperate measures - and besides, would you feel too incredibly bad if you were in her position? Don't forget they haven't even bothered to feed her, she's subsisting on the Dragon Flame by now.**


	50. Andros in Danger

_**Andros in Danger**_

It's about a month after Faragonda was saved, and over twice as long since Bloom was kidnapped, nearly as long for her time in Cloudtower.

Saladine comes into Mrs. Faragonda's office late that night, and tells her that the Omega portal is about to give.

It is reaching its breaking point - and nobody, not even Valtor, will be safe if it breaks.

Faragonda wakes up the Winx - who finally managed to get Stella to stop talking.

She has had fits of nonstop talking ever since Mrs. Faragonda was saved, but now she wants to find Bloom - a lot.

They all decided to believe that Bloom was alive and alright - and Stella went along with it.

She doesn't handle worry well, and defaults to nonstop chatter when it is bad.

When the rest of them get to Faragonda's office, Aisha is practically in tears.

She got there before the others, and has already been told about the situation.

The five fairies get permission from Faragonda to go to Andros this time, and Techna makes another passage to Andros.

They don't have Bloom, but they also don't have any time to look for her.

Faragonda has tried an endless amount of spells to even see how she is doing - with no results.

* * *

In truth, Bloom is miserable - she has a laugh or two at the Trix's expense, but she has been miserable and going stir crazy ever since they shoved her in the five-by-five cell.

That's five steps by the way, she can only go five steps from flat against one wall to the other.

The walls are covered in writing now, song lyrics that she remembers.

She can hardly remember how it feels to be happy - much less in love - anymore.

She remembers what Mrs. Faragonda told her about Pyros, but her escape route is not quite finished yet.

She still has more spells to take off the stone she is working on, and with the Trix on guard duty constantly - or worse, Valtor - she does not get much time to work.

She has an idea for the skeleton, and has been hiding the bones in the straw little by little.

She said she has been using them to make food to eat using her magic - but she has been subsisting on her magic.

She learned the symbol for illusion the year before - and she knows just how useful symbols can be.

They have the effect of whatever they represent, so the symbol for illusions would generate a never-ending illusion - until it was discovered.

* * *

The Winx land on Andros, in the palace terrace, as a guard gives Aisha's father a report on how many monsters are coming from the portal.

Aisha says "Well, it looks like we came here just in time!"

Aisha and her mother hug, but her father seems beaten.

When he says that she and her friends should go back to Alfea, she says they will when they can all say they did everything in their power to save Andros.

* * *

In her cell, Bloom has a feeling that everything is going to fall apart.

She can't do anything though - she can't get out, and she has no control over sending her consciousness out of her body yet - so she can only wait for Valtor and the Trix to come down and either gloat or rage at her.

She gets the feeling it will be more gloating than raging - she has a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

In Griffin's old office, the Trix and Valtor are watching the portal on Andros continue to spit out monsters.

They suggest that the portal should be closed before it sends out all the monsters and they come after the four of them - but Valtor says "Yes, I suppose that could happen - but there's no turning back now. What's done is done."

When all three witches gasp, he says "Hey, relax. Your talking to the guy who has all of Andros' most powerful magic - which means my power is greater than ever. So let them destroy all of Magix - we'll still be protected. Now, what do you say we go pay Bloom a visit and give her an update on the rest of the universe?"

They all walk down to the dungeons, the Trix chattering about what Bloom's reaction will be.

* * *

Meanwhile on Andros, the fight is going badly - and long.

More and more monsters keep pouring out of the portal, and the mermaid army is hard-pressed to keep them at bay.

The Winx join the fight, and slowly turn the tide - and then Aisha's father shows up to help.

He saves Aisha just before one of the monsters can finish her.

He tells her to wait for an elder named Teboc the Wise to show up - he may know a way to stop the portal.

Techna shows up with him seconds after Aisha's father leaves to keep fighting - and he has a scroll that can stop the portal.

Techna and Aisha help him get to the portal, and he has them converge all their power on it as he reads.

But the scroll is snatched away by a gust of wind, and is lost.

Aisha tries to stop the portal by actually going inside, but is rejected.

* * *

Bloom is watching, and tries to blast Valtor and the Trix from the corridor all the way back to Omega, but it still doesn't work.

They all smirk at her reaction, and Valtor says that maybe they should leave.

"No, I'm watching."

She continues to stare at her friends like it could be the last time she'll ever see them again - which it might well be.

She would go into the portal in a heartbeat - but she doesn't have that option - all she can do is stare as Techna walks forward.

She starts whispering "Oh no, Techna what are you doing? You don't have Enchantix yet, and you're not strong enough."

All five stare - four in shock and one in absolute horror - as Techna walks into the portal.

They watch Techna earn her Enchantix and close the portal by literally bending it back on itself.

Bloom smiles triumphantly at the dumbstruck witches and wizard, until Techna falls into Omega as the rock formation shuts.

She starts crying, and reaches for the bars automatically and gets electrocuted and slammed against the wall.

Then she loses it completely, screaming " _I swear you will pay for this! You are all of you murderers and monsters straight from hell itself!_ "

She is glowing bright orange now, and lets loose a dragon made of fire.

It comes far too close to breaking the spells on the door for Valtor and the Trix's liking, but it bounces back and slams Bloom into the wall, passes through her, and knocks her out.

Darcy says "Well, that was close."

Stormy agrees "Too close. I actually thought she was going to break that door."

Valtor says "At least she's out cold."

They all look in at Bloom's unconscious form, laying where it fell to the bench, then off that to the floor.

Icy says "Ok, even in here it is a terrible idea to get her mad. But we've been putting her through hell the whole time we've had her, and now she breaks?"

Valtor says "You just need to know which buttons to press. Let's go ladies, before she wakes up and decides to attack again."

* * *

 ***Hours Later***

When Bloom does wake up, she starts crying heartbrokenly, and after a minute sits down, and with a furious concentration, breaks the last spells on the stone she was working on.

She smiles grimly to herself, then sets to work on the skeleton that she hid in the straw. She can cry when she is out of this living hell - for now, she has work to do.

* * *

 **AN: I'm bringing Techna back as soon as possible - and Bloom's getting out of this living hell soon. What do you think she has planned for that skeleton? Keep reading and find out, more coming soon.**


	51. Revenge and Escapes

_**Revenge and Escapes**_

The remaining Winx are sitting in the forest crying - especially Musa.

She and Techna were like sisters; they had the same dorm room both years and knew each other like they lived together their whole lives.

And Musa - being the emotional one of the duo - is taking Techna's fall into Omega hardest of all.

It's only a few hours later, but it feels like years, and none of the guys - minus Sky and Brandon, who are still on Eraklyon - can do anything to help.

Timmy is crying too, and when the Winx each say something good about Techna, he nearly loses it altogether.

He believes that Techna isn't dead, and that they can get her back. He can feel it, and says as much to Riven when he comes to check on him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom is drawing tiny symbols for illusion on the skeleton, one bone at a time.

She uses a piece of straw, fire-hardened and blackened, and it leaves a small trail of soot - soot filled with her magic - while balancing on just the stone she worked for almost two months on.

By the time morning comes, she has half the skeleton done.

She is just thankful that she is a natural artist, because she is making the symbols _really_ small, and in really hard to find places.

The illusion she is making is her, but dead.

She is going to Pyros, to get stronger.

Maybe she can't get her Enchantix - but that doesn't mean she can't get stronger.

She's going to learn from the dragons like Mrs. Faragonda suggested - but she doesn't want the Trix or Valtor to suspect that she has escaped.

So, she is making a dummy of herself.

Hopefully it will fool the Trix, and hopefully it will trick them into believing she is dead.

If it doesn't, she will fight to the death to stay free.

She may not be the vengeance type, but she won't stay in this cell any longer.

All she has to do is make an illusion of her unconscious on the ground, maintain it long enough to put all the bones in place, and fine-tune it to look like she is dead.

Sounds simple, right?

Wrong.

Maintaining the illusion will be the hardest part unless she can get carefully angry and control the emotion.

She spends hours marking the bones in spots that most people wouldn't think to look - the spot where the spine meets the skull, inside the rib cage, etc.

After each one is marked, she hides it, and picks up a new one to keep going.

While she does that, Valtor goes to the planet Oppositus, and steals the spells there.

It takes a few hours, but it is all Bloom needs to finish marking the skeleton bones.

* * *

The rest of the Winx sneak out of Alfea; to take revenge on Valtor, and maybe find Bloom.

The pixies impersonate Musa and Stella - playing sad saxophone songs and brushing hair - while the four fairies get through the barrier using Techna's barrier-buster.

* * *

At Cloudtower, Stormy decides to mess with the witches Valtor made into his minions, by telling them that he said to mix the Jell-O with the mashed potatoes.

All the witches do it, and the Trix are cracking up.

Valtor tells them to stop messing with his minions, and Stormy says "Enough about your precious minions! When are you going to show us the new spells you've been stealing from all the realms?"

"Now. Oppositus power."

Valtor uses the power of Oppositus and flips Stormy's personality around - she is now bubbly and sweet.

Her sisters nearly choke as she sits down and eats Jell-O with mashed potatoes.

They leave her in the cafeteria, munching away - right after she unsubtly and very sweetly asks Icy if the ice witch thinks she has a chance with Valtor.

The rest of the Winx get to Cloudtower about ten minutes after, and Stormy tells them that Valtor can usually be found in Griffin's office or the Sorcery lab.

Musa comments on how Stormy really isn't herself today, while they all fly from the approaching witches.

* * *

Valtor isn't in the Sorcery lab though, he is down in the dungeons; trying to break Bloom emotionally.

He wants to break her fighting spirit, make it so that she will never fight again - and he has the perfect idea on how to do it.

He talks about Bloom's birth parents - and tells her that he murdered them in cold blood.

The more he talks, the more Bloom wants to throttle him - and that's before he tells her that he killed them.

He makes a fuzzy illusion of a woman being swallowed by the Earth; and while another man tried to save her by driving a sword into the ground and focusing its power, a fuzzy Valtor cut him down from behind.

When the illusion is finished, Bloom is crying, and fire wraps around her.

She isn't on the stone she so painstakingly worked on, but it doesn't matter - he's just pushed her over the edge, and inadvertently given her exactly what she needs to escape.

The twin spouts of fire swirl around Bloom from her feet, concentrate at her fists, and then she releases a dragon made of fire with the scream "YOU MONSTER!"

It sounds like the noise was torn from her throat, and Valtor uses an Oppositus spell to bounce the magic back at Bloom.

It passes through Bloom, and she falls to the floor out cold; luckily with one hand on the stone she prepared.

Valtor saw the tears streaming down her face - but heard the fight in her voice.

Bloom has stubbornness and determination in ocean-fuls when she needs it - and she really needs it now.

She's not broken yet.

He's just relieved that the spell worked - if Bloom had hit the door, it would have broken through all the magic still intact on the piece of metal and hit him; and she would be out of the cell in a heartbeat and battling him with fury-filled magic.

* * *

Stella and Aisha free Griffin from her cell, and Musa and Flora find Valtor in Griffin's study maybe a minute after he teleported out of the dungeons.

Griffin gave the Trix detention, using a punishment spell that sent them to the detention dimension.

Faragonda and Saladine come through a portal, startling the three in front of them.

Stella apologizes for leaving school, and they all go to find the others.

They stop Valtor for the moment, and Stella teleports them all back to Alfea.

A split second after they leave the Trix walk through the doorway - right into the blast that was aimed for Griffin's head.

Darcy used a spell to trick them out of detention - writing 600 potion ingredients - and they say next time they'll write the stupid ingredients.

* * *

When Bloom wakes up hours later, she holds perfectly still, and makes the barest illusion of herself.

She slowly gets up and the illusion - while thin and barely there because of the oppressive magic - holds.

It looks exactly like her out cold - with bruises and marks all over her.

Her hair is stringy, she has gotten extremely thin, and she is covered in marks and bruises.

She doesn't think about that now, as she steps onto the stone she so carefully de-spelled.

The illusion instantly becomes stronger, and she magically floats the bones out of the straw and into place.

They activate as they go into their spots - and once Bloom is done with that, she fine-tunes the dummy.

She makes the skin go even paler than she already is - lack of sunlight, and excess of darkness - and then casts a binding spell.

At a touch the dummy will hold, but if someone really tries, it will fall apart.

Bloom doesn't care though, all she wants is to get out of the cell.

She overheard the Trix chattering before Valtor came and told her he murdered her parents that they were going to convince Valtor to rip the Dragon Flame out of her.

She knows that can never happen, especially not by Valtor - if he rips it out, there won't be so much as an ember left inside her.

She takes one last look at 'her', and after making absolutely sure everything was in place with the skin-and-bones looking dummy, she teleports away to Pyros.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom has finally escaped - and faked her death in the most realistic way possible. How long do you think it'll take people to realize she's not dead? Keep reading to find out!**


	52. Returning Friends

_**Returning Friends**_

Bloom woke up several hours after being knocked out, and goes to Pyros less than an hour later.

While she was moving bones, and making final touches, Sky and Brandon were flying to Alfea.

Sky had been sick for days after Stella broke the spell on him, and Brandon had been thrown in jail.

He had to wait for Sky to get better, have Diaspro banished, and get him out before he could get back to Stella - who is furious at him when he gets off the ship.

All the girls are furious with Sky though - he might have been under a spell, but that only means Stella won't attack him with her powers, or perfectly manicured nails, for hurting Bloom.

"Look Stella, I feel awful about what happened at the party, and I need to apologize to all of you - and especially to Bloom. The party itself is the clearest thing I can remember after Diaspro put the spell on me, and I really need to make it up to her somehow."

"Oh, you've got a lot more to do then a simple 'sorry' Sky. Whatever it is you said to her alone, it crushed her. Your just lucky you were under a spell when you did all that stuff - because I was ready to rip you a new one in your wedding suit when we found you."

Musa comes out and says "Well, look who it is. I was wondering when we'd hear from you."

"Look Musa I'm sorry about the party, but do you know where Bloom is? I need to-"

Stella says "Bloom went missing before your wedding, Sky. She was kidnapped - because of what happened on Eraklyon. She was so upset she was sick for a few days - and her powers weren't working right. The Trix got into the school and took her, right as she was leaving. We haven't found her - or even heard from her - for over two months now, and we've been looking through Cloudtower every time we were there. From what we know, she's in the school somewhere in the dungeons - Mrs. Griffin told us how the Trix would go down there every day, and sometimes even Valtor. They would either come back looking smug, or really ticked off, and once she heard them talking about seeing 'her reaction' to something."

Aisha says "The guardians of Cloudtower told us that a girl was trapped deep in the dungeons under Cloudtower - and if the Trix went down there every day, then it must be for someone Valtor wants in there."

Stella adds "Plus I heard one of those weird monsters tell Valtor that Bloom was trying to escape - he went off and we escaped from the zombie witches right after."

Sky gets paler and paler with each word, so the Winx stop telling him stuff so he won't blame himself completely.

When they are done though, he looks like he could throw up, so he asks "Look, I want to help find her, when do we-"

"It's not when we find her, Sky - its if."

Flora says "And besides, Bloom doesn't know that you were under a spell when you did all that stuff Sky, don't be too surprised if Bloom isn't super happy to see you. And she could be different from who we all remember - being locked away for months will change a person."

Musa says "Yeah, especially a fairy. Being underground for too long could literally drive a fairy insane."

* * *

Ironically, right before Stella said Bloom was kidnapped and trapped under Cloudtower, Bloom teleported to Pyros - finally free after two solid months of being in that horrible cell.

She is covered in bruises, has screamed herself hoarse, and is going stir-crazy; and if she has to see the Trix one more time she might actually go insane.

The first thing that registers with Bloom is the feeling that there isn't a crushing oppressive weight on her body - she almost literally feels as light as a breeze, though that might be due to the fact that she has been surviving solely on the magic running through her.

The next thing that she realizes is the breeze that blows her hair, and the fact that she is kneeling on soft grass.

"Grass…wind - the sun!"

She looks up, and is immediately blinded by the glare of the sun.

She hasn't seen any light beyond a pitiful torch she could barely see, or a small flame on her fingertip - so when she looks at the sun, shining down on Pyros, it hurts.

She gladly takes the pain though, shielding her eyes until they adjust.

She smiles for what feels like the first time in years - a real smile, not one made to get back at the Trix or Valtor, and not one caused by their pain or fluster.

It is simply a smile full of joy, a feeling she hasn't known for two months.

After her eyes adjust to the sudden light, she takes a deep breath, and then suddenly feels like she is on a high.

She is getting drunk on her own freedom, and she jumps up for joy, yelling "I-I did it! Catch me now Valtor! I'm free, I'm free! I'm finally free! And I'm never going back!"

She is high on her success, and feels like she will never come back down.

When she takes a good look around at her surroundings, she sees a stream nearby, and runs over to it.

She drinks a handful, and is convinced she has never tasted something so sweet.

She jumps in and takes giant swallows, then takes a swim.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom's ecstatic for being free again - I know I would be. Pyros is instantly paradise to her - wide-open spaces, fresh air, water, and the sun! None of which she's ever taking for granted again - I know I haven't while writing these chapters. Read on to see how she fares on Pyros, the Dragon Planet!**


	53. Free At Last!

_**Free At Last!**_

After about ten minutes of splashing around in the water, forgetting everything that's happened to her, Bloom gets out of the water - only to find a giant dragon waiting there for her.

It attacks her, and she transforms, absorbing the rush of fire, then fights back.

Two more fly over, and then after a while, Bloom falls into a cavern.

* * *

She was in a plain with a stream running through it, but that isn't all there is to Pyros - there's mountains, a volcano, and a forest - and everything is more colorful than Bloom has ever seen.

By the volcano, there is even a spring that's warmed by the lava flows - almost like a spa.

Bloom read a little about Pyros, and it is where all dragons are from originally.

The dragons on Eraklyon, their ancestors were taken as eggs and raised in captivity, the same with most of the dragons at Red Fountain, and anywhere else that has dragons.

There are many different kinds of dragons, from big strong ones like the ones that attacked her, to slim graceful ones with beautiful scales and a keen intelligence.

They say that if one of them is raised by someone with magic, then it could rub off on the dragon - and some stories even talk about a person and dragon bonding.

* * *

When Bloom fell, she was knocked out, and has a vision of Daphne.

Bloom tells her where she is, but asks her to keep it a secret for now, she isn't ready to come back, and Daphne understands.

She tells Bloom to find her dragon, but it makes no sense to Bloom.

When she wakes up, she sees a small green dragon with large eyes floating directly in front of her.

She screams, and the little dragon screams as well, and hides behind a rock.

After realizing it didn't mean her any harm, she walks over and says "Hey, I'm sorry I scared you, but you scared me too, so let's start over."

To her utter shock, the dragon says "It's okay, I'm Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Bloom."

"Bloom, what are you doing on Pyros? You don't look like you're from around here."

"It's a really long story Buddy. I was kidnapped, I've been locked away for a long time, I don't even know how long. I only just escaped today, and I can't go back to Magix yet - I have to get stronger."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I don't know, but I have to, the one who had me kidnapped he'll probably try again if he finds me, and I can't go back to that."

As they walk through the cave system, and find an exit - which happens to be a massive cave with a clear pool at the center, somewhere Bloom wants to remember - they talk.

"Where's your home Buddy?"

"That's Molten Creek."

"Where's that?"

"It's at the top of Lava-pit mountain. That's right past Fire-breath Forest, and across Wing-span Gorge."

"What's wrong, Buddy?"

Bloom sees Buddy start crying, as he says "I got separated from my parents, and I really want to get back home, but I'm too scared to go alone."

Bloom picks the small dragon up and says "Hey, don't worry Buddy, I'll go with you - and maybe along the way we could help me get stronger."

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy thank you!"

Buddy hugs Bloom, and she hugs him back - it's the first contact she's had for months that is friendly, and she's beyond relieved to have it.

* * *

When Bloom says she doesn't know why she couldn't beat the dragons from before, he tells her that to beat a dragon, she has to be a dragon.

The words ring something inside Bloom, but she has no idea how to be a dragon.

"How does one become a dragon?"

"Easy. Follow me, do what I do."

He marches along the path, but he is so short it looks like he is only walking.

When Bloom walks ahead of him, he tells her how to 'walk like a dragon.'

You have to mean business - much like the 'royal walk' Stella and Aisha showed her in the library.

"See those guys over there?" Buddy asks pointing to two dragons that resemble triceratops, "You've got to show them you mean business. Shoulders back, head up, back straight. C'mon get your swag on."

Bloom's back goes straight as a board, and her head is up like she doesn't have a fear in the world.

Her steps are confident, and the dragons take one look at her and go running.

"That's it, you can walk like a dragon."

She smiles at that, thinking maybe she finally figured out how to act in front of royalty - act like you know what you're doing, and they will believe you.

* * *

Buddy shows her how to eat like a dragon - which is good because Bloom missed eating food.

While her magic will sustain her, it won't make her feel better when she gets hungry or thirsty.

It was something she always ignored though - she could never do anything about it.

When Buddy shows her the option most dragons eat - bug larvae - she refuses to eat it, saying she will do a lot of things, but eating bugs isn't one of them.

So, he shows her the only plant that grows fruit on the island: Thornbushes.

They have fruit in the flowers, but it is really hard to get - the thornbushes have vines with thorns on them that grab the fruit-picker's hand.

Buddy says it doesn't hurt though, and Bloom eagerly gives it a shot because she immediately decided she was becoming a vegetarian when she saw Buddy eat a wriggling larvae whole.

She gets some of the fruit, puts it in her mouth, then dives into the bush to get handfuls - the stuff is absolutely delicious!

Especially since it is the first piece of food she has eaten since the party - she didn't eat anything after throwing up a glass of water when she woke up sick.

* * *

After Bloom has picked a dozen of the flowers clean, Buddy teaches her how to roar like a dragon - that one is a little tougher for Bloom.

She doesn't know how to roar, but gives it her best shot.

Buddy says it has to come from within - and it usually goes better when upset or frustrated.

Growling is easiest when angry, and they decide to come back to it after a few rasps from Bloom's throat.

They get to Fire-pit mountain, and Buddy tells Bloom that the fiercest dragons live there, along the tar pits, and lava streams.

She is ready - it can't be any worse than what she has already been through.

They somehow end up standing on the Mountain Dragon, and they need to be very quiet because it only wakes up if there are intruders in its territory - anything that's not a dragon or native to Pyros.

So of course, Bloom - with her amazing sense of balance - walks two steps and trips on the creature.

It wakes up, and nearly eats Buddy after swatting Bloom into one of the tar pits.

She gets an adrenaline rush, de-tars her wings, and flies up to save Buddy.

She makes a giant dragon made of fire, and lets out a roar - and when the fire fades, and Buddy stops hugging her for saving him, they see the dragon has gone back to sleep.

Bloom proved herself - she is a dragon!

When they get to the top of the mountain, Buddy tells Bloom that he is her dragon, then enters her body - giving her all his knowledge of Pyros and comforting her at the same time.

She now knows everything about Pyros - including how to get around, and back to the cave they found.

* * *

 **AN: Looks like Bloom's going to do just fine here - and is anybody else thinking she's just become addicted to Thornbush berries? Because I sure am!**


	54. Searching For Techna

_**Searching For Techna**_

While Bloom is running around on Pyros, fighting to survive - and not get turned into a dragon's lunch - and learning to be a dragon, Timmy is modifying a satellite with an emotional sensor to detect Techna's emotional signal.

If it works, they will be able to find Techna - and maybe even Bloom.

He finishes the modifications, but most of the guys have to go on patrols.

Sky doesn't, and agrees to help.

* * *

Meanwhile in Cloudtower, Valtor is trying to unlock Metamorphosis - but is having no luck.

Every time he tries, he can't focus intensely enough - unlike Bloom, who can now use magic even when under most spells to keep her from doing that.

She can also channel the true power of the Dragon Flame, but only when she is extremely upset or extremely focused - and it's really hard to get her _that_ upset.

She has plenty of focus now - after breaking all the spells on the brick she can focus better than anyone in Cloudtower now.

Darcy says he is just tired, and suggests a planet for him to take over - one where everything is simple and peaceful.

Valtor says Darcy really gets her, making Icy jealous again, and Stormy smirk.

After he leaves, the Trix start arguing again, but Darcy says she'll watch Bloom for a while.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower Dungeons***

She finds 'Bloom' in the same position she was in when Darcy went to see just what Valtor did to her - on the ground, not moving.

She puts the paleness down to all the time spent without any light, and doesn't notice that the figure is not moving _at all_ \- as in, not even breathing.

* * *

At Red Fountain, about ten minutes later, Timmy sets up the emotional sensor.

He uploaded an image of Techna so the sensor would know what she looks like, but now for the real challenge - he has to make the sensor understand _who she is_.

He tells the sensor facts about Techna - her favorite subject, hobbies, and food - but it doesn't work.

Sky says "Timmy listen, if anyone's going to get this contraption working it's you - but c'mon, think about it. There must be more you can share about Techna, you need to get more personal."

"Yeah, your right. Here goes. 'Techna is my friend. She's a nice girl and a wonderful person…oh c'mon do something!"

The sensor still isn't responding, and Sky says "Timmy, I think you need to talk more about how she makes you feel. You've gotta dig deep into your innermost feelings."

"Oh man, how am I gonna do that?"

Sky holds up his phone saying "With some expert advice - and I know just who to call."

He calls the Winx, and Musa has an idea for how to make the sensor work.

She has Timmy close his eyes, and pretend Techna is beside him.

She then has him say what he loves about her - and it is a long list.

When he is done, the sensor beeps, and starts working.

* * *

Meanwhile, Valtor goes to the planet Darcy showed him - it is quiet and calm there, the peace is practically touchable.

One woman reorganizes her house using magic, while her son listens to a bird singing.

Valtor goes to a fountain with wind chimes - and floating ninja monkeys meditating around the fountain.

As he approaches, the monkeys attack with their swords - and they aren't half bad.

He beats most of them, but one kicks him in the back and sends him into the ground.

It nearly finishes him with its sword, but he rolls back and forth to keep from acquiring a sword in the brain instead of more magic - Bloom would've helped the monkey without question.

He rolls and blasts the monkey into a tree, and the fight is over.

He absorbs the magic from the wind chimes, and they fall and break.

As the planet descends into chaos, Valtor calmly meditates.

There are explosions coming from the city, things are flying around, and smoke fills the air - Valtor teleports away with satisfaction.

* * *

Hours later, Timmy has uploaded the software for the sensor onto the Owl's computer, and once it starts they should have contact in minutes.

When he goes to activate it though, he gets the idea for them all to do it together - to strengthen the signal.

Everyone on the ship pushes the button, and the satellite starts searching for their friend.

* * *

Valtor teleports back to Griffin's former office, to find Icy and Stormy being really bored.

For the two witches, he brought the brightly colored outfits the people of the planet he just attacked were wearing.

He got Darcy a hematite bracelet - it's supposed to ward off negative energy, real useful with Icy.

Darcy bursts into the room frantically, and sees her sisters glares and Valtor.

"Oh good you're here, you really need to - what's this?"

She holds up her arm where a gold colored bracelet appeared.

"That's hematite, it wards off negative energy, I thought perhaps you could use it around those two. What were you saying?"

"It's Bloom! You've really got to see her! She hasn't moved in hours, and I swear nobody but Icy is supposed to be as pale as she is!"

"What? Let's go ladies. Time to check on our little prisoner."

When they get down to the cells, 'Bloom' is still laying there, facedown and cold.

When Valtor opens up the cell, he checks her pulse and finds nothing.

She is stone cold, even paler than Icy, and looks like she has been dead for a while.

There is no trace of the Dragon Flame in the body, which explains why he couldn't sense it - and he only now realizes the fact.

Bloom's spells hold up, and her trick works; they all think she is dead.

He is furious, his revenge for being defeated by Marion and Oritel has been ruined.

Metamorphosis is closed to him once again.

* * *

Two hours after the satellite started the search for Techna, and there are still no results.

The Winx have to get back to Alfea or they'll miss the curfew.

They all want to stay, but Timmy says its fine and that he'll keep watching for Techna.

When the girls and Sky leave, he starts thinking about Techna, and falls asleep to memories of all the good times they shared.

While he misses Techna in his dreams, the sensor picks up signal - and Techna's voice comes through asking for him.

* * *

 **AN: I love screwing Valtor's plans up! Too bad Timmy fell asleep though, Techna must be having it rough - she's alive though! Keep reading to find out how they get her back!**


	55. Not Alone on Pyros

_**Not Alone on Pyros**_

It's been a week since Bloom came to Pyros, and she still hasn't been found.

She has survived more or less without using much magic, but she keeps having to run from most dragons - her stamina has quickly built back up, and she's even learned how not to trip over her feet.

She can't keep it up forever though, but she doesn't think about that as she runs from the latest dragon chasing her.

It's one of the big, strong ones, the ones that look much like the lava rocks around Lava-pit mountain - which is really the volcano.

There is a hot spring right near it called Molten springs, and she so badly wants to relax there for a day.

Merging with Buddy not only gave her full knowledge of the island, but also soothed her anger at Valtor and the Trix.

This would be good, except she is afraid to go back now.

She is afraid of Valtor - terrified actually.

The Trix are a joke - even thinking about Valtor makes her start shaking, and get flashbacks of being in that cell.

It's less about Valtor himself, and more about what he did to her, where she was locked away.

She doesn't think about that though, as she heads to a place in Fire-breath Forest called Wingspan Gorge.

At the gorge, are the Jumping Stones - a set of tall columns of stone, but very narrow.

They are circular, and spaced a few feet apart from each other.

Her balance has improved amazingly over the last week, and when she gets to the Jumping Stones, she makes the jumps without magic.

She is transformed - she hasn't really changed back since she got to the planet - but doesn't use her wings to help her, they might just be in the way when a dragon starts trying to blow her off a stone by flapping its wings hard.

She does a flip at the end and keeps running.

She runs into the tree line, where the massive dragon can't slash her to bits.

She's gotten many scrapes and cuts from her little adventures with the dragons, and uses herbs growing on the planet and some vines to wrap them - good thing she heals fast, one of the perks of being the Holder of the Dragon Flame.

When the angry dragon leaves, she goes to a clearing where she will be safe for a while.

She drops to the ground, and falls asleep.

Her dreams haven't been good - she keeps dreaming she is back in that cell.

She usually forgets the dreams for a while when she has to run for her life from a dragon again.

Despite the danger though, the dragons trying to turn her into a snack, the constant running for her life, she is in paradise.

Valtor is at the other end of the Magic Dimension; she is free, and is getting really strong - at least physically if not magically.

Her dreams are chaotic once again, and she wakes up in a hot sweat.

When she stands up, she lets out all her frustration and fear.

"These dreams are getting worse and worse. It's getting harder and harder to keep going. I've had one nightmare too many. How much can one fairy take? I'm tired, and I can't take it forever!"

She then screams in fear, pain, and hurt - and then an earthquake happens.

The earth splits open, and winds try to drag her down.

She flies out, but is pushed back by the wind.

She holds on to the ground, until a log hits her on the head.

She is knocked out, but a rope comes flying and catches her wrist.

* * *

When Bloom wakes up, she is in a cave and there is a brown woman with silver hair and a kind expression sitting beside her.

Bloom instantly likes her, especially when she says "I saved you just in time. Drink up, you'll feel better."

She offers Bloom a stone cup with water, and Bloom gratefully takes it.

It is bigger than her arm, and Bloom drinks slowly.

"My name is Maia, and I live here, where few creatures dare to venture."

"My name is Bloom, and I came from Magix."

Maia helps Bloom up, and uses her white staff with a dragon head as a top for support.

"Why are you here Bloom?"

Bloom goes pale and has a flash of being in that horrible little cell again.

"I was kidnapped, by an evil sorcerer and three witches. He's destroying everything. I managed to escape here - but now I don't think I can go back to face him. Before I was taken, Mrs. Faragonda, the headmistress of my school, said I might be able to learn from the dragons - but so far all I've been doing is running away from them. I don't know how to do this, but I'm scared. I keep reliving my time as Valtor's prisoner, and I can't go back to that. If I can't get stronger - strong enough to face my fears as well as fight him - then I won't be of any use to anyone."

Bloom has gone pale, and is near hysterics, but Maia says "To get stronger, you must open your heart and mind."

Her words calm Bloom somewhat, and she puts her hand on Bloom's forehead.

She sees everything Bloom has been through since the millennium party on Eraklyon, and Bloom says "Now you know all about me."

"You have been through much - what you endured would break most people long before you escaped."

They walk through the cavern, and Bloom says "Since the realm I come from, Domino, was destroyed there is no way for me to get my Enchantix - but I still want to gain strength and courage."

"You are already brave and strong - and your magic is very powerful. Your fear and anger are great - but your kindness and positive energy are greater still. If you want I could help you get in touch with your true strength."

"Thank you, I could certainly use some guidance."

"You must learn to focus on your inner self - you already have everything you need."

Maia smiles at Bloom, as the girl looks at her with hope and trust.

Maia sensed kindness, courage, compassion, and much more in spades in Bloom.

Her fear is more than matched by her courage, the same with her anger and kindness.

She has determination in bucket-fuls, which is good because she will need it.

* * *

Maia teaches Bloom to meditate - which will not only help her focus her powers, but will also help her deal with her fear and control her emotions.

Bloom only knew the basics, but Maia is apparently a master at it.

In a test, Bloom focuses all of her energy on a circle Maia makes, and it explodes in a burst of colors.

Maia tells Bloom her powers are becoming much more focused, the test was a difficult one and she passed it beautifully.

For the next test, Bloom has to do an obstacle course of sorts, she jumps onto some large boulders, and then picks one up and throws it without magic.

She then has to fight a dragon in a test where failure is not an option.

She succeeds wonderfully, and then sits down on a flat rock to take a breather.

Maia joins her and tells her that she is improving wonderfully - she has made incredible progress in a short time, only a few days.

She has one last thing to teach Bloom - then she can go or stay as she wishes.

At twilight, Maia shows Bloom a special vial - it contains the magical essence of the entire planet.

Bloom puts it around her neck, and Maia tells her how to merge her essence with the essence of Pyros.

The small bottle is the color of Bloom's eyes, and has a heart-shaped stopper and gems around the neck of the bottle.

Bloom sits down and focuses - on herself, on her magic, and on the planet she is on.

She opens herself to the bottle around her neck, and the planet, and fire courses up her veins.

Her essence and the essence of the planet mix - and Bloom is changed forever.

She is no longer just a fairy - no longer fully human.

The vial is glowing like it is on fire, the fire that is coursing through Bloom's blood, heating it even more.

She doesn't notice when she floats up, or when waves of fire-red magic start emanating from her body - all she can feel is her new connection with every dragon on the planet, and when her feet hit the ground, her senses extend into the plants.

She's not just a girl anymore - she's part dragon, and she loves it.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I'm just assuming people in Magix are human like people on Earth, I don't know that for a fact. The way I'm going with it, it's like in Harry Potter - magic makes subtle differences in people that use it to help them better survive. Stronger bones, better recovery, etc.**


	56. Omega and Enchantix

_**Omega and Enchantix**_

A week after Timmy got the emotional sensor working, and he has gotten no results - until tonight.

He is sitting half-asleep, at the table, when suddenly the sensor starts beeping.

He is getting a transmission - and when he plays it, it is Techna's voice!

He wakes up everyone in the room, shouting with joy that Techna's alive.

He saves the transmission just in time, and then Brandon calls Stella.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower***

Valtor is watching though, and wakes the Trix up.

When they get in, they are really grumpy because it is after midnight.

Icy says "You'd better have a good reason for waking us up, Valtor."

"I have an excellent reason: it seems Techna has somehow managed to send a message to her boyfriend at Red Fountain."

The three witches all gape at him, until Icy asks "How is that even possible?"

They are all shocked, and Valtor says "Calm down, their chances of actually rescuing her are nil and nil."

"Yeah, but those annoying fairies never give up. Even without Bloom."

"Ah, about her. It seems she is not actually dead."

All three witches yell " _WHAT?_ "

Icy says "But we saw her, she was dead! No pulse, no warmth, she's now paler than I am!"

"Yes, but it seems that was a dummy meant to trick us. I myself only discovered this tonight - when she used her magic to fight. It seems she is on Pyros, the planet of Dragons. Bring her back here and this time she will never escape."

They all start laughing and the Trix go back to sleep - they get the feeling they'll need it.

* * *

The next day, the Winx go with Brandon, Timmy, and Helia to the Omega Dimension to find Techna.

Grizelda and Mrs. Faragonda both agree that it would be wrong to stop them, as they take off.

Sky and Riven are staying behind at Red Fountain - which is on high alert thanks to Valtor.

While they are flying over Magix, Brandon thinks about Sky and Bloom.

Timmy pulls him out of his thought when he says the mission will be hard.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about Bloom and Sky. He really wanted to apologize to Bloom - but she was taken by the Trix. He feels awful for hurting her - even though he was under that spell and had no idea what he was doing."

"Don't worry, when we find Bloom, Sky's gonna set the record straight with her."

"Man, I hope so - and for his sake I hope she'll forgive him."

Stella walks over and says "Hey captain, how much longer until the Omega dimension?"

"Not much longer. We should be able to see it in a few minutes."

Flora asks "How are you doing Timmy?"

"Much better, now that we've almost got Techna back."

When they actually get to the icy prison, none of them like the look of it.

Its dark, and a maze of ice pillars and ledges.

After a few minutes of flying around, Timmy pinpoints the signal Techna used with the handheld detector.

He takes them to the device Techna used to transmit the signal - and everyone is ambushed by a gang of criminals.

The transmitter was a trap, and the gang quickly attacks after Timmy tries to find out what they did with Techna.

The Winx transform, but the criminals manage to corner them at a ledge.

They all step back, and accidentally fall off the ledge and out of sight.

Timmy, Helia, and Brandon fight back twice as hard after that - but more of the gang starts throwing big rocks at them from above.

It takes two to throw each boulder - and the three guys are quickly knocked out.

They are disarmed and tied up at the camp.

* * *

Meanwhile on Pyros, the Trix are searching for Bloom. They find her just as she mixes her essence with that of Pyros.

Her senses are instantly sharpened - and her magic is hotter and stronger than ever before.

Icy says "Well, looks like we got here just in time. Let's get her sisters."

Bloom's senses are much better from being part dragon now - and she hears every word despite the three witches being many feet in the air.

She says "Sorry, no tourists allowed on Pyros. NOW LEAVE!"

She blasts at them, knocking them to the ground with a storm of fire.

When Icy tries to freeze her, Bloom teleports out of the way, saying "Guess you don't have much of a green thumb Icy."

She notices that she can distantly feel the cold - like a ghost sensation.

They keep fighting, and just to mess with Bloom, Icy says "Oh, and before we freeze you solid and take you back to Cloudtower, Valtor sends his regards. He was rather impressed you got out."

Bloom flashes back to all her encounters with the wizard, and relives them all in less than a second.

She feels new power course through her, as she says "You will never take me back there - and Valtor will never win _ever_!"

She then is surrounded by fire as she gains Enchantix.

The vial containing the essence of Pyros is now her fairy dust pendant - making it the most powerful piece of jewelry Bloom owns.

She quickly knocks the Trix out with her new strength, and then falls to the ground as well.

Maia explains how Bloom got her Enchantix - her entire being was completely focused for an instant and it earned the transformation.

Bloom quickly decides she wants to stay on Pyros, where Valtor can't find her.

She says a little rhyme - making it up on the spot.

She holds her hands over the Trix's heads, and says "All your memories of today, I now lock away. From servant to master this shall spread, and last until he is dead. I now send you back from whence you came, to start this little game."

The three witches disappear in a flash of orange sparkles - their memories that Bloom is alive securely locked away.

* * *

 ***Cloudtower***

The spell spreads to Valtor when the three witches get in the same room as him, complaining of three massive migraines.

As soon as they enter, the spell takes effect on Valtor - making him completely forget that Bloom is alive and on Pyros.

* * *

Bloom may have earned her Enchantix, but she is still scared.

She has decided to stay on Pyros - and Maia is secretly happy.

She does a spell that imprints the martial art of Wu Gong onto Bloom's muscles at the fairy's request, and mixes her Asgardian training with it seamlessly.

The monks at Lightrock Monastery learn it - and they are not people to mess with because of it.

Bloom stays on Pyros and learns to fight using the ancient martial art Maia gave her - and becomes deadly with most weapons, thanks to the fact that she was already trained to use them since she was five.

Maia has two hilts, connected to a prophecy.

It states that 'one with the power of all dragons shall forge the hilts into weapons that will never betray them.'

Bloom spends two days straight in the volcano forging a sword and a knife custom made for her and her alone using the hilts.

When she is done, the results are beautiful: a matching set of blades, silver-orange in color, but she can set them on dragon-fire at will.

She poured herself into the blades, they are more of an extension of herself rather than separate objects.

She also finds a dragon's egg in a cave one day - and it is the color of her hair with streaks the color of her eyes.

She takes it back to the cave she has made her home - she never gets lost on Pyros anymore - and it hatches for her that night.

She takes a massive risk, and puts some of her magic in the small pool of water inside the cave.

When the dragon hatched, something amazing and wonderful happened.

Bloom was the first thing the baby dragon saw, and when they locked eyes, Bloom felt a bond form - actually felt a bond.

They are connected now, mentally as well as emotionally.

The baby dragon is one of the small, smart, vegetarian dragons.

Her scales are the color of Bloom's hair, and they have the same color eyes.

Bloom somehow knows this baby dragon is a girl, and names her Ember.

The water will sustain Ember for a while - even give her some of Bloom's magic.

And Bloom can feel Ember's emotions, and thoughts, and the dragon can feel hers.

Bloom can even understand Ember when she talks, all her little growls and thrums.

It's a language Bloom is somehow fluent in - and she wouldn't have it any other way.

She has instantly fallen in love with the baby dragon and won't let anybody hurt her.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Ember is this story's version of Kiko - just infinitely more dangerous than a little rabbit. It also fits with her background - dangerous girl, dangerous pet and all that. Anybody wondering if Frigga and Odin will approve? Seeing as she never had a pet before, she actually had to discreetly learn about the concept from Flora and her talking plant, things should get interesting.**


	57. Finding Techna

_**Finding Techna**_

In the Omega Dimension, the guys are being held captive in an ice cave.

They talk strategy from behind a thick ice wall.

There is no way for them to get out without some help - magical or not.

* * *

Meanwhile the Winx are asleep at the bottom of the crevice they fell into.

Stella is keeping the other three girls warm - but she can't keep the ball of light going forever.

She is exhausted, and her strength is slowly fading.

* * *

Techna distracts the guards with her holograms - which she can now project with her mind.

She is wearing an outfit she made herself - one that protects her from the insanely low temperatures.

She learned to survive in the Omega Dimension, even figuring out how to turn the ice into a kind of food.

She knocks out the guard that comes up behind her, and frees the guys.

Timmy immediately crushes her in a hug, which she returns tearfully.

She would tell them all about what has happened so far, but they still need to find the rest of the Winx, and the gang of criminals is getting ready to fight again.

The guys get their weapons, and Brandon tells Techna where the girls fell off the ledge.

She goes down, and finds the girls cornered by an ice snake.

Stella had been keeping it at bay, scared stiff that if she rested it would attack them.

The three other fairies convinced her to lay down for a while - and the snake started slithering towards them as soon as Stella put her head in Musa's lap.

Techna finds them just as the snake is about to attack.

She distracts the snake while her friends fly out, then follows them.

The snake follows them, and they lead it straight to the guys.

They have been busy fighting the gang of criminals who captured them - and it's pretty much a stalemate at this point.

Until the ground splits open and five fairies and a giant white snake with ice breath fly out of it.

The snake lands and starts shooting ice at the escaped prisoners - trapping them one-by-one.

The Winx and the guys get back to the ship, while Techna tells them everything.

She has been through a lot, and has never been so happy to see anyone as she is right now - almost out of the worst week of her life.

While Brandon and Helia pilot the ship, Timmy stays at Techna's side the whole flight back to Magix as she tells them about her time in the icy prison.

When they get back to Alfea, the five girls are ecstatic that Techna is back - but they won't be complete until they find Bloom.

They celebrate finding Techna though, with a party.

* * *

At Red Fountain Sky is getting twitchy about finding her - and Timmy understands completely.

Now that they have Techna back, Timmy starts recalibrating the emotional sensor to search for Bloom - but this will take a while.

Only problem is, Bloom has been through so much, she might feel differently - especially about Sky.

He has to postpone working on the sensor, because they have a mission that night, while the Winx throw Techna a pajama party.

They beat each other up with pillows, dance, and have the best time they have had in weeks.

They miss Bloom, but they know for certain she would want them to celebrate this victory, whether she is there or not.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the wait everyone, things have been crazy lately. going to college soon, a floor got redone, and stuff's just kept popping up. Have many more chapters though! Sorry about the short one this time. please review!**


	58. Taking Back Cloudtower

_**Taking Back Cloudtower**_

After the pajama party is over, and most of the girls are asleep, Stella calls Brandon to check on Sky.

They can all tell he is getting antsy to find Bloom, but she has a message from him saying they are all out.

They are on a mission to take back Cloudtower - exactly the mission Sky has been hoping for ever since he learned Bloom was being held captive there.

Their priorities are to drive out Valtor, free the witches - and on the side, find Bloom.

Sky's team finds the witches, Helia's team secures the vaults, and ties up the vault guardians, and Brandon's team looks for Valtor and finds he and the Trix have left.

The witches are freed from his control, and Timmy is coordinating with his team up in the ship.

He calls Saladine and Griffin - who shows up at her school in seconds.

* * *

Griffin is happy Valtor has left her school and she is back in control of it - but he is in control of Cloudtower's magic.

He emptied the spell vault, and it is only a matter of time before he uses the spells against Magix.

Sky asks "Mrs. Griffin, you wouldn't happen to know if Valtor had any other prisoners would you?"

"You mean Bloom? Yes, the Winx told me she was being held somewhere deep in the dungeons - and I think I know where. Follow me."

She leads them through the maze of corridors to the deepest level of the dungeon.

"When the three schools were being built, an extremely powerful and dangerous enemy was on the loose. For the first time, fairies, witches, and specialists united to defeat him - and it was decided that a special cell had to be made to contain him. Cloudtower's dungeon was being built at the time of his defeat, so the three heads of the schools came together and cast powerful spells on the very last cell to be made - the one at the deepest part of the dungeon. They poured their magic into the cell, casting preservation spells, spells of containment and dampening, and many more. There are hundreds of spells on the door alone - ones to prevent the prisoner from even touching it. Every day, the Trix would walk past my cell and stay down here for hours. They would come back one of two ways: either snickering and smug, or angry and humiliated. Sometimes Valtor would go down here as well - when the Winx told me Bloom was being held somewhere in the dungeon it all made sense. They put her in the only cell she couldn't blast her way out of - the cell made to contain someone nearly as powerful as her."

They reach the cell Griffin suspects, and when they open the door, they are greeted with a horrible sight.

* * *

Sky runs forward, and picks up the pale red-headed body, crying.

The body is definitely Bloom, starved, bruised, and beaten up, but her.

Brandon can only think 'Stella will be devastated.'

After a minute, one of the boys faints - and when Sky opens his eyes, he is no longer holding his dead girlfriend; he is holding a dusty skeleton.

He immediately drops it and moves as far away from it as possible, while Griffin inspects it.

He has gone as pale as the bones, and distracts himself by looking at the walls; which prove Bloom was in there.

They are covered in writing - Bloom's writing.

The words are song lyrics from different songs, 'you want me, come find me' 'I know the truth now' 'never surrender' 'wake me up when it's all over' and 'I'd rather rescue myself.'

There are lots of bits from various songs, and some of them are darker than others, specifically, 'come find me' and 'I'd rather rescue myself.'

* * *

Sky is torn from his thoughts when Griffin says "Well, this is interesting."

"What? What's interesting?"

"Someone very clever used this skeleton to fake Bloom's death. There are small symbols burned onto each of the bones, in places one normally wouldn't look."

When she shows Sky the symbols she means after he moves closer, he gets a flare of hope - the symbols are so tiny it is hard to make them out.

The only person Sky knows with skill like that is Bloom - she is a natural at art, especially sketching.

He looks down in relief, and sees a small black dot on the stone he is sitting on.

"Hey, Mrs. Griffin? Is this stone different from the others? Its marked with a burned-in dot."

"Let me see."

When the witch stands on only the marked stone, she freezes.

"What? What's wrong, Mrs. Griffin?"

Sky is worried, until Griffin grins and says "It seems your girlfriend is clever Sky. She broke all of the spells on this stone - one wouldn't know it unless they stood only on this stone. She must have used the skeleton to trick Valtor and the Trix into thinking she is dead."

"So, Bloom is alive? And _free_?"

"I don't know Sky, but she had a lot of free time on her hands, a lot of time to think of a way out. I heard the Trix discussing how to convince Valtor to take her powers - so if she escaped she would have done it then."

One of the witches says "She tried to warn us, and she tried to fight back. Before Valtor put his mark on us, she yelled for us to run, and the Trix had one heck of a time trying to keep her from getting away."

Sky smiles and says "That's Bloom alright. She'd fight to the end."

Griffin says "Well, I can say this for sure: the last time the Trix and Valtor went down here, he came back furious and those three traitors came back shocked. Darcy had come flying up before, so it is possible she escaped and they all thought she was dead."

Sky looks more hopeful than in the past week.

They take pictures of all the writing on the walls, in hopes that it is a clue to where she is.

Brandon has been trying to keep Sky's hopes up, and this really helps with that.

He calls the Winx as soon as they get back to Red Fountain and tells them the good news.

* * *

Mrs. Faragonda already knows Bloom is free though, her old friend Maia contacted her and told her that Bloom was on Pyros and safe.

Mrs. Faragonda is relieved, and when Maia says that Bloom is staying on Pyros for a while, she understands completely.

Mia tells Faragonda the truth, Bloom is scared, and having panic attacks every time she tries to leave.

Faragonda knows what this means - Bloom is scarred by her ordeal.

She doesn't think any less of Bloom for it though, Bloom went through something that would kill most people and leave most of the rest crazy or unable to fight.

Bloom is not only fighting for survival, but is thriving in a place where most people would not survive.

Magic can't help Bloom, not really.

Faragonda gives secret permission for Bloom to stay on Pyros as long as she wants.

When the Winx told her that Bloom is possibly free, she confirms it, and says that Bloom is laying low until it is safe for her to come back.

She asks the Winx for help with a special spell-book for Bloom, and they immediately agree.

They each put some of their magic inside, and in the magic is knowledge of everything Bloom missed, being kidnapped and all.

When Bloom opens the book, their magic will be absorbed by her and she will know everything that is contained in the magic.

It might not exactly be fair, but Bloom will need all the help she can get when she gets back-between the likely paparazzi, classes that will be continuing, and dealing with her nightmares and other issues from her time imprisoned.


	59. The Museum of Magic

_**The Museum of Magic**_

The Winx go to Magix City for some shopping, Stella insisted after learning Bloom was not only free, but safe.

As soon as Valtor is beaten and the Trix are locked away again, they plan on tracking her down and dragging her back to Alfea - and Stella plans on dragging her to every store in the mall in Magix.

It is raining, so Stella brought a set of raincoats made by her stylist on Solaria.

She says the poor girl hardly knew what a raincoat is, because they never get rain.

It's coming down in sheets in Magix city, reminding the five girls of Valtor.

The wizard has disappeared - with all the magic he has stolen.

With his knack for absorbing magic, he is going to be more powerful than ever - fortunately the spells he took are extremely dangerous and unstable.

That's pretty much the norm for him - but with that much power, he would need something very special to harness it.

Musa spies a guy watching them from behind a plant, and Techna gets a better look for them using a ladybug-camera.

While Musa whisper-asks Flora where she comes up with all these gadgets, Techna shows Stella an image of the guy on her phone.

He looks like he is from Andros, same as Aisha.

He has dark skin like hers, and hair even darker.

His eyes are as dark as Musa's and he is standing behind the bush sneaking glances at the girls.

Aisha is annoyed because her parents expect her to marry a complete stranger, and the mystery guy is rubbing her the wrong way because of it.

Stella moves the bush and reveals the guy, and starts trying to play matchmaker with him and Aisha.

She storms off, and then Valtor's face appears in the clouds.

He tells Magix City he wants the Eye of the Ancient Ancestress.

It is an amulet being kept in the museum of magic.

The Winx stakeout the museum, while the artifact is moved to the safest place in the museum - the central vault.

They are set up on the roof, when the mystery guy from before uses magic to jump up onto the roof.

He introduces himself as Ophir, and says he wants to help fight Valtor.

Aisha and Techna are suspicious of him, but before they can accept or refuse his help, Valtor appears.

He destroys the museum's defenses using the blasts aimed at him, the disappears.

He has clearly gotten much stronger, and the Winx didn't have time to cast a single spell.

Musa says "Falling out of the sky one minute, exploding things the next? This is going to be hard Winx."

They all think of Bloom, but she isn't there and there is nothing they can do about it.

Techna's scanner indicates that he used up some of his power using that mega-magic on the security system. The Winx might have a chance after all - and Ophir comes with to help.

Valtor destroys the guards easily, and quickly makes his way to the vault.

The Winx and Ophir make their way through the wreckage Valtor left behind, and Ophir spots the Trix flying in a corridor.

Techna pulls up an image of what happens in the vault, and they watch Valtor trap everyone trying to protect the Eye in the vault with it.

He wants the Eye's display case, the Agador Box.

It can store any magic it comes in contact with; which is exactly what he needs.

They get to the box just as the Trix are stealing it, but Valtor joins the fight.

The Winx try to fight, but Valtor makes a giant hand of magic appear to grab Aisha and crush her.

Ophir jumps between it and her, and gets squeezed instead.

Valtor would have no problem crushing him to dust, but he says he'll let Ophir go if they give him the box and the Trix - who Aisha glued to the ceiling earlier in the fight.

After a moment - asking herself what Bloom would do - Aisha gives Valtor the box and the Trix.

They fly off and Ophir disappears.

Aisha is glad he is gone, saying guys are nothing but trouble.

They go back to Alfea to tell Mrs. Faragonda everything that happened.

* * *

 **AN: Happy 4th of July! Sorry I haven't been updating much, but be patient! Waiting for the next Thor movie to come out, and I want to know what you aill think -** **please review at some point!**


	60. Wedding Crashing

_**Wedding Crashing**_

On Solaria a few days after the incident at the museum, King Radius steps into the atrium only to find his doves caged.

When he goes to speak to Cassandra, she calls them pests and says that his way of thinking is what ruined her formal engagement party - Stella's princess ball!

* * *

At Alfea, after dance class, the Winx watch the news about the royal wedding at Solaria while Stella brushes her hair.

She goes on a rant when the news woman quotes about how the security was increased to keep out 'any undesirables trying to crash the wedding.'

They go to talk to Nova, who tells them that Cassandra booked some of the best circus performers in the dimension.

The acts include fire jugglers - they don't have Bloom, so no way - dancers - according to Stella only she and Aisha can dance at all - and some cyclists.

Techna shows them an image of the cyclists they would be impersonating, and they are _good_.

They can stand while riding their bikes, do handstands while the bikes are moving, even do a _human pyramid_ while the bikes are moving!

Stella shows them the uniform cyclists wear during performances - and then says stopping the wedding will be easy compared to wearing that.

The guys teach the Winx how to ride, Brandon with Stella, Musa with Riven, Sky with Flora, and Timmy with Techna.

Aisha can already ride great, so she watches from the side.

Riven does something to upset Musa - big surprise, he always is - and on the second run, the bike is smoking and backfiring.

The girls drive this time, and Sky wishes it were Bloom with him.

Musa stops the bike and tells Riven it is busted, but he doesn't believe her.

* * *

That night Musa and Aisha talk about the incident with the bike, and when Musa asks how you can stay with someone who doesn't fully trust you, Aisha says "That's easy. You don't. Oh, Musa I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, you're right. I really need to figure out whatever it is I need to do and just do it."

* * *

At Red Fountain, the rest of the guys are talking, mainly about Riven and his 'way with words'.

His and Musa's fight was not exactly quiet, or short.

He makes a jab at Timmy, about how he took forever to tell Techna how he felt.

He says he did it eventually, and it was not nearly as bad as he thought.

Riven sees Helia writing something for Flora and snatches it from the desk.

He calls Helia Shakespeare, and starts reading the poem he was writing for Flora.

Helia tries to get the paper back, and the other guys tell Riven to stop before they wake the whole school.

Helia grabs the paper, and says "Well Riven's the one who needs to wake up. If you keep being such a jerk, you can count on losing Musa forever!"

Riven stares in shock, and then everyone goes to sleep for the night.

* * *

Back at Alfea, Aisha says "I'm learning you have to take care of yourself first, by doing what's right for you. The people who love you will understand and support your decision no matter what."

"Yeah, like Bloom laying low. If I was kidnapped by Valtor and the Trix and escaped, I'd wait until they were long dead before even thinking about showing my face again."

"Yeah, you know, we're not little girls anymore. We're growing up."

"So what have you decided about Ophir?"

"And why are we talking about Ophir?"

"I think you know why."

Musa has a mischievous smile on her face, as Aisha lays back on her pillow with Piff.

"No comment. Anyway, you know I'm promised to someone I don't care about. Time to crash, tomorrow's gonna be a big day."

* * *

The next day, the guys go shopping for biker outfits for the Winx - they can't agree on any of them, and none of them seem even remotely right for the girls.

The Pixies show up when they leave the best store in Magix for bike stuff, and help them make outfits.

They make one for Bloom to, because Sky fully plans on teaching her how to ride.

When the girls finish practicing, the guys give them some gift-wrapped boxes.

When they open them, inside are some gorgeous outfits, Stella's is light pink, Flora's is forest green, Techna's is electric green, Aisha's is deep blue, and Musa's is yellow.

The uniforms all have the girls initials somewhere, and they love them - but Musa is still mad at Riven and shoves a broken bike part to his chest and walks away when he compliments her riding.

The one for Bloom is hot pink, and on Sky's bed - he wants to give it to her himself.

* * *

On Solaria, the guys capture the bikers the girls are going to impersonate at the first checkpoint and the five girls get to the palace.

Aisha demonstrates their skill on the hover bikes - and the wedding starts seconds after.

The five girls walk into the tent right as the speaker says "...and Solaria welcomes a new queen."

Stella yells "In your dreams Cassandra! As long as I am alive, you will never be queen, am I clear?"

Chimera says "The Winx!"

"People of Solaria, this evil woman has bewitched my father - your king!"

Cassandra says "This girl is crazy stop her!"

"And to prove it, um, sorry daddy."

She shoots a small beam of light at the mark of Valtor on her father's neck, showing it to the whole crowd - and revealing Cassandra's treachery.

Chimera shouts "You spoiled brat, your ruining everything!"

"Didn't anybody tell you scepters are so last year? And you will never ever take my place, ever!"

As Stella talks, she transforms and Cassandra orders the guards to attack.

While the guards attack the fairies, some of the guests question Radius to see if he is under a spell - and he says he doesn't know what he wants.

Cassandra blasts the three guests away and drags the priest and Radius away.

Stella beats Chimera easily, then goes after them.

When she sees them head up a long staircase, and hears Radius say "Where are you taking me? Get your hands off me!" she yells for him.

Chimera says "Sorry, but daddy can't hear you!"

"Is that the best you've got? Solar blast!"

Chimera's scepter is broken, and she kneels on the ground crying as Stella says "For your information, a title doesn't make a princess."

* * *

She flies up and catches up with the three figures.

She teleports in front of a running Cassandra saying "It's over Cassandra. You lost. Go."

She is glowing like the sun itself, and Cassandra falls to the floor crying in defeat like her daughter.

Stella breaks the spell and Radius immediately hugs her. The wedding is cancelled, and Chimera and Cassandra are tied up on the ground.

Chimera yells "Don't think for a minute that this is over Winx fairies! Untie me and I'll show you what real power is!"

Cassandra says "Chimera - for once in your life _zip it_!"

Radius says "Guards, take these two witches to their new royal quarters: the dungeon."

Later, Radius is looking out the balcony, watching his doves fly.

Stella and her friends come out, and watch them fly.

Then they see the hover cyclists they impersonated, and Radius suggests they follow the doves - the bikers can't fly that high!

* * *

 **AN: Chimera's one to talk, calling Stella a spoiled brat - girl should have 'spoiled rotten' tattooed on her forehead. At least they're gone - but for how long? Keep reading to find out!**


	61. The Red Tower

_**The Red Tower**_

The Winx are trying to find a way to stop Valtor, and Techna comes up with something to beat the Dragon Flame.

Aisha is talking with her mother, trying to make her understand that she wants to be with someone she loves.

When Techna says she has something, it is a welcome distraction from the conversation - which is not going too well.

What Techna found is an opposing force that was created at the same time as the Dragon Flame: the Water Stars.

It doesn't exist in the Magic Dimension anymore because it was sealed away in another - the Golden Kingdom.

The story goes that the Water Stars and the Dragon Flame couldn't exist in the same dimension, or the two powers would tear reality apart clashing with each other.

They were attracted to each other, and every time they made contact, chaos ensued.

To restore the balance, all the ancient wizards came together and sealed one of the powers in the Golden Kingdom.

This power happened to be the Water Stars - and they are there still.

To get to the Golden Kingdom, they have to get to the Red Tower - which is beyond the Veilmist Forest, an extremely dangerous and uncharted area.

The guys take them to the forest, but the Navi-locator shows a void where the forest should be.

This means that they will be flying into oblivion if they keep going.

* * *

Aisha goes to find a spare navigator in the supply bay, but finds something - or rather, someone - else as well.

Its Ophir!

He is wearing a red cape with gold trim, and when Aisha spots him, he puts the hood up and turns invisible - but not nearly as fast as Bloom can.

She tackles him, and ends up holding his legs.

She says "Alright, now put your hands where I can see them!"

"Aisha, are you forgetting the magic word?"

"Or I'll blast you with all the energy I can muster?"

Ophir laughs and says "By magic word, I meant please!"

He holds his wrists together, and Aisha makes a pair of handcuffs appear.

Ophir thanks her for saving his life at the museum of magic, but she isn't very impressed.

She gets the navigator, and heads back to the others with Ophir in tow.

* * *

Timmy is suggesting they land in the mountains and walk the rest of the way when Aisha comes back in.

She says "Look what I found, heads up Timmy."

Aisha tosses him the navigator, and Sky asks "What's he doing here?"

Ophir says "I can explain."

Flora says "Ok, were listening."

"I was going to the Veilmist Forest to practice some invisibility spells, but the whole Valtor-trying-to-destroy-the-world thing has grounded all flights. So I hitched a ride."

Techna says "He's lying."

They all wish Bloom was there - reading people has always been a gift of hers, the whole time they've known her.

"No, I'm not lying. I snuck aboard just as you were getting ready to leave."

Stella interrupts "Ok, then how'd you know where we were going?"

"I heard you talking about it at Alfea, and, um-"

"More lies!" Techna really doesn't trust him, and Aisha agrees.

Flora points out that they don't know for sure he is lying, and Stella says "I wish Bloom was here! She was always good at this stuff."

Musa says "No kidding, but she's not and we can't do anything about that right now."

Timmy says that they are about to lose reception, and if they have any calls they want to make, they should make them now.

They decide to lock Ophir up for the time being, and Flora makes a video for Helia as Musa puts some handcuffs on Ophir again.

From the angle of the video, it looks like she is kissing him, but nobody thinks of this because they know the whole story.

Aisha takes him to the cell in the ship, and after the two leave, Timmy finishes installing the computer.

It is showing the same thing as the other one though: they are about to fly off the edge of the world.

Everyone gasps and looks at one another.

* * *

In the storage area, Aisha has Ophir stand in the cell, as he tries to protest.

"Aisha I'm not a spy. I'm one of the good guys I swear."

Aisha ignores him, saying "Timmy, activate the bars now."

Ophir steps forward, saying "Just give me a chance to-"

"Hey, you stay in there!"

Aisha pushes him back behind the cells, and then the bars activate with both of them stuck in there!

Aisha says "You've got to be kidding me. Timmy, deactivate the bars."

Nothing happens and Ophir says "I don't think Timmy can hear you if you don't press the intercom button."

"Well, I can't reach the button! So what am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, I guess you and I are in here together. And since we're stuck like this, we might as well talk, get to know each other."

He starts talking about a concert on Andros Aisha was at, and she corrects him on a song line he got wrong.

Turns out they have the same taste in music - and Aisha is actually enjoying the talk until she thinks he is putting a charm spell on her.

He says he isn't, and she can't sense any magic, he is just being himself.

Suddenly, the ship shakes, and they both fall to the ground.

The ship was hit by some trees, that they couldn't see until it was too late to avoid them.

Sky and Timmy are doing everything they can to stabilize the landing, but it is rough going.

The ship eventually ends up stopped in a dip in the ground nose first.

* * *

At Red Fountain, Helia gets out of the shower, and sees the message from Flora.

Riven sees it to, and goes after them when he sees the part where Musa is standing in front of Ophir like she is going to kiss him.

* * *

The Winx, the guys, and the pixies are walking through the forest, when out of nowhere they are attacked by giant monsters with tentacles - and eyes at the ends of the tentacles.

Eventually, they beat them all, and there are a lot of them.

Ophir saves Aisha, earning her trust - especially because he could have gotten out of the handcuffs any time before then but chose not to.

* * *

Riven scares the heck out of Timmy and Piff when he shows up at the ship looking for Ophir.

He and Piff go after them and Timmy stays to keep working on the ship - exactly what he's been doing for the past hour.

* * *

The Pixies take the Winx and the guys within sight of the tower, but say that it is as far as they go.

They have to make it from there alone.

As they go inside the tower, there are three doors, and one of them is covered in writing and far too small for them to go through.

Before they can make sense of the writing though, a group of winged centaurs attack the group with exploding tridents.

They are unaffected by magic, and pin the Winx to the ground with their spear-like weapons.

Ophir saves Aisha again, and then they go to help the others.

Aisha makes a Morphix wave to ride on, and Ophir uses a piece of wood as a surfboard to ride with her.

The centaurs are driven off, and Ophir picks Musa up just as Riven gets there.

He tells Ophir to put Musa down, and it looks like a fight will break out over a misunderstanding.


	62. Water Stars

_**Water Stars**_

Riven and Ophir fight, because Riven thinks Ophir is hitting on Musa.

He couldn't be farther from the truth, and Ophir tries to tell him so.

Sky and Timmy pull the two apart, and Sky says "Cool it Riven, he's on our side!"

"I thought you guys went through the portal."

"Yeah, we tried. But we were attacked by the Pegator guards from the Red Tower."

"Alright, but what about him and Musa?"

Ophir says "What? If anything, its-"

He stops as the fairies come over.

"Look, there's nothing going on between me and Musa."

Musa says "Riven, Ophir is right."

She smiles and adds "But I'm glad to see you care so much."

Riven smiles sheepishly and after a second says "I'm sorry."

He runs his hand through his hair, and Musa looks down smiling.

"Good, but you can't let your anger get the best of you."

* * *

Sky watches with envy and sorrow, and takes out his phone to look at a picture of Bloom.

 _Soon Bloom. We'll beat him soon._

Ophir talks with Aisha for a minute, and they all start walking.

The two end up near Sky, who is still looking at his picture of Bloom.

"Hey, who's she? I haven't seen her before."

Aisha says "That's Bloom. Sky's girlfriend and our best friend. She's our leader and she was kidnapped months ago. We don't know where she is, but we're going to find her."

"Jeez, let me guess, Valtor had a hand in it?"

"He has everything to do with it, but we'll get her back soon."

They switch back to where Ophir learned his moves, surfing, and magic.

He was taught by a wave wizard on Andros, which explains a lot.

* * *

When they decipher the markings on the door, with a little help from class with Mrs. Faragonda, they figure out they have to shrink themselves to enter the golden kingdom.

The Winx use their fairy dust to shrink down to around a twelfth of their usual size, and open the door.

When they enter, the doorway disappears behind them when they close it.

A wave of intense positive magic swamps them, and then sweeps the whole magical dimension.

The guys feel it, Bloom feels it on Pyros with shock and hope - nobody but her friends could or would release something so powerful and positive - even Valtor and the Trix feel it in their cavern hideout.

While it gave Bloom absolute joy and peace, it gave the four evildoers the creeps.

Valtor knows immediately what it means, and scrys the Red Tower to see the guys looking in shock at the building.

The Trix go attack, while the Winx are in the Golden Kingdom.

* * *

 ***Golden Kingdom***

The fairies are flying through a sky that is gorgeous, and end up bouncing on clouds that are like trampolines.

The clouds carry them to a magnificent golden palace, where they meet a small elfin man who gives them a tour.

He shows them the first spell to ever be cast, the dust from the very first wishing star, and other ancient things.

Eventually, he takes them to a hall, where a mermaid, one of the Pegator, what looks like an owl-ghost, and Arcadia, the fairy of the Golden Kingdom and very first Fairy meet them.

They are the Council of Elders, and they have presided since the beginning of the Magical universe.

Stella is chosen to explain, because Bloom isn't there and it is really her thing.

Once Stella is done explaining how they need the Water Stars to beat Valtor, because they have tried everything else and nothing works she, Techna, and Musa are chosen to go into the crystal labyrinth.

They have to prove they care more about the fate of the world than themselves, and to do that they have to make it out of the maze.

If they don't, they will be stuck in there forever, because the maze is a place outside of time.

Stella takes the path that looks the best, Musa takes the path that speaks to her, and Techna takes another. Her way is to take every turn, and eventually they will find their way out.

* * *

Techna finds her exit, and her test is to give up emotions for logic.

This means giving up loving Timmy, which seems cruel to her now that she has found love.

She goes in the world of numbers though, after telling the image of Timmy that she loves him.

* * *

Stella's test is to give up her beauty, which she does after looking one last time at her reflection.

* * *

Musa's test is to give up singing, and her flawless voice.

She does it, after singing out one last note beautifully.

They get the water stars, and then Arcadia restores Musa's voice, Stella's face, and Techna's emotions.

* * *

While the girls were in the Golden Kingdom, the guys were playing Light Ball.

Ophir and Riven spar, and he tells them about how he grew up on an island with nobody to play with.

So he hung out with the guards, and they showed him all their fighting moves.

It sounds a lot like Aisha's childhood, alone in a castle with nobody her age.

The Trix attack, and the guys hold them off for a while.

Ophir proves a good opponent against Darcy, matching her illusions perfectly.

The Winx show up just in time to beat the witches back, and save the guys.

They got all five Water Stars, and are ready to beat Valtor using them.

* * *

The three witches come up with the excuse that their enemies took one look at them and ran away, which they all agree they have to tell him - because saying that they got beat at the last second would just make him explode.

The Winx make a pact to use the Water Stars to beat Valtor once and for all.

Inside, they are all glad, for once, that Bloom isn't with them.

The power of the Water Stars could take her powers, or maybe even kill her if she was exposed to their power too much.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry about the wait. Got a lot going on with college coming up soon. But please keep reading - and please review!**


	63. Fake Fight

_**Fake Fight**_

The Winx are sitting on the lawn at Alfea, the next afternoon, wondering exactly how they are supposed to use the Water Stars.

They decide to go to the lab to experiment with them, see how they react to different stimuli.

Techna has the idea to read the essence of the Water Stars, which will show them the pattern of magic that is the direct opposite of the Dragon Flame.

Stella thinks her star is a fabulous accessory, and when she puts hers in the bowl of water with the others, they all start to glow.

* * *

At their cavern hideout, the Trix find Valtor sitting in his chair looking beaten already.

They are on the run, and the Winx have beaten them time and again, despite the fact that they don't have Bloom.

Even after getting the Agador box, and storing all the magic they have stolen in it, Valtor is repeating history.

It's happening all over again, eventually he will be defeated by the Company of Light, just like last time.

When Darcy finishes his sentence, saying he was defeated, he gets angry and says he will make a different ending this time.

He will find a way into Alfea, he will take over the entire magical dimension, and the Winx will pay dearly if they get in his way.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Winx, minus Bloom, are going dancing - and Stella took them shopping for new outfits for the occasion.

She sees a bag on sale though, that matches her outfit, and freaks Techna out when she screeches.

The four other girls nearly drag her away from the store window, and they keep going.

They meet the guys at the dance club, and Sky can't help but wish Bloom were there as well.

Ophir and Aisha dance, but he seems distracted.

He bolts when three guys in suits find him and chase after him as they are leaving.

When Aisha chases after all four, she comes out to discover a sudden storm with the weirdest lightning pattern ever.

* * *

Suddenly, Valtor is floating in mid-air.

He says he comes in semi-peace, and challenges the leaders of the three schools to a duel.

If they win, Magix City will be spared total destruction, if he wins, he gets all the magic secrets in the schools.

Nobody doubts he means the threat, and Griffin, Saladine, and Faragonda discuss the challenge.

They really don't have any choice, they have to put the fate of Magix ahead of their own safety.

They meet at Lake Roccaluce, and Valtor mockingly acknowledges the fact that they accepted his 'invitation'.

They didn't have any choice, and they all know it.

Valtor didn't bring the Trix with him, but he did bring the Agador box.

He says that if they all defeat him, the worlds he has looted will have their magic restored, but if even one of the three lose to him, Magix is history.

They each have to fight him one-on-one, and he does a spell to start the fight.

A fog rolls in immediately, and each of the three find that the other two have disappeared.

They see Valtor, and start to fight.

They are actually fighting one another; the spell was an illusion spell - and it is working exactly how Valtor intended.

* * *

He goes to Alfea, and the barrier is weakening as Faragonda does.

When he breaks through the barrier though, all the Winx sense it, and the Water Stars react to the presence of the Dragon Flame being so close.

The Winx go to investigate, and fight him in the library.

They activate the Water Stars, and nearly destroy Valtor.

* * *

Unknown to all of them, the magical shockwave travels all across the Magical dimension.

Only one other person detects it though: Bloom.

She is badly affected, nearly losing consciousness, and goes to the cave she is staying in for the rest of the day to recover.

It felt fundamentally wrong to her, like direct contact would destroy her totally and instantly.

* * *

Valtor is on the ground, and his body is steaming, like he just got burned.

When Stella makes a ball of light to finish him off though, he desperately tells them that he absorbed Bloom into his own body.

When he finishes the desperate lie, Stella lets the ball of magic disappear, and lets two tears fall from her eyes.

Valtor collapses, and disappears while they are distracted.

As soon as Valtor was beaten, the spell over Faragonda, Griffin, and Saladine was broken.

They all realize they have been fighting each other ever since Valtor cast the first spell, and are on the brink of destroying each other.

Later that day, Faragonda and Griffin personally thank the five fairies, and they get the rest of the day off.

They go dancing that night, and they can all relax because Valtor is far too tired to pull anything else that day.

Ophir asks to talk with Aisha somewhere private, but the many guys in suits make that impossible.

They won't let Ophir out of their sight for a nanosecond, but not because they are there to arrest him.

He tells her that he is actually Nabu, the guy she is promised to.

He ran away from home about a month before, to find Aisha and get to know her before they had to be married.

Aisha thinks it is very brave, but he isn't so sure about that.

Neither of them are ready to be married, but he didn't want his parents controlling his life so he bolted.

The next day, both sets of parents come to Alfea and believe that they were wrong to arrange a marriage between two strangers.

You can't make two people love each other, but they made a lucky guess when it comes to their kids.

Stella jokes that now that Nabu is part of the family, he doesn't get Aisha alone, he gets all the Winx - including Bloom.

When Stella asks Mrs. Faragonda if Valtor really absorbed Bloom, she calls all the Winx into her office, and does about a dozen spells to ensure nobody can watch the conversation.

She assures them that Bloom is alive and safe from Valtor.

She promises to tell them if Valtor finds her, or if something happens to her, but until Valtor is defeated for good it is best if they don't go to her.

* * *

Faragonda has secretly been doing some research on what Bloom did on Pyros, making herself part dragon.

Similar things have happened in the past, but never with dragons.

The people who did it before Bloom took on traits of the beings they merged with.

If someone became part fish, they could stay underwater for extremely long periods of time without ever having to come up for air.

If they merged with birds, their bones became brittle, and hollow.

In short, they took on aspects of the creatures they mixed with, to varying degrees.

Their appetites changed, and their personalities did as well, to an extent.

They kept most to all of their own feelings and desires, acquiring some new urges, and if the correct emotion was roused, they could potentially change somewhat.

For Bloom, this would likely be anger, fear, or possibly happen if an animal attacked her - one that was lower on the food chain than a dragon, so basically any animal.

Bloom's eyes have changed already, her pupils have turned to slits, like a cats.

They dilate and contract in different lighting, but they can go much farther than a normal person's ever would.

They resemble a dragon's eyes, and her throat glows brightly in the dark - like there's a campfire in her mouth.

Faragonda can't find any more physical changes, but there are likely more.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, don't give up hope just yet, plenty of chapters to come! I'm just trying to get a little closer to the new Thor movie coming out. If anyone can guess what season I'm in, I'll post four new chapters in a row! P.S. please review!**


	64. Freeing the Spells

_**Freeing the Spells**_

After being assured that Bloom was not absorbed by Valtor - and they all know that even if she were, she would want them to stop him - the Winx relax for a day.

Valtor is furious however, and the next day he unleashes the Spell of the Elements on Magix city, along with the three schools.

He makes a devastating earthquake hit Magix city, floods Cloudtower, sends tornados to Red Fountain, and tries to burn Alfea to the ground.

When Icy says Valtor is like an old dog who needs to learn some new tricks, the three witches start laughing until Valtor's eyes turn red with fury, his voice goes deeper, and his body changes into that of a winged monster with purple skin and fangs.

He is absolutely furious with the Trix, and they go to the side fast.

* * *

They are freaking out, the guy they had a crush on just turned into a giant demon and looked like he was two seconds from killing them!

Icy sums it up by saying they have really bad taste in men, and they keep teaming up with losers.

He then comes up behind them, and says he is not a loser, and he will show them just how powerful he really is.

He then teleports out of the cave, taking the three freaked-out witches with him.

They end up at a nearby lake, and Valtor unleashed the Spell of the Elements.

He floats the entire lake and sends it to flood Cloudtower, shocking the Trix badly.

Tornados appear heading for Red Fountain, and the forest around Alfea burns with magical fire that does not kill the trees, and attacks the shield.

Flora can hear the screaming of the burning trees, and it is deafening.

Stella tries to put out the fire by making clouds rain on the trees, but it doesn't affect the flames whatsoever.

There is dark magic in the fire, and because nothing is really burned the flames could go on indefinitely.

The Winx take the Water Stars, and head for Valtor.

* * *

The guys go to detonate some of the tornados, and succeed - but then about ten more appear out of nowhere.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Winx are flying over the burning forest, using the Water Stars as a guide.

They find Valtor in another dimension, at the bottom of the dried-up lake.

When they are about to fight him, he says that he can't go back to the Omega Dimension.

Its unbearable there, and Techna privately feels the same way.

But she feels no pity for Valtor, who deserves to go back to Omega.

He kidnapped Bloom, helped destroy her planet years ago, nearly destroyed Andros, and is the reason why the Technology fairy ended up in the prison dimension in the first place.

The Water Stars don't react to Valtor's presence though, which can only mean one thing - it's a trap!

He isn't in the cave, and the Winx miniaturize and fly out of the shrinking portal as the cave collapses.

They make it out, and then find Valtor and the Trix waiting for them.

They beat the Trix easily, and Valtor sucks them down under the lakebed.

When Aisha uses the Water Stars, Valtor's body bursts into flames and his demon form is revealed.

He sucks the Water Stars into a gem used by the Wizards who first sealed them away, so now he controls their power.

Stella gets an idea that Bloom would be proud of: opening the box with all of the magic Valtor has stolen.

She uses her fairy dust while Valtor is distracted, and right before he can attack them, she says "Valtor, before you get too excited to fight, you might want to check you magic box. It's kind of leaking."

He turns around, to find all of the spells flying out in a beautiful burst of colors from the Agador Box.

* * *

The Winx play a game of keep-away, and Valtor is in the middle.

Icy says "It looks like a game of 'monkey in the middle' and Valtor's the monkey!"

They bounce the box from one fairy to the next, until Techna catches it, and shakes it upside-down.

"Oh, its empty. Oh well."

Valtor spots the Spell of the Elements, and calls all the forces of Nature back to him.

He even threw away the gem with the Water Stars, which Stella catches easily.

* * *

Alfea is burning, and the flames suddenly leave.

* * *

The tornados suddenly disappear right as Sky, Brandon, and Riven are about to blow them up.

* * *

All the water in Cloudtower flies up into the air, and the quake in Magix city stops.

* * *

The water returns to the lakebed, right on top of the Trix, Winx, and Valtor - so the Winx leave, and the Trix ditch Valtor.

They get recaptured and sent back to Lightrock Monastery, begging not to go, which Techna gets a video of for Bloom.

The spells all return to their worlds, and everything goes back to normal.

Oppositus gets its opposites again, the sun shines brightly on Solaria, and the mermaids are all released from Valtor's mark on Andros.

At Alfea, the Winx get a hero's welcome, and their boyfriends are there as well.

Sky can't wait to find Bloom, and neither can the Winx.

The Water Stars are now trapped in the gem, which Faragonda locks away in Alfea somewhere extremely secret.

Only someone with her absolute trust can access this place, so it should be safe.

In a few days, they will go get Bloom, after helping out with fixing the damage Valtor caused.

Everyone can see why, the forest is burnt, there is debris everywhere, even at the lake the battle was at, and Magix city is a total mess.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys, sorry about the wait again. Still waiting on any responses - but also not stopping the story over it. Just decided you guys don't think there's anything wrong with it - so, yay! Review if you find something, please!**


	65. Finishing Valtor

_**Finishing Valtor**_

The next day, Flora, Aisha, and Musa restore the forest Valtor burned.

Aisha and Flora do a convergence to bring the forest back to life, and Musa makes a flute to call out the animals.

She plays a song, and in seconds birds and little critters are making noise again.

The forest is even healthier than before, and they are loving it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Faragonda and Griffin talk about how quickly things change.

Yesterday, they thought all was lost as their schools were attacked by the elements, and now everything is back to normal.

Magix city is still a mess, but everyone is working hard to rebuild, especially the Winx.

Any ideas that Bloom would help Valtor are more than dispersed by now, and Faragonda has received many letters of apology concerning the fact.

News that Bloom was kidnapped, and was never seen in any fights, spread fast enough - thanks to students upset at their parents.

The fact that Bloom escaped did not spread beyond the Winx, so as far as anyone knows she is still trapped somewhere awful.

That's the story the Winx and Faragonda want the rest of the Magical Dimension to know: Bloom was abducted and was never found until Valtor was killed.

It is a simple story, as far as cover-ups go, and is true, they just omitted the part of where she was found after Valtor was killed.

After everything Bloom went through the last thing she will need, or want, is parents not trusting her because she stayed away from their kids; even though that is exactly what they wanted.

Stella and Aisha came up with the story, because they know exactly what people will think if they hear she was on a planet that is virtually impossible to survive on, and that she stayed there instead of coming back to help protect the magical dimension – Mrs. Faragonda told them that much after Valtor lied to them so devastatingly.

What all those people won't think of though, is that Valtor could literally pull the Dragon Flame out of Bloom, which would make him far too powerful to ever stop.

* * *

Brandon and Helia are patrolling the area around the lake, looking for anyone who needs help.

Brandon sees a guy under some rocks, and goes to help, while Helia goes to get the others.

The man under the rocks is really Valtor, and he attacks Brandon when he tries to help.

The others get there, and immediately fight, but are beaten.

Even beaten and assumed dead, Valtor is too much for someone without magic to fight, even five against one.

He tells Sky to tell the Winx, and to tell them he will be on Andros.

* * *

They go to the island where he first made his hideout, along with Nabu and Sky.

Five circles of light appear, after they sense Valtor's magic at work.

Techna, Stella, Flora, and Musa each step in one, while Aisha, Sky, and Nabu stand in the largest.

The four fairies who are alone are taken to caverns, and each find their boyfriend, but something is wrong.

Riven is turned to stone, Timmy is trapped in a whirlwind, Helia is trapped behind a wall of fire, and Brandon is chained to the walls with water rushing in from the tunnel behind Stella!

* * *

Aisha, Sky, and Nabu are taken to a huge dungeon, where they find the rest of the guys!

They are unconscious, and Aisha transforms and breaks the bars easily.

* * *

When Stella turns around, Brandon is made out of water, and nearly hits her. She fights back, but he seems immune to her attacks.

* * *

Techna tries to reach Timmy in the whirlwind, but right before she touches his hand he turns around and opens his eyes.

Before her eyes, Timmy's body turns to concentrated air, and he knocks her into a wall with a gust.

* * *

Riven grabs Musa's wrist, and it starts turning to earth. When she rips her arm out of his grip, it goes back to normal, but Riven turns into a dirt monster trying to hurt her.

* * *

Helia walks through the wall of fire easily, and his body turns to flames as he walks toward Flora.

* * *

Stella can only think _What would Bloom do? Bloom would remember that the only spell Valtor managed to hold onto was the Spell of the Elements. So she would attack the person controlling the elemental figure in front of her. Valtor_!

She makes a magical blast, and sends it after Valtor.

It hits him, sitting in a chair concentrating heavily.

He is knocked out, and the four fake boys disappear immediately.

The Winx go to find Valtor, who is unconscious and being controlled by the Three Ancestral Witches.

They fight again, and then Aisha and the guys show up.

They fight one last time, and Sky gets lucky.

He manages to run Valtor through the heart with his sword from behind.

Its gross, bloody, and it had to be done.

They all thought he was dead yesterday, and now he is.

The only reason Sky could kill Valtor is because he was behind him, and the evil wizard was being held still by Aisha, Flora, and Helia.

He feels like he might be sick, but after thinking of what Bloom must have gone through, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

* * *

That night, Faragonda privately tells the Winx where Bloom has been for the past two months.

It's a party, but they are in a quiet spot.

The guys are nearby, and to everyone's absolute joy, they have permission to go get her the very next day.

Sky and Stella are ecstatic, and the rest of the Winx and guys are not far behind.

They have been waiting for what feels like forever to get Bloom, but they knew they had to.

She would have come back immediately if they asked, and might've ended up getting kidnapped again or worse.

If Valtor took her power, there would have been nothing to stop him from conquering everything.

But now, they don't have to wait anymore, and can't wait to see her.

Faragonda warns them Bloom has changed somewhat, but not in any way that really matters to them.

She is still Bloom, their best friend, and their leader; nothing can change that.

Sky can't wait to see her, he just hopes the feeling is mutual - he can fuzzily remember what happened during the Millennium party.

He heard that Diaspro was found out cold in her room after Stella broke the spell on him, and there were burn marks on her dress.

That can only mean one thing, but there is no proof to support the theory: Bloom attacked Diaspro that day.

It's crazy, and there is no proof for it beyond the burn marks, but Diaspro would not explain them or why she was unconscious in the first place.

He can only hope that Bloom will let him explain, or will even want to see him again.

* * *

Little does he know that she thinks about him all the time on Pyros, and even before that when she was still stuck under Cloudtower.

She misses all her friends, but she missed Sky like nobody else.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the only reason they didn't just take her powers from the beginning was so that Valtor would know she was still in Cloudtower whenever he got back from conquering another planet - she'd never have gotten out if he had though, how ironic. Ps. Happy August!**


	66. Finding Bloom

**_Finding Bloom_**

The next morning, the guys are ready with the Owl at Alfea, and Sky can hardly keep still.

For months, he has been waiting for this mission: bringing Bloom back.

He's gone over what he will say to her a thousand times before, and has the whole speech memorized down to the sentence; but every time he thinks of Bloom all he can think about is random stuff, like how her eyes show every emotion she's feeling and flash orange with them, or how she's always warm to the touch, and how she would heat up whenever they kissed.

Brandon and Timmy pilot the ship, and the Winx can't wait to see Bloom.

Stella won't stop talking, and planning a shopping trip to drag Bloom around on all day long.

They let her talk though, after four months of no Bloom they will all be relieved to see her again.

* * *

When they get to Pyros, a few hours later, they are nervous - everyone has heard stories of fools and explorers who came here and never left.

Faragonda assured them that Bloom was alive here, but now they can't quite get the stories and warnings out of their heads.

Timmy says "Ok, we're about to head into Pyros. Everybody hang on."

When they land, everyone piles out to find a beautiful plain, and a forest in sight.

They are all relieved they didn't get attacked before landing, but they hear cries now.

Dragon cries.

Stella says "Um, how do we find Bloom? This place is a whole planet and she could be anywhere."

Flora tries to connect with the plants, and gets a very big shock.

"She's here! I can sense her in the plants, like she is literally a part of them! I think I can track her."

* * *

Bloom was with Ember just outside the cave she made her home in.

She and Ember have been on a steady diet of Thornbush berries, and still love them.

Bloom has gotten extremely strong, and can channel her dragon-ness at will.

It's actually very much like channeling her magic, except she focuses on Pyros instead of the Dragon Flame.

Fire courses through her, and her throat heats up, and all her heightened senses get even stronger instantly.

She can snarl and roar like a dragon very well now, and at this point is more dragon than human.

She is strong even without help from Pyros though, and can now fight hand-to-hand with just about anyone.

When she heard the dragons call, she assumed it was some foolhardy explorers come to Pyros to defy history or something.

When she sensed Flora look for her using the plants, she is dumbfounded.

 **Bloom? What's wrong? Are they here to take you again? Like you told me?**

Ember has gotten very good at communicating with her.

Mentally, it's a combination of pictures and feelings, and only Bloom can understand her; vocally, it's all her growls and thrums, the language all dragons use - and one Bloom is fluent in.

 _No Ember, it's the Winx. They're here, looking for me._

 **Your friends? Why didn't they come before? And did they bring that boy you're constantly thinking about?**

 _I don't know, but the answer is probably yes. Let's go find them before something happens._

Bloom takes off running through the forest, and Ember follows through the air.

Bloom taught her to fly well, and they tear through the forest.

Bloom shared everything with Ember, her memories, her feelings, her past.

Ember knows everything about Bloom, and is something of a sister to Bloom; a very dangerous sister with claws and fire-breath - or possibly Bloom's figurative and nearly literal baby.

They are partners and so much more than that.

They are bound, forever, and no magic can change the fact.

She can sense the Winx now, each of them individually, along with someone new.

She sends a message to them through the plants, by sending a surge of her magic through the planet.

They sense it, and immediately take off running in the direction it came from.

After a second of confusion, except from Nabu, the guys run after them, and in about ten minutes, they get the best shock of their lives.

Bloom comes straight out of the tree line and crashes into them like lightning.

"WINX! You're here!"

"BLOOM!"

The Winx all scream her name, but nobody is louder than Stella, who immediately crushes Bloom in a hug.

After a minute-long group hug that Bloom relaxes into after a microsecond, the guys clear their throats and the Winx break apart.

They are all shocked by Bloom's eyes, because the pupils are slits now - exactly like Ember's.

Bloom introduces her baby dragon to them all, saying "Winx, guys, this is Ember. Um, she already knows your names, I told her. In fact, I told her everything."

She goes around sniffing everyone, and likes them, making Bloom laugh - she can smell magic.

Nabu comes forward, and introduces himself, then Sky comes forward.

Bloom breaks into a huge grin, and nearly rushes over to him right then.

"Bloom, I'm so sorry about what happened on Eraklyon. Diaspro put a spell on me and-"

"I know Sky."

Everybody shouts "WHAT?"

Bloom covers her ears because it is so loud, and Musa's voice can go some extremely high pitches.

When she uncovers her ears Sky asks "You know? How?"

Bloom smirks and says "I know because Diaspro is the kind of bitch that likes to brag to her victims about what she's done to them. She had the gall to tell me herself a few hours before you were going to marry her. I got mad and knocked her out, I think. I don't really remember much after she said you were under a spell given to her by Valtor."

"Well, she's gone. That day Stella, Musa, and Flora came to Eraklyon, and broke the spell after discovering the Mark of Valtor on my shoulder. After being sick for a few days, I recovered, and had Diaspro banished. Hopefully, we'll never see her again."

They have never heard Bloom swear before, but they can all agree that her description of Diaspro is more than accurate.

* * *

Bloom and Sky hug, and she's about to kiss him, when suddenly a dart is in Bloom's shoulder!

They could see a faint outline of red, which went into Bloom's skin along with whatever was in the dart.

Bloom immediately pulls it out, and Ember sniffs the dart angrily.

 **Rocks, this smells like hard rocks. There is another smell, bitter and yucky. It's in your shoulder now to.**

"Bloom! What's that?"

She goes sheet white in seconds, and says "There's someone else here on Pyros. Its Diaspro!"

Unknown to them, the exiled princess followed them to Pyros, to find Bloom.

She had a dart with some very strong poison, and propelled it into Bloom's shoulder using magic.

Her magic stayed in Bloom's shoulder, which is now throbbing in that one spot - while the rest of her shoulder is going cold.

It feels like ice is spreading through her veins, and she can't really stand after a minute.

* * *

Satisfied that Bloom is history, Diaspro leaves Pyros right before some very angry dragons attack her.

* * *

Stella uses her ring to teleport them to the ship, and Sky carries her inside, with Ember sitting on his shoulders and sniffing her.

Bloom is unconscious now, and Brandon and Timmy takeoff while Sky puts her in the medbay.

Ember stays with her, sitting beside Bloom once she is on the bed.

After a few minutes of desperately begging her to hang on, Sky goes back to the others.

Nabu tries a healing spell, but Bloom is different from anyone he's seen before, and the poison is too strong for him to heal it any more than a delay.

* * *

 **AN: In case any of you thought I was just going to leave Bloom out there forever, sorry! And besides, everyone's been going nuts wondering if she was ever going to get back!**


	67. Poisoned!

_**Poisoned!**_

A few hours later, Bloom regains consciousness to Ember's feelings being thrown at her.

 _Ember?_

The baby dragon thrums and rubs against her arm **.**

 **Your awake!**

 _Where are we_?

Ember sends her an image of the Owl, and then sends Bloom a questioning feeling, she wants to know how Bloom's feeling.

 _Like there's ice in my veins._

She tries to sit up, and her shoulder suddenly feels like there's a knife in it.

"Aahh!"

She grabs her shoulder in agony, until the pain subsides after a minute.

The pain did give her an adrenaline rush though, and she quickly gets out of the bed despite Ember's protests.

She makes her way to the door, and it opens right as she collapses into it; except she collapses into the person behind the door: Sky.

"Bloom! What are you doing up, you should stay in bed."

He picks her up and puts her on the bed, as she tries to protest, and then tries to get up off the bed again.

"No, I have to be ready. I have to be able to fight. I need-"

Sky interrupts her, and keeps her sitting on the bed, saying "You need to rest. You need to get better. I need you to get better."

He leans over, and puts his lips on her dry ones before she can respond.

She closes her eyes and tries to return the kiss, but she's too weak to even do that.

She starts crying instead, and Sky notices.

He cups one cheek with a hand, wiping her hot tears away, saying "Sh, it's alright Bloom. We'll fix this, I promise."

"Oh Sky, I've missed you so much. I missed everyone, but I especially missed _us_. You have no idea how good it was to hear that you were under a spell when you said all that stuff."

"Bloom, I promise I didn't mean it. I could never mean what I said, and I promise I will never hurt you like that again."

He rubs his hand back and forth along her jawline, remembering how she always loved it when he rubbed her shoulders or hugged her - her main source of comfort was always physical contact.

Sky notices that Bloom's skin is burning hot under his hand, so is the hand holding onto his.

"Let me see your eyes Bloom."

She looks him in the eye, and after a minute, asks "You don't like them, do you?"

"Bloom, I think your eyes are the most beautiful in the entire dimension. Now there's just more for me to get lost in."

Her pupils are insanely dilated in the low light, and he can see the flash of orange even better now - along with a fever.

Her irises are still round, and there are still whites in her eyes, but now her pupils are slits, and can expand and contract depending on the light, or her emotions.

They are still the same size, big, but they don't look at all human; they look as unique as Bloom is to him.

He says "I'm going to get something, stay there."

The whole room is spinning, and she closes her eyes to keep from getting dizzier - instead, all feelings start slipping away.

* * *

When she senses him come back, she hears Ember hiss warningly.

 **Don't even think about it!**

Sky jumps back, and says "Um, Bloom? Could you call Ember off?"

Ember sends Bloom an image of Sky with a hypodermic needle full of golden liquid.

Bloom opens her eyes slightly, and says "She wants…to know…what's in…the needle."

The weakness in her voice worries Sky immensely, because it means she is slipping back into unconsciousness.

"It's some medicine we're supposed to give someone if they get sick or poisoned. I don't actually know what's in it, but we're all trained to give the injection - because this stuff probably tastes terrible."

His weak attempt at a joke makes Bloom smile faintly, and Ember seems satisfied that the liquid in the needle won't hurt Bloom.

He gently pulls Bloom's arm closest to him into his lap.

"Hold still Bloom. This won't hurt a bit."

He carefully injects the liquid into Bloom's arm, and her head leans against his shoulder.

She is falling asleep, both from her exhaustion and the medicine.

Ember sniffs her arm, and then her head, and Bloom mumbles "Is ok Ember, I'm jus goin to…close my eyes…fir a sec."

She slurs the whole sentence, and when her eyes close they don't open and her breathing evens out.

Sky lays her back down, and Ember licks his hand, which he gets the distinct feeling is her way of saying 'thank you'.

"Your welcome."

The baby dragon thrums for a second, and then curls up in the crook of Bloom's neck on her hair.

The baby dragon is instantly camouflaged in the fiery red hair, he can't even tell where she is.

He puts a gentle kiss on Bloom's forehead, and leaves, after putting the needle away.

* * *

Stella is hysterical, and Musa and Flora aren't much better.

Aisha is trying to stay strong, and Techna has sort of shut down and is spouting random facts about stuff - like the survivability of being poisoned in the Magical dimension.

When they finally get to Alfea, Bloom has slept through the entire trip, and her temperature is far too high for anyone's comfort.

Sky carries her while the Winx lead the way to Faragonda's office.

Stella is practically pushing anyone out of the way and almost breaking down doors, but fortunately Ember sitting on Bloom's chest deters most people from asking anything.

They landed in the Alfea courtyard, and in minutes, the make it to Mrs. Faragonda.

Stella is practically breaking down, but somehow gets out "Mrs. Faragonda, it's an emergency! Bloom's been poisoned!"

"What? Where is she, let me see her!"

Sky steps forward with an unconscious, pale, sweaty Bloom.

She is shaking, but her body is racked with a raging fever.

They immediately take her to the infirmary, and Palladium takes a look at her.

Being the potions teacher, he knows how to make a cure for most poisons, and can recognize most of them.

Faragonda told all the teachers where Bloom was, and how she changed.

They were filled in on her nightmares as well, and they immediately supported the choice to let Bloom stay on Pyros - and they all approve of her bond with Ember.

The back of her throat is glowing like there is a fire burning back there - exactly like a dragon's.

She is getting hotter and hotter, her magic trying to fight the poison in her body as well as her dragon half trying to burn the toxin away.

This is not good for Bloom though, because if her temperature gets too high, resistance to heat or not - Dragon Flame or not - she will die.

* * *

Palladium recognizes the poison Diaspro used, and can make the antidote.

The fact that Bloom is still alive means she has a very good chance of surviving, but even after the poison is out of her system she will still be sick for a while.

She'll be delirious, and too weak to do anything.

They can all tell this will drive her crazy, when she is conscious.

Palladium makes the antidote, it takes a while, but she is still alive when it is finally finished.

Palladium has Stella and Musa hold her up, and he holds the bowl to her lips.

At the first taste Bloom starts struggling, thrashing and trying to twist out of their grips, but they manage to get her to drink the cure.

Ember is a big part in this, because she tells Bloom her friends are making her drink the antidote and to stop struggling.

It doesn't get rid of the damage the poison already did to Bloom, but it does keep it from doing anything else to her.

The fact that she survived the poison as long as she did is absolutely amazing, because it is extremely deadly; and even with the Dragon Flame, she should not have survived.

It's because she was on Pyros for two months, her dragon side is extremely noticeable right now.

A dragon's blood is much more acidic than a fairy's, and it seems Bloom's is now a mix, magic and dragon.

It's the only reason why she is not dead yet, and it will definitely have some other effects.

Like the fact that she now burns through everything extremely fast, medicine, food, even the poison from the dart.

The magic used to propel the dart is stuck in Bloom's shoulder, and will start to throb whenever Diaspro is nearby.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry Diaspro! You're not getting rid of Bloom that easy! She survived Cloudtower, she can survive your attempt on her life as well! Hahaha. PS. readers, in case you can't tell -** **I don't like Diaspro.**


	68. Paranoia and Nightmares

_**Paranoia and Nightmares**_

Bloom takes several days to recover, uses the spellbook the Winx helped make for her, and tries to tell the Winx about her family and her adventures on Earth.

She only gets to the part of growing up on Asgard before they think she is delirious again, and have her drink more of the medicine that tastes terrible and makes her sleep for hours.

Her temperature is now several degrees higher than before she was kidnapped, which seems permanent.

She also has terrible nightmares every night, about being kidnapped and locked away under Cloudtower.

Mrs. Faragonda suggests she get therapy, and she goes to exactly one session before deciding to deal with it on her own; the therapy involved going in her head and reliving the memories, and left both in a panic attack when the memories of the whole time overwhelmed them in seconds.

If one is remembered, the whole time is remembered; trying to focus on only one memory is like putting a hole in the Hoover dam and trying to get only a single drop of water.

The whole reservoir will come crashing out, which is what happens to Bloom every time she even thinks about what happened.

People quickly learn not to ask when she either changes the subject or ends the conversation and bolts.

As for her eyes, she thought of doing an illusion to cover them up after hearing the official story going around the universe; but that would be detectable, and if she lost her concentration the illusion would disappear or falter.

Stella jokingly suggests she wear sunglasses everywhere; and there is something to the idea.

Stella gets her a pair of sunglasses, ironically picking out ones that are dragon print, takes them back to Bloom.

Bloom puts an illusion spell on them, to make it so that instead of sunglasses, people see her eyes the way they were before she became part-dragon.

She did the spell using a picture of her before the Millennium party, where her eyes were open and full of joy.

The spell also covers up her glowing throat, making her look like a normal person - even if she can't act that way yet.

* * *

She is jumpy and paranoid, and anyone who surprises her at first learns this the hard way; usually because they got thrown into a wall or ended up on the ground with Bloom on top of them.

The Winx hid her blades when they got off the ship, and gave them back when she woke up.

She made a deep blue belt with sheaths, and did a spell so that they disappear when the weapons are in them.

She made a pocket dimension to store the sheaths in when the sword and knife are stowed.

She can draw them at an instant's notice, but nobody else is the wiser until she does.

Her bag is also stored in a pocket dimension at her side.

It's on top of her knife, and has multiple spells on it, including one to make any food she wants, one to store the herbs she gathered on Pyros, and one to store an endless amount of books and drawing supplies.

She is determined to never have to worry about being kidnapped for long ever again, which they find out when she spells a flashlight and a hairpin in the shape of a dragon.

The flashlight now runs off of her magic, it will never go out if it is in her hand.

The dragon-shaped hairpin is spelled so that she can open any lock with it, a handy little thing which she hides in a pocket dimension connected to her hair.

She keeps the fighting staff in a pocket dimension she made at her back, between her skin and the back of her shirt.

A few weeks after she gets better, she tells Sky that she needs some time alone.

She needs to figure herself out, and he deserves more than a girl who doesn't know whether she is happy, sad, or somewhere in between.

This conversation is over the phone, and Sky says he will give her all the time she needs.

When she hangs up, she has a meltdown worse than any she has had since coming back to Alfea.

When she tells the girls, and Ember, what she did they all try to comfort her - but it doesn't really work.

The fact that Sky is willing to wait at all makes her want to cry even more, because he is such an amazing guy, the kind you only find once in a lifetime.

* * *

The rest of the year, she is jumpy and paranoid.

The nightmares finally start to slow down, but before they did she would have one almost every night.

She took to putting silence spells on herself so she wouldn't wake the Winx, and ended up going for long runs on the track or working out in the gym until she didn't feel like something might explode - most days the Winx would wake to find a note on Bloom's pillow saying she would be at breakfast.

She and Ember have become quite the celebrities in Magix, Bloom can hardly go out without being swamped by reporters - which she inevitably bolts from because they keep asking about what she went through.

In short, she's a steaming mess and she knows it.

She has flashbacks when someone asks about what happened and almost immediately ends the conversation and bolts, getting around a corner and turning invisible against the wall.

She throws herself into her schoolwork, making food for everyone in the apartment, and finding a way to restore Domino and Daphne.

Anything that doesn't require her to leave the school is fabulous to her.

* * *

She spends Spring Break with Stella on Solaria, looking through the library with no results.

Aisha does the same on Andros, and so do the rest of the Winx.

Sky took one day out of the Spring break to introduce her to his parents, because the first time went so badly; the second time doesn't go much better either.

The guards think she is a witch, and one foolish one who grabs her wrist ends up on the ground with a scared and defensive Bloom on top of him.

She is about to fight her way out of the palace when Sky calls the guards off microseconds later; it only took a moment for Bloom to floor the guard before anyone could stop her.

Once Sky explains that she is not a witch, and is an invited guest of his, they back off - giving her a good distance.

The meeting with Sky's parents goes fairly well until the guard captain, who didn't hear that she was a special guest and a fairy, freaks because a person he helped chase off planet as a witch is now three feet from the royal family.

He tries to grab her, but finds she isn't where she was a moment before.

She is behind him, and knocks him to the ground, grabbing his weapon, and is just about to knock him out when Sky grabs the end of the spear.

She hisses "I am not getting locked up again Sky!"

He orders the guard to stand down, and angrily explains that Bloom is his guest, and his girlfriend.

He was under Diaspro's spell when he called the Winx witches, and Bloom is more than done with the mix-up.

She closes her eyes, sensing anyone else coming; fortunately there is nobody.

The King and Queen are shocked, and more than a little worried, that Bloom can beat the guard captain so fast, but Bloom doesn't really care.

She doesn't really care anymore what people think, of her or Ember.

As long as they don't hurt either of them, or her friends - or try to take her - she doesn't bother them.

She and Sky might be taking a break, but they are still close - no matter what anybody says.

The break is private, they still go out for lunch and stuff; giving the rest of the universe the impression that they are still steady, despite the fact that Bloom is as unsteady as it gets right now.

What the dimension doesn't see is the fact that Bloom's eyes are almost never on her plate, always looking at the crowd around her like someone might attack out of nowhere.

By the time summer break starts, and she goes back to Asgard again, she is more than ready to take a break from her paranoia.

Unfortunately she can't, but she can ease it by going somewhere the Magical Dimension doesn't know about.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, thanks for reading this far! If you have any ideas, feel free to share them! Otherwise, we'll have to see how it goes on nothing but my imagination.**


	69. On Asgard

_**On Asgard**_

While Bloom's been at Alfea, Thor has been fighting to bring peace back to the Nine Realms.

When Bloom destroyed the Bifrost, she saved Jotunheim - but she also brought chaos to the realms.

Asgard has been fighting to restore order ever since the Tesseract was brought to Asgard, and was used to repair the Bifrost.

Nobody blames Bloom, she couldn't stop her magic from wreaking havoc - and she saved a realm as well.

* * *

The day before Bloom comes back, Thor comes to a battle on Vanahiem and ends it by beating a rock giant with one blow.

Sif insists she had everything under control, but everything is on fire, and about two minutes after Thor got there the battle was over.

The peace across the realms is nearly won, so Thor tells Hogun to stay in his home realm, where his heart is.

* * *

Loki's sentencing is finally happening at the same time, and Frigga is there as well.

"Hello Mother. Have I made you proud?"

"Loki please. Don't make this worse."

"Define worse." Loki has a point, his hands are chained together, and the chains are connected to chains around his feet.

Odin's sentence is that Loki will spend the rest of his days in the dungeon, and he will never see Frigga, or anyone else, again.

When he asks about Bloom, Odin tells him nobody knows if Bloom is alive or dead, not since they went two months without seeing her in the scrying bowl she made.

The last part almost breaks Loki right there, he and Bloom were always close because Thor's arrogance was practically unbearable most of the time.

He and Bloom stuck together like glue, she even came to see him the year before, even though the visit was so tense you could practically cut through it with a knife.

She taught him a few tricks, like Telekinesis; still caring about him, even though he was so different from who he used to be.

She practically begged him to change back to the brother he used to be one time, but he doesn't even know how.

He covers up his sadness, by asking if Thor will be king.

The answer is yes, after he undoes what Loki caused by forcing Bloom to lose control.

* * *

Thor goes back to Asgard, by way of the Bifrost, and Odin tells him that he is ready to be king.

He also tells him that he should forget Jane Foster, and find someone in Asgard - Sif is watching them, and it's no secret Odin would likely approve of the two of them.

That night, everyone is feasting and celebrating, except Thor.

He hasn't been in the mood to celebrate for two years now, ever since he met Jane.

Sif tries to stop him, asking him to have a drink with her, because the Allfather surely couldn't have any other tasks for him that night.

He does have one, but not from Odin.

This task is one he sets himself, going to the Bifrost each night and having Heimdall tell him how Jane is doing.

That night, the convergence, an event that happens once every five thousand years is starting to happen again.

The effects are incredibly dangerous, but it is truly beautiful; at least to Heimdall, who can see the beauty.

The heavens are alight with colors and bursts of light, but only a few can see it, but Heimdall thinks Thor is looking for a different beauty.

"How is she?"

"She's clever, your mortal. She does not know it, but she too searches for the Convergence, and-!"

"What is it? What's wrong Heimdall?"

"I cannot see her."

* * *

Jane was on a date, until her intern Darcy came looking for her with some equipment going off.

She was having lunch with a cute guy, and Darcy gives her a thumbs up after he asks if they could have some wine.

"Sure, I'd love some."

She pulls up a chair, and starts talking. "So, I got to the lab/your mom's house, fully expecting you to be moping around in your pajamas, eating ice cream and obsessing about _you know who_. But you're not! Your wearing lady clothes, you even showered, didn't you? You smell nice and-"

"Is there a point to all this? Because there _really_ needs to be a point to all this."

"You know all that equipment you don't look at anymore? Well you should start looking at it again."

She pulls out a rectangular device with readings that make no sense to Richard, but they both apparently get.

"It must be malfunctioning." Jane taps it, and then bangs it on the table.

"That's what I said. That's what I did! I figured you'd do something a little more scientific."

Jane hands it back to Darcy, brushing it off as nothing.

"It doesn't look like nothing, kinda looks like the readings Erik was rambling about. Our friend Erik, he kinda went bananaballs."

"He's not interested, I'm not interested, time for you to leave."

Darcy looks at Jane for a second, and says "Ok."

She gets up, pushes the chair back, and walks out, then Richard and Jane pick up their menus again.

"I think I'm going with the Sea Bass."

"Yeah, Sea Bass sounds good."

Jane says 'Sea Bass' about six times, before Richard says "Jane how about you go after your friend, and I'll just say 'Sea Bass' by myself."

Jane puts her hands on the table, and says "This was so much fun."

She leaves, and gets into the car with Darcy, saying "And I hate you now."

"What, I said he was cute!"

"Whatever, just get driving."

Suddenly, a guy in the back seat sits forward, and scares Jane half to death.

"Hello doctor Foster, it's an honor to work with you."

After nearly having a heart attack, Jane asks "Who is he?"

"He's my intern."

"You have an intern?"

"My name's Ian. It's great to meet you."

* * *

Ian gives directions to an abandoned warehouse, and Darcy's driving needs some serious work.

When they get there, Darcy doesn't really seem to think of Ian as a person, calling him 'the intern' and telling him to bring the phase-meter, 'the toaster-looking thingy'.

"I know what the phase-meter is."

The warehouse is full of kids, who think the three of them are police.

When Jane says she is a scientist, they take her to a massive truck.

As the three adults wonder what is going to happen, one kid puts a hand on the rail, and it floats in midair!

Up a couple sets of stairs, they drop a glass bottle into the space in the middle, and it disappears.

After a few seconds, it reappears above them, and disappears again.

It could literally go forever, and one kid grabs it.

Jane sees the detector going crazy, with some very familiar readings.

"I haven't seen readings like this since…since…"

"New Mexico?"

Darcy is grinning, and Jane runs off saying "Don't touch anything!"

* * *

She follows the readings to a hallway, and is then pulled into another portal.

She finds a massive stone column with a dark red space in the middle.

She gets a closer look, and sees something like a floating liquid in it.

When she tries to get a good look, her curiosity too strong to resist, the thing attacks her.

It hits her arm, and is absorbed into her.

It burns like fire, and she tries to rub it off, but then falls into unconsciousness moments later.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry I haven't posted anything in a bit - don't give up, I'm not abandoning this story! Just getting stuff ready to go to college, promise!**


	70. Going to Asgard

_**Going to Asgard**_

When Jane wakes up, she is lying on the floor, feeling like she might throw up.

She must be seeing things, because it looks like the air in a circle above her is distorted.

It goes back to normal after a minute, and she gets up.

She goes out to the parking lot to find three police cars with flashing lights, and Ian being questioned.

Darcy runs up to her yelling "Jane! Where the hell were you?"

"Tell me you didn't call the police!"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Not call the police. You call the police, they call the feds. Next thing you know, we've got SHIELD going around area fifty-oneing the place! We had a stable gravitational anomaly! We had unimpeded access! Our only competition was ten years old!"

"Jane! You were gone for five hours!"

"What?"

They didn't notice before, but while they were talking, it started to rain, except around Jane and Darcy.

They look around, and Jane freezes when she sees someone she never thought she would see again: Thor!

* * *

Jane practically shoves the detector into Darcy's hands, and walks over to Thor, her mind not believing what her eyes are saying.

She walks up to him, and before he can get out two words, she slaps him.

"Sorry, I just needed to make sure you were real; it's been a very strange day."

"I promise, I'm real."

She slaps him again, harder.

"Where were you?"

"Jane, where were you? Heimdall cannot see you."

"Me? I was right where you left me. I was waiting, then I was crying, then I went looking for you. You said you were coming back!"

" I know, but the Bifrost was destroyed. Chaos ensued. Villages were burning, marauders were pillaging. I had to put a stop to the madness."

"As excuses go, it's not _terrible_. But I saw you on TV, you were in New York!"

"I know, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world. But I was wrong, I may not know everything Jane, but I do know this."

"Yeah…"

"I know…"

"What?"

They are about to kiss, when Darcy completely ruins the moment by barging in.

"I'm pretty sure we were having a moment."

"And I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested."

"Hold that thought."

Jane runs over, and Thor and Darcy make small talk.

The officer has Ian against the police car, in cuffs.

"Ma'am, do you know this man?"

"He's my intern. My intern's intern."

"Well this is private property, and your trespassing, the lot of you. Your coming in."

He grabs Jane's arm, and she explodes, literally.

A wave of dark red power explodes out of her skin, much like Bloom's does, except Bloom isn't left lying on the ground weakly.

* * *

 ***Magix***

Bloom does sense the wave of power, but fortunately she is the only one who does.

She was focusing on Earth at the exact moment Jane blew up, and felt the wave of ancient power.

* * *

 ***London***

Thor helps her up, and the policemen are pointing Tasers at them.

"Put your hands in the air."

Thor says "This woman is unwell."

"She's dangerous."

"So am I."

Thor helps Jane up as he was talking, then looks up at the sky.

Heimdall sends the Bifrost down and picks up the two, along with the bumper of a police car.

Darcy walks into the middle of the new burn marks, and says "Holy shit."

Jane looks around as colors fly past her and Thor, and they are moving up faster and faster.

At the Bifrost, the car bumper flies past Heimdall, and then Thor and Jane appear in front of the opening.

Jane feels like she has just gotten off the best roller coaster ever, saying "We have to do that again."

Heimdall smiles and says "Welcome to Asgard."

Thor takes her to the palace, and has some healers look at her - because the only person he knows who can explode like that is Bloom.

They put her under a Soul Forge, which Jane shockingly identifies.

On Earth, it is known as a Quantum Field Generator, and it transfers energy from one place to another.

The forge reveals a dark red energy running through Jane, something none of them have ever seen before.

Thor asks "What is this? I have not seen it before."

The healer quietly says "I don't know, but she will not survive the amount of energy running through her."

Before Thor can say anything else, Odin comes in.

"What is she doing here?"

"There is something in her father, something not of Earth."

"Her realm has its healers, they are called doctors! She does not belong here anymore than a goat belongs at the dining hall!"

Jane sits up indignantly, asking "Did he just…? Who do you think you are?"

"I am Odin, King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms."

"Oh. Well I'm-"

"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster."

Jane looks at Thor and asks "You told your dad about me?"

Odin orders the guards to take her away, and Thor says "If I were you I would not-" a guard grabs her arm, and she explodes again "touch her."

Jane is laying on the table again, getting a sense of how Bloom must feel every time that happens to her - it feels like she's being drained of everything.

Odin, Thor, and one of the healers look at her arm, which has red running through it.

The healer says "The infection, it's defending her."

Thor says "No, it's defending itself."

He can only tell the difference by thinking of Bloom's power – it defends her, and that never leaves her weak and unable to defend herself while there is still a threat to her.

* * *

Odin takes the two of them to the library, and shows them an old storybook about the war between Asgard and a race known as the Dark Elves.

There are many ancient relics, and while many are made of stone, the Dark Elves made one that was liquid, and a source of mass destruction, known as the Aether.

Jane apparently found the Aether, even though it was supposed to have been destroyed, along with the Dark Elves at the last Convergence.

Apparently, it was hidden away; either because there was nothing in Asgard that could destroy it, or because somebody wanted to use it later.

Whatever the reason, it takes a host, and slowly destroys them, eating away at their life force until the person is gone.

Only the creator of the Aether, Malekith, could control it - but he is supposed to be dead.

The book doesn't say how to get the Aether out of Jane, and nobody from Asgard knows how.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, Asgardian adventures are back! Seems Jane got herself in a big mess, good thing Thor's sister happens to be all-powerful as well!**


	71. Bloom!

_**Bloom?!**_

While Jane, Odin, and Thor were in the library, Frigga was visiting Loki.

He is upset that nobody told him his sister is assumed dead, and upset at the fact that he is stuck in the cell forever.

Frigga sent books and furniture, so he has a better cell than the other inmates, and the prisoners are pouring in from the war.

Frigga tries to calm him down some, but he is not in the mood to hear her talk about how a king admits his mistakes, and how it's his fault he ended up in the cell.

When she calls Odin his father, Loki yells "HE IS NOT MY FATHER!"

Frigga asks "And am I not your mother?"

After a second, Loki says "You are not."

He passes a hand through hers, and the illusion disappears.

He didn't mean that, but he is so upset that he doesn't really care right now.

The one other person he still tried to be good to is presumed dead, and he is stuck in this cell until he dies.

In short, Loki is having a very bad day.

Frigga saw his reaction when Odin said Bloom was dead, which is why she doesn't take it too personally.

* * *

She goes to find Thor, who is talking with Jane on a terrace.

Thor promises Jane that they will find a way to get the Aether out of Jane, and they kiss.

When they break the kiss, Jane spots a very unusual sight, even in Asgard: a bright orange dragon about the size of a falcon. The supposedly mythical animal is sitting beside a figure with fiery hair and an Asgardian outfit with cloth the same color turned away from her.

The metal is dark, almost burnt-orange, and the figure is incredibly pale by comparison, and completely absorbed in a book, flipping pages rapidly.

"Uh, Thor? Do you have dragons in Asgard?"

"What? What are dragons?"

"Look behind you." She points to the lizard-like creature, and Thor recognizes the hair.

"No, it can't be. Only Bloom had hair like that."

Thor goes over to the figure reading, and sees a bunch of symbols he doesn't recognize on the pages.

When he gets near, the little dragon looks at him, and growls.

The figure looks up immediately, revealing a person Thor never thought he would see again: Bloom!

Thor unfreezes, and immediately crushes Bloom in a massive hug.

"Thor! What the…?"

"Bloom?! Where have you been? We thought you dead! Mother looked for you in the bowl you made for two months straight! We tried using it on other people, and it worked fine; but it wouldn't show you, no matter what we tried. How are you alive?"

A second after Thor stopped his barrage of questions, Bloom relaxes and hugs him back; hard, really hard.

"Thor, it's so good to see you. You have no idea how much I've missed home, and my family."

"We missed you to Bloom, but we thought you were dead. What happened? Why couldn't we see you?"

Bloom goes pale, stops hugging Thor, and after a second she says "Stuff happened Thor."

The dragon is glaring at Thor, so Bloom says "Thor you remember what I said about Magix, right? Well this is Ember, I hatched and am raising her. Ember this is Thor, one of the brothers I told you about. He won't hurt me."

Ember sniffs Thor, then makes a sound between humming and purring, and Bloom translates a rush of feelings to **This is the brother you talked about? The one that was arrogant?**

 _Yes, but he changed when he met Jane, remember?_

Jane comes over, and Bloom shakes her hand, but her magic reacts with the Aether, causing an explosion from both people.

* * *

When that chaotic mix of power dissipates, Jane is on the ground again and Bloom is lying a few feet away.

Ember flies over by Bloom, who is getting up again.

Bloom moans "Oh, that's not supposed to happen."

Jane comes over, but Ember growls at her.

"Be nice Ember. I'm sure there's a good explanation why my brother's girlfriend has dark magic."

Jane immediately says "I don't. There's something in me, something called the Aether. Its-"

" _The Aether_? As in the thing the Dark Elves made to end the universe? That thing was supposed to be destroyed!"

Thor says "Yes, yet here it is. And the healers say it will kill her if we can't get it out."

"Well why didn't you say so? I think I can help get it out."

Jane and Thor both ask " _What?_ "

Thor asks "What do you mean you can get it out?"

"Exactly how it sounds. I can take the Aether out of Jane."

Thor hugs Bloom again, feeling light-headed with relief.

"Thank you Bloom, but how? Father said-"

Bloom smirks and says "You and I both know father doesn't know everything."

"Don't let him hear you say that…BLOOM!"

Frigga comes running down the steps, and Bloom teleports out of Thor's hug and runs into hers.

"Mother! I've missed you so much!"

"Bloom, your alive, but how?"

"It's a long story mother, and I'll have to tell you. But right now, I need to take something out of Jane."

Thor says "Jane this is my mother Frigga, Queen of Asgard."

Frigga suddenly notices Ember sniffing the edge of her outfit and asks "Bloom? What is this creature?"

Ember was sniffing Frigga like she did Thor, and Bloom laughs and holds up her arm.

Ember flies over and sits down, like a bird on a falconer's arm.

"Mother this is Ember, my dragon. She's more of a partner to me than a pet."

* * *

Suddenly, they hear an alarm, coming from the dungeon.

Thor and Frigga both say "Loki!"

Frigga is about to take Jane and Bloom with her, when Bloom says "Wait! Jane, I need a lock of your hair!"

"What? Why would you need-"

"Trust me. I have a very bad feeling this isn't some prisoner breaking out of a cell or Loki making an illusion. First you find the Aether, and now we're attacked. If I'm wrong, it's just me being paranoid, but if I'm right, we need to get the Aether out of here."

She cuts a piece of Jane's hair off with her knife, and then mumbles something under her breath.

Suddenly, a perfect copy of Jane is standing in front of them.

"Mother, take this decoy with you, I'll take the real Jane. The decoy will draw the attackers away from the Aether, if I'm right."

Bloom takes Jane to her room with Ember, then locks the door with the symbol for 'closed' burning brightly on both sides.

Until Bloom's magic fails, that door won't open, not even if a bomb was set off in front of it.

Frigga takes the dummy Jane to her room, and after a while, two figures enter.

* * *

 **AN: Seriously guys, not abandoning this! Keep reading, maybe post some reviews! Going to keep posting chapters, don't lose hope!**


	72. Asgard Attacked

_**Asgard Attacked**_

While Thor was looking for Jane, a ship deep in space was waking up.

It has the last of the Dark Elves, and it is full of them.

The rest of the race was sacrificed during the last Convergence, when it was clear that defeat was inevitable.

One ship survived while the rest were sent crashing into Svartlfheim in an attempt to kill Asgard's forces.

When Jane found the Aether, it stirred the Dark Elves.

The leader, Malekith, wakes first, and then his second-in-command, and slowly the rest awaken as well.

"The Aether awakens us. The Convergence draws near."

They go to Svartlfheim, and Malekith swears to return the universe to one of darkness.

What caused the universe to be brought into light is unknown, but he will return it to the dark.

He can sense the Aether, even now, on Asgard. His lieutenant becomes one of the Cursed, the last of the Cursed.

The Cursed had stones made using the power of the Aether, and when they were crushed, the elves grew three times their size, and had the power of the Aether until it consumed them.

Only Malekith can control the Aether without being consumed by it.

The lieutenant, now Kurse, is stabbed in the abdomen, and given the source of his power, the last stone made using the Aether's power.

It is slipped in the wound, hidden there so he will have it on Asgard.

* * *

Kurse is disguised and slips into Asgard with the other prisoners being taken to the dungeon.

He is in a cell across the corridor and two cells down from Loki, who is passing the time reading boredly.

He couldn't stop remembering things he did with Bloom while she was growing up, so he decided to shut his brain off and read for a while - something she did all the time.

He is interrupted by some commotion from two cells down across the corridor.

One of the prisoners is huge, glowing dark red, and holding a cellmate against the field keeping them in.

Suddenly, the prisoner punches the field and breaks it, freeing himself and his other cellmates.

The prisoner is Kurse, and he breaks out every other prisoner, except Loki.

When he leaves the dungeon, he goes to the shield generator and destroys it.

The Dark Elf force was waiting for Asgard's defenses to be distracted, and Heimdall got lucky and detected the first ship.

He takes it down by throwing his knife in the engine of the scout ship, destroying it.

He lands on the Bifrost, hoping that was the only one, but his hopes are dashed when a fleet of ships appears.

* * *

When Kurse destroys the shield generator, one of the ships makes it into the palace, and it's the one Malekith is on.

A bunch of Dark Elves with guns come out, and a firefight ensues between them and Asgard's forces.

Malekith uses a grenade to destroy the throne in a petty act of destruction, and then goes to find the Aether.

He tracks it to Frigga's room, and comes in with Kurse, who he met with on the way.

They break the door down, and Frigga looks at the girl with long brown hair and clothes that look nothing like what she is actually wearing.

She goes to the corner of the room, while Frigga says "Give up creature, and you might yet survive."

 _Bloom was right. I'm so proud of her, but this isn't over._

"I have survived worse than you woman. Give up the Aether now."

"Never."

They sword fight and Frigga wins, until Malekith looks behind her.

She turns around and tries to kill Kurse, but ends up being held against his chest with her sword at her side.

Malekith goes to the fake Jane, and says "You have something child. Give it back."

When he goes to touch her, the body disappears in a flash of orange fire, leaving nothing but a lock of brown hair.

Frigga feels a sharp stab of pride for Bloom, and then Malekith angrily yells "WITCH! Where is she?"

"I'll never tell you."

Malekith looks at her for a second, and sees nothing but determination and pride.

"I believe you."

He signals to Kurse, who runs her through the side with her sword in an instant.

He then senses the Aether, exposed and open.

* * *

The two run to a door glowing with a symbol, one that burns Kurse when he tries to break the door using the power of the Aether.

They can hear some chanting in a fiery voice filled with power.

They can feel the Aether, but also another power as well.

Suddenly, there is a massive explosion, and the symbol disappears when the noise is over.

When they get into the room, there are two women and one creature in the room.

Its Bloom, Jane, and Ember.

Bloom falls to her knees exhausted, and on fire.

The flames go out when she turns around, and everyone looks at the two new beings.

"Where is the Aether? Tell me or I'll-"

Bloom interrupts, saying "Kill us and you'll never know what happened to it."

She then collapses, and Malekith looks at Jane.

He knows there is nothing of the Aether's power in her, but Bloom is throbbing with power - power that's fading for now, but still.

But before he can take her, Thor hits him with a burst of lightning.

He collapses, and Kurse picks him up and jumps out the window - leaving Bloom unconscious with Ember nudging her face worriedly.

She thrums, but gets no response from Bloom - physically or otherwise.

She's much colder than before, one of the things that means she's used up too much power and won't be awake for a while.

Bloom sleeps through the funeral, it's not something she'd really want to see anyway - she'd break down in tears.

* * *

 **AN: Told you! Not giving up on this! Everyone can expect many chapters in the future - just be patient around movie release times! Keep reading, and review if you find anything wrong or think up some ideas for me!**


	73. That Night

_**That Night…**_

A few hours later, Loki hears a beautiful voice singing, but it's like he hears it in his head.

And the voice is more like a ghost of a voice, thin, but there nonetheless.

 _Fire gleam and glow._

 _Let your power shine._

 _Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine._

 _Heal what has been hurt, change the Fate's design._

 _Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine._

 _What once was mine._

While the voice was singing, Loki felt his emotions changing, felt himself filling with warmth.

When the song is done, he doesn't want power anymore, he isn't spiteful of Thor; he just wants to apologize to Frigga and be with Bloom again, and he feels an amazing sense of heat through his body.

 _Loki, Loki. Can you hear me Loki?_

He mumbles "Am I dreaming this, or am I going crazy?"

 _Neither, at least you can hear me. Did it work?_

"Who are you? And did what work?"

The voice teasingly asks _What, you don't recognize your adopted sister? Maybe I have changed a lot._

"Bloom? They said you were-"

 _Dead? Not yet. I am unconscious though, so I decided to visit my favorite brother growing up. As for what I did, I used a healing spell to change you back. I need you Loki, like you used to be. Nobody will understand though, or believe you for that matter. Just tell anyone who asks that you had a change of heart after today._

"How are you here? If your-"

 _It's something that happens sometimes. It's like my mind goes wandering. I can't fully control it, but this is the first time I made it happen. Listen, we don't have much time. Tomorrow Thor will make up some plan to kill Malekith, but I get the feeling he'll need your help. Allfather is far too stubborn to listen to reason, especially right now, and he'll lock Asgard down tight. Without me, there's only one other way off Asgard that doesn't involve breaking into the Weapons Vault or fighting to the Bifrost: you. You know the secret ways to other realms, and Thor knows it._

"Bloom, how can I get them to trust me again? Can you-"

 _Change their memories or feelings? Possibly, but I won't. I will do a spell so that its possible they will trust you again, but I won't manipulate them like that. The spell will hinge on what you do tomorrow: help Thor, and they will start to trust you again; betray him and Jane, and nothing changes. I'm sorry brother, but I made a promise to myself not to use magic on people who can't protect themselves unless I have no other choice._

"So why did you use it on me?"

Bloom's voice is silent for a minute, then he hears her quietly say _Because I need you._

Loki tries to open his eyes, but Bloom's voice stops him.

 _Don't Loki. You can only hear me because your mind is open. And your mind is open because you're half asleep, and relaxed. If you were fully awake, you would be wondering why you were so warm and I would be talking to myself uselessly. It's a mental link, we can work on communicating while your awake later - after all this is over. It's a conscious thing, though it can happen accidentally while asleep - sorry in advance if I send you any bad dreams. Goodbye brother, there's someone else I need to find. But I'll be there tomorrow, and the spell will be cast by the time Thor comes, I promise._

"Bloom, wait-"

Loki opens his eyes, and the cell seems colder than it was when he was asleep.

He wonders if it was all a dream, but he is still warm and the desire for power than has been eating at him since he left Asgard is gone.

* * *

Bloom goes to find Ember, who is sitting on her bed asleep next to her, curled up in a ball on her stomach.

Most can feel her only as a sensation of warmth, but Ember has spent enough time around her to recognize the feeling of her magic for what it is.

 _Ember, wake up girl._

Ember's eyes open, look around then fix on Bloom.

 **Bloom? Is that you there?**

 _Yes Ember, it's me. I managed to separate my consciousness from my body for a time. It took a while, but I'm here. My body still lives, but my mind is here, much like Daphne in Lake Roccaluce._

 **I'm so glad you're here! Are you going to wake up now?**

 _Not yet Ember. Wait until tomorrow, for Thor to take Jane out of Asgard, and to Svartlfheim. I told Jane not to tell Thor I removed the Aether, and I think she hasn't yet. Either way, he'll be leaving Asgard tomorrow, with her and my other brother Loki. You two need to go with, and I'm coming as well. Get some sleep, I'll still be here in the morning, I promise._

* * *

She goes to check on Jane, because she could tell the Aether was eating at her far too fast.

If she hadn't taken it out when she did, Jane would not be alive now.

If the Aether was still in her now, Jane would be a shell of herself now, and by morning she would be gone and only the Aether would be left.

As it is, Jane is fine, and doesn't notice the new heat in the room, or the warmth that floods her body.

She is out cold, so Bloom just uses a bit of her power to make sure nothing of the Aether remained in her.

Lucky Jane, Bloom knew what she was doing and got all of it out.

* * *

After taking a gun from a Dark Elf corpse and putting it in her pocket dimension to fiddle with later, she finds Thor on a terrace, looking at the stars.

 _Thor, I'm alright. I'm right here, and Jane will be fine._

She keeps talking to him, even though he can't hear her.

He reminds her of Sky, or Sky reminds her of Thor like he is now.

Not arrogant but kind and caring.

After a while, she goes back to her room, and waits, looking out at the stars herself, and wondering if Frigga is out there now. _O_

 _h mother, I miss you so much. I swear the Dark Elves won't win, even if I have to unleash the Dragon Flame to stop them._

She breaks down crying then, grieving for the woman who raised her like she was her own flesh and blood.

After about an hour she takes out her newest tool and starts making changes to it.

She removes the power source, and replaces it with a condensed spark of the Dragon Flame, making it so the weapon will never run out of energy, and it is now far more lethal.

It now shoots magic, Bloom's magic, and those shots will burn through anything - and she gives it a Laser-mode as well, so it can shoot a continuous, condensed beam of fire magic.

She changes the exterior as well, making it custom-made for Bloom alone. It's perfectly balanced, like her fighting staff, sword, and knife.

The fact that Bloom is a really good shot due to the fact that she can sense heat signatures is a bonus.

The gun is lighter, faster, hotter, and doesn't look anything like a Dark Elf gun now.

It is the same color as the metal on the outfit she was wearing earlier, with orange colored energy glowing like fire at the barrel.

She decides to keep it in her right jacket pocket, and she keeps her phone in the left.

There are pocket dimension entrances in the pockets as well, which comes in real handy in a sticky situation.

* * *

 **AN: For anyone wondering if Bloom was going to leave Loki power-hungry instead of trying to get the brother she had growing up back - no way! As for the Dark Elves, keep reading!**


	74. Plans

_**Plans**_

At breakfast the next day, Thor and Heimdall talk - the Bifrost has been closed and he can't see Malekith's ship.

Jane was put on something like room-arrest, she can't leave her room, and Thor is furious.

Bloom is still unconscious though, and nobody has any idea of when she'll wake up.

He wants to draw Malekith away from Asgard, and he has an idea of how to do it.

He, Heimdall, Fandral, Volstagg, and Sif have a meeting, and Ember and an invisible ghost-Bloom slip in unnoticed.

She was exactly right when she said the Tesseract would be guarded and the Bifrost would be closed.

Thor suggests going to Loki for help, which Bloom knew he would do.

Everyone else looks shocked at the suggestion, but they don't have any other ideas - he's the only one that knows alternate ways off Asgard.

Bloom does the spell she promised right now, when they are thinking about Loki, making the possibility of them ever trusting him again possible.

As for getting Jane out, Thor can't go near her room without the guards noticing - but Sif can.

She'll get Jane out, and meet Thor and Loki at a prearranged spot.

Volstagg points out that they can't take a step out of Asgard without getting shot though, which is where Bloom comes in.

Her eyes flash orange, and she whispers in Thor's ear.

" _The ship_."

Thor gets the idea to take the ship the Dark Elves used, which is still in the hallway, and Volstagg will meet them there and cover them while they get it started.

Heimdall will distract Odin and his guards, while they get away, and Fandral will meet them outside of Asgard.

Ember stays hidden in the shadows, and Bloom says _"Follow Thor to the dungeons, but don't be seen. We can surprise them later."_

She has a very big plan for how to stop the Dark Elves, and she has already evened the playing field for her brothers.

With the Aether gone, all that's left is to kill the Dark Elves.

* * *

Now Ember stays hidden in a shadowy corner while Bloom invisibly watches her brothers talk in the dungeon.

Bloom is standing right behind Thor, and can sense Loki's illusion.

"Thor, after all this time, now you come. Why? To mock, to gloat?"

Bloom knows he's just upset about Frigga, and whispers in Thor's ear. _"_

 _Not real."_

It's more of a subconscious suggestion than anything else right now, Thor's so focused on Loki he can't hear her voice.

"Enough Loki, no more illusions."

Loki looks at Thor for a moment, then ends the illusion he had kept going for hours.

He is really sitting against the wall, and the room is a mess.

The furniture is everywhere, and the walls are scratched.

Loki is a total mess, his hair is frizzy, and he looks paler than usual, with tear paths down his face.

Thor walks over to the field closest to Loki, who after a second asks "Did she suffer?"

Thor doesn't know whether Loki means Frigga or Bloom, so he says "I did not come here to talk about our shared grief brother, I offer you a far richer sacrament."

"Go on."

"Vengeance, and then freedom from this cell afterward."

Loki starts laughing, and says "You must be truly desperate, to have come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?"

 _Bloom was right, she usually is now that I think about it._

"Nothing. You should know that in the past, I fought you with a spark of hope that my brother still existed somewhere inside you. Bloom had, or still has, that hope; but it no longer exists in me to protect you. If you betray me, I will kill you."

Loki looks amused at this, and then looks at Thor and asks "When do we start?"

* * *

When Loki is out of the cell, and in his usual armor, he starts goofing around, and makes an illusion of himself as a guard.

Thor says its better company at least, and Loki could swear he heard a girl's laughter, like a ghost sound though.

He makes Thor look like Sif and him look like himself, and says "Brother, you look ravishing."

Thor looks at himself, and says "It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form."

Loki hears the laughter again, and he could swear it is Bloom's.

He grins, then gets an idea she would've died from laughter of.

"Well, how about one of your new friends, given that you seem to like them so much."

He changes Thor back, and makes himself look like Captain America.

"Oh this is much better! So tight! Wanna talk about truth? Justice? Patriotism? God bless-!"

The ghost laughter is definitely there, and it sounds close to tears, until Thor slams Loki into a column with a hand over his mouth.

Loki's illusion ends from shock, and after a minute, Thor takes his hand away.

"What?"

They look over, and see a pair of guards walking around the corner.

"Oh. You could at least furnish me with a weapon. My dagger, something!"

Loki is being serious, and after a second, Thor hands him his knife.

"Finally, some sense…" He then holds up his wrists, which are now cuffed together.

Thor grins, and asks "What? I thought you liked tricks."

Loki just glares, and hears the faint sound of laughter again, but it sounds suppressed.

* * *

They get out into a hallway, when suddenly, a group of guards comes through.

Thor drops his hammer, and Loki asks "And how is that a good idea?"

Thor just replies "No killing." He fights the guards, but one gets away.

Loki is about to hit him over the head with a sword, but Thor stops him.

"He'll sound the alarm."

"I said no killing."

Suddenly, the guard trips and hits his head, knocking himself out.

Ember reveals herself, surprising both guys.

The room heated up for a split second when the guard tripped, and now Ember appears.

Ember looks back at the two shocked Asgardians, and then jerks her head like 'C'mon! this way!'

Thor fills Loki in on Ember, and he is starting to think Bloom is not entirely absent.

When Sif and Jane get to the hallway that everyone agreed on, Jane asks "Is that…?"

"I'm Loki, maybe you've heard of me."

She slaps him as hard as she can and says "That's for New York."

Loki looks at Thor, finally getting why his brother fell in love with Jane.

"I like her."

He can hear Bloom's laughter once again, because he kind of earned that slap.

When they leave, after figuring out Ember is coming with, Sif blocks Loki's way, holding her sword to his neck.

"You betray them, I will kill you."

Loki grins at her and says "Nice to see you too Sif."

A bunch of guards come running, and Sif lifts her sword and lets him pass.

She then gets ready to fight.

As Thor and company leave, they swear they can hear the start of a song.

Jane asks "Is that…'I Know Places' by Taylor Swift?"

Both men look at her and shrug, but Ember looks at them and reveals her teeth - in what might be a grin.

* * *

 **AN: Seems they don't know half of what Bloom can do - wonder when they're going to find out her two secrets? Keep reading to find out! PS Next few days going to be crazy for me, might not be able to post chapters for a bit. Going to college in mere days, expect longer delays between chapters... Going to try to post, but not promising any timetable right now.**


	75. Escape From Asgard

_**Escape From Asgard**_

When they make it to the Dark Elf ship, Volstagg is waiting there.

He stares at Ember for a second, then at Thor who nods.

Jane smiles at him, and he nods back.

He stops Loki for a second, saying "If you even think about betraying them…"

Loki finishes his sentence with "Let me guess…you'll kill me? Evidently there will be a line."

 _And Bloom will likely be the first in it._

He grins at his former friend, who lets him by after a second.

When they get in the ship, Thor starts pushing buttons.

"I thought you said you knew how to work this thing."

"I said how hard could it be."

Ember jumps up onto the control panel, as Thor keeps pushing buttons.

"Whatever you're doing brother, I suggest you do it faster."

Guards are fighting Volstagg, swarming him.

Heimdall came through on his part of the plan, right before Jane's escape was discovered.

It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, especially when it's so obvious.

* * *

Thor is pushing buttons, when suddenly the ship apparently comes to life.

The lights turn orange, and buttons are pressing themselves.

Jane says "Thor? What did you do?"

"I don't know, I didn't do anything! Loki?"

"Don't look at me!"

The ship takes off, hitting columns, and Volstagg is smiling hugely.

A bunch of different screens pop up, some closing and some opening seemingly on their own.

Its Bloom, she's doing all this.

She is standing between Thor and Loki, and focusing on the task at hand.

She is very grateful Sky showed her how to work the Owl, because the controls are not too different.

He also taught her how to ride a hover-bike, and gave her the outfit he was saving.

She makes her way through Asgard, hitting stuff and drawing attention, all according to the plan.

Everyone notices the cabin getting much warmer than it should be, which is another clue for Loki.

He is about to say something, when a screen pops up with a small signal coming up beside them, and a bunch coming up behind them.

* * *

The ship beside them is Fandral, and Thor throws Loki out the open door.

He holds Jane to him, and jumps as well, and Ember glides down with him.

Bloom teleports to them, after rigging the ship to explode with a little magic.

It hits the water, and explodes in a massive fireball, well away from its former passengers.

It does throw the guards off their trail for a minute, and Loki gets up saying "You lied to me, I'm impressed."

Thor says "Glad you're happy, now do as you said and take us to your secret passage."

Loki takes the controlling stick, and steers them toward a mountain in the distance.

Suddenly Jane looks over at Ember and sees another familiar face: Bloom's.

She's curled up in a corner of the ship, still unconscious and almost unnoticeable unless you were either looking for her or got really lucky.

"Um, guys, what is Bloom doing here?"

Thor looks over and his jaw drops.

"Fandral…"

"I didn't bring her!"

The guards realized they weren't dead though, and come after them.

Fandral takes a rope he had tied to the side of the ship, and says "For Asgard."

He then swings to the other ship, and Bloom helps by adding some momentum to the swing.

He fights the guards while Thor, Loki, Jane, Ember, and Bloom get away.

Loki takes them even faster toward the mountain, and is heading straight for the side.

Thor asks "Loki?"

"If it were easy, everyone would do it."

"Are you mad?"

"Possibly." Ember curls up next to Bloom, and Thor holds Jane as the ship goes into a hidden tunnel - which starts to have the colors of the Bifrost inside.

In seconds, they are spit out into a barren wasteland, Svartlfheim.

The tunnel messed with Bloom just as much as the Bifrost did, especially since her spirit went through it outside of her body.

Jane and Thor look around, and Loki just looks pleased with himself and slightly smug. Loki says "Ta-da!"

* * *

Suddenly, Bloom sits up with a massive gasp - the magic of the tunnel working on her in a not-so-friendly way.

Thor immediately hugs her hard enough to crush the air out of her, and Loki looks concerned - she did just sleep for nearly a full day after all.

She explains how she took the Aether out of Jane and destroyed it – and how she asked Jane not to tell anyone if something happened.

Jane eventually goes to sleep, and Bloom eats enough food to rival Volstagg.

Ember watches everything that's happening, as Thor puts a blanket over Bloom and Loki says "She's holding up alright."

"Bloom's strong in ways you could never imagine."

They nearly break out in a fight, but suddenly Thor is thrown back to the other end of the small ship.

"Enough! Can't you two see this is pointless?"

Bloom's standing now, but when she takes a step she nearly stumbles.

Thor and Loki are both dropped, and Loki catches her before she can hit the floor.

"I'm alright…just dizzy."

Thor says "Your sitting down now, Bloom."

She doesn't argue, the entire ship is spinning like she's in one of Stormy's tornadoes.

Loki sits down next to her, and Bloom automatically leans into his side - she's too dizzy to stay upright in the first place.

"It was you, everything before, wasn't it? The ship flying itself, then exploding, the guard tripping, all of it."

"Yeah, you weren't going to convince me not to come you know."

"What's wrong?"

She tries to get up, but Loki's hand on her shoulder is enough to keep her sitting down.

"No, answer me Bloom. What's wrong with you? Your too dizzy to stand, you slept for nearly a day if my timing is right, what happened to you?"

"Used up too much of my magic, had to sleep it off. That's the price of magic - and it kind of sucks."

Thor asks "What happened to you before though? Before you came back, when we all thought you dead?"

He sounds hurt, its exactly what Loki did before.

Bloom goes pale - hard to tell since she's already pale, and says "I was in a place where you couldn't be scryd. I was there for a couple months, but then I left for two more - but I guess by then you stopped looking for me."

Now she's the one who sounds hurt, they left her for dead – even though there's no way they could have helped, it still hurts to know they thought she was dead.

Jane looks at her, and asks "Scrying? Isn't that a myth?"

"Yeah, so are fairies, Jane. There are a lot of 'myths' in my life."

Suddenly, Bloom freezes and looks into the skyline.

They all follow her gaze - and see a ship they all recognize: Malekith's.

"Get ready Brothers, it's about to begin."

* * *

 **AN: Seems they can't keep Bloom away from a fight now - she's gotten better than they knew. Ps. Won't be able to post a chapter for a while. Moving to college in 2 days, so I have to pack my computer. I'll also have to get to know the campus before classes start - worst way to start a semester is being late to every class because you don't know your way around. Have the next chapters written up, I'll just be busy for a while - don't lose hope!**


	76. Battle on Svartlfhiem

_**Battle On Svartlfheim**_

Loki lands the ship, and they all get off.

They all discussed what will happen: Ember will be flying too high to be seen, and will help with the fight, the others will act out their parts - and Thor finally takes the cuffs off Loki's wrists so he won't die in the battle.

When they get down there, any plans they had made went out of everyone but Bloom's mind when they see the rest of the Dark Elves.

Bloom steps forward, holding a fireball in each hand.

Everyone is looking at her in shock, but Malekith unfreezes first.

He motions to Kurse, who grabs her firmly.

He is grabbing her by the neck, which he did with every guard on the way to Frigga's room.

He burned them out using the power of the Aether though, and is more than ready to use it on Bloom.

Malekith stands beside her and says "You're going to answer me now, or I will have Kurse destroy you. He killed the last woman who wouldn't answer me without a second thought, and you are not her. Now what did you do with the Aether?"

Bloom's voice turns harsh, asking "Mother, this thing killed my mother? _On your orders?"_

Malekith looks at Kurse for a second, then the monster holding Bloom starts to glow dark red.

But something about her is very different from the guards; Bloom starts to glow orange, and then she explodes, sending her and Kurse flying in different directions.

She gets up and draws a sword from a hidden sheath.

Her voice is harder, and angrier, than any of them have ever heard her before, as she screams _"You want to know what I did with your precious Aether? I obliterated it!"_

Malekith looks at her in shock, and says "The Aether cannot be destroyed."

Bloom's voice goes quiet, lethally quiet. "Not by anyone in Asgard, but I wasn't born in Asgard - or the Nine Realms."

Her body is glowing orange now, and Malektih says "Kill them."

The Dark Elves raise their guns, but before any of them can shoot, Bloom snaps her fingers.

Every gun in the Dark Elf army explodes, sending shrapnel flying everywhere; and Bloom makes a shield to protect her and her friends.

* * *

Half the Dark Elves are dead already, and the fight hasn't even started. The remaining Elves draw their swords, and Bloom lights hers on fire.

They notice a blue belt, and now a scabbard that definitely wasn't there before.

The fight ensues, and Bloom ends up fighting Malekith.

It's not even a real fight, with Bloom teleporting faster than they can blink around Malekith, it's more like she's dancing around him than really fighting.

Except she's hurting him every time she appears, blasting him or slashing at him – he doesn't really stand a chance.

She makes him spontaneously combust, then goes to fight Kurse.

She makes her way through the fight like a blur of fire.

All anyone can see of her is her fiery hair, and her sword flashing silver-orange and sending wave after wave of her magic where she swings it.

Ember flies through the air, sending massive fireballs down on the battlefield, which Bloom controls to burn only the Dark Elves.

Thor is getting beat to a pulp by Kurse, when Loki stabs him with his knife in the back.

Kurse just pulls it out, and then goes for him.

But before he can do anything, before he can even lower the knife, another knife pierces his arm, going right through bone and muscle, and the tip juts out on fire.

As the monster of a Dark Elf screams in pain, they all look to see Bloom; with one arm extended in a throwing stance.

When Kurse turns around, she holds up her sword, and propels it straight through his chest with magic – and that blade is also on fire.

"No power your enemies possess can harm you huh? Well let's see how well that goes against magic!"

Her whole body is on fire; this thing took her mother away, now it will pay.

She blasts Kurse, and then lifts her arms out to the sides.

A giant dragon made of fire appears behind her, as Kurse gets to his feet and comes for her.

Her irises are orange, and she has no mercy for him; she throws her arms forward, and the dragon behind her breathes fire.

After a full minute, her arms drop and the dragon disappears, and all that remains of the monster that killed their mother is a small pile of ash, and two burning blades; a silver-orange knife and sword, burning brighter than ever.

Bloom picks them up and puts them back into their sheathes, which disappear the moment the weapons are stowed.

She looks at the others, suddenly exhausted.

She starts to sway, and asks "Just like old times, huh?"

She then collapses to the ground, just before her brothers get to her, and Ember lands.

Everyone stares at her in shock, and just gapes as the small dragon nuzzles her face while whining in a way Jane would call imploringly.

Ember keeps nudging Bloom's face, and then stops for a moment.

 **WAKE UP, BLOOM**.

Suddenly, Bloom jerks up, saying "I'm up. I'm up."

Loki unfreezes first, helping her up and supporting her when she nearly falls over again.

She is burning up, but given the fact that she was just on fire, that's not very surprising – neither is the fact that she's quickly cooling off.

Jane asks "What the heck happened? And where did you get the sword and knife, and where did they go?"

Bloom answers the questions, but in the way someone who is about to fall asleep would.

"Made em, stored em, used up my magic again. Let's go, Ember says she smells something that isn't from here."

Bloom looks at her dragon for a second, which nods and takes off.

They follow, with Loki supporting Bloom.

She seems out of it, and is stumbling and can hardly stand.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, college move-in was a success, though it was insane! Classes start Monday, but I'm starting to figure out the campus a bit. Thank you all for 8000 views! PS. Thinking about posting a new story along with this one, please tell me what you think!**


	77. Back to Earth

_**Back To Earth**_

They follow the bright orange dragon to a cave, and she lands in front.

They hear her make a shrill call, and Bloom mumbles "Feet. She says the cave smells of many feet."

She walks into the cave, with Ember following, and then nearly trips over a shoe.

The cave must have half a dozen different shoes, and then Jane's phone starts ringing.

"What the…? How am I getting service here?"

The caller ID says its Darcy, and Bloom trips over something, only to pick it up and have a rattling set of keys that Jane recognizes.

It's the set of keys Ian threw into the portal in the warehouse when this whole escapade started!

Bloom deadpans "Hey Jane, I think you can use these."

She then falls to the floor of the cave and is already asleep before she hits the ground; and this time they aren't going to get her awake for a while.

Jane scoops up the keys Bloom dropped, then watches as Ember sniffs the air.

She goes over to a spot, and then points with her tail at the air in front of her.

Loki carries Bloom through the opening, and Ember follows and sits on Bloom's stomach once again.

* * *

The portal opens right into the parking lot where Thor found Jane, after she found the Aether.

Ironically, it opens exactly where she first exploded with the Aether's power, when the policeman had grabbed her arm.

All the car windows are blown out, and they see the van Darcy drove Jane and Ian to the warehouse in.

Jane gets into the front seat, with Thor in the passenger seat.

Bloom goes behind Thor, and Loki is sitting behind Jane, who can't get the stereo to turn off, or even off of the station Darcy set it on thanks to the Aether's power.

The drive is going to take forever, but after about two hours, Bloom starts talking in her sleep, with Ember curled up in her lap.

"Dragon Flame. Must protect the Dragon Flame…no matter what."

While they are all wondering what the Dragon Flame is, Bloom starts talking faster.

"No, let me out. You can't keep me…forever. When I get out…never get me back in here."

She starts thrashing, trapped in a nightmare, until she suddenly wakes up screaming "No let me go!"

She then starts struggling with the seatbelt, until Loki grabs her hand.

The hand holding hers is immediately crushed in her grip, which has gotten far stronger than they ever remember it being.

"Bloom, stop, it's me!"

She freezes, and then after a second her grip loosens, though she hasn't let go of his wrist; which feels like she was going to turn the bones to dust.

After a second, he carefully pries her fingers apart, while she just breathes like she ran a marathon.

Ember makes a small thrumming sound, and the song 'Never Surrender' comes on.

She whispers "Oh Magix, I'm coming apart."

She doesn't even know she said it, until she starts crying silently into her hands.

Ember sits up, and starts licking Bloom's cheeks with her sandpaper-rough tongue, and Bloom just hugs her after a moment.

At the end of the song, which fits perfectly for the mood Bloom's in, she finally stops crying.

She doesn't look strong like she did on Svartlfheim, she looks broken somehow.

Loki shifts, and Bloom looks at him, with eyes that have a shattered look in them.

"Bloom, what happened? You're not alright."

"It's nothing Loki, I'm fine."

She leans her head against the seat, because the window is broken.

"What was that then? And what's the Dragon Flame?"

She freezes at the name, like they shouldn't have known about it.

She asks "Where did you hear that name?"

She isn't even trying to hide her nervousness, and wouldn't have been able to anyway - even as different as she is, her brothers can still read her like a book.

Jane says "You. You were talking in your sleep, and said something about protecting it, no matter what."

Thor adjusts the mirror so he can look at her reflection, and sees she has gone sheet white.

She just says "Ask about something else, anything else. It's a secret, and it's not mine to share."

She takes off a pair of sunglasses that weren't there before, revealing her slitted pupils.

This is in hopes that they won't ask about her nightmare, and it works for a while.

She explains how she is now part-dragon, and how she hatched and is raising Ember; and that the little dragon is an herbivore.

She tells them about her time on Pyros, how she has a mix of Wu Gong and Asgardian training imprinted on her muscles - making her deadlier than anyone else in either universe.

When she is done though, Jane - ever the curious scientist - asks "Ok, but why did you go to a place that was almost certain death?"

Bloom goes even paler, putting the sunglasses back on, and when they think she just won't answer, she quietly says "Because I was kidnapped."

They barely heard her, and almost missed what she said.

When they realize she answered, and process what she said, they all look at her in horror.

She is looking down at Ember, but not doing anything.

Thor asks "When?"

He can already guess though: when they couldn't see her in the scrying bowl she made for them.

Thor and Loki share one look, then begin to pry the story out of her bit by bit.

* * *

She doesn't want to talk about it, but they won't let the subject drop.

She gives them the barest facts, the shortest version of the truth they will accept.

Eventually though, she reaches a point where, when they ask, she just doesn't answer.

They got a name, Valtor, and the fact that he is already dead - and the fact that they could never have fought him in the first place.

She told them how she was paranoid now, how she has a fighting style that somewhat mixed with her Asgardian training imprinted on her muscles, but now she won't tell them anymore.

They figure out she isn't going to break when she refuses to answer ten questions in a row.

Everyone else looks at one another for a second, Jane included because they are at a stoplight, and when they look back at Bloom, she is out cold.

The sunglasses vanished when she slid them on her face, and they can't help thinking how different she looks with eyes like Ember's.

Her features look sharper, less human and more alien.

With human eyes, she looks softer somehow, but with her eyes unmasked, you can see she isn't fully human, or fairy – whatever it is, nobody knows or cares.

Both Thor and Loki can't stop thinking how much their little sister has changed.

In some ways she's harder than they ever remember her being - even Thor.

In other ways, she's far more breakable, fragile, but they can already tell she doesn't want to be thought of like that.

They are also finding the ways she hasn't changed at all, using them to figure out the ways she has.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, classes starting Monday, sort f figured out where everything is - yay! As for the story, nobody's answering me. :( Do you guys want another story by me? Do you not? Please answer - any way you want! For this story, oops they found out what she didn't want them to know - sort of. Will Bloom tell them everything? Keep reading!**


	78. Jane's Place

_**Jane's Place**_

When they finally get to Jane's house, Bloom has slept for hours.

She didn't have another nightmare, but she was talking in her sleep like she was talking to someone, and they heard the name 'Daphne' several times.

It doesn't mean anything to Jane, but it shocks the heck out of Thor and Loki.

It was the only thing Bloom said the night she was sent to Asgard, and apparently this Daphne is very much a part of her life.

"With our brothers Daph, saved the universe, maybe every universe. Going to break the curses, on you and Domino."

They hear this just as Jane pulls into the driveway, and parks the car.

She finally figured out how to turn the stereo off, after Bloom fell back asleep.

 _My life is completely crazy. I just drove two Norse gods and a fairy who is their sister to my house after taking part in a battle on another world. I'm in love with one of the gods, and their sister isn't mentioned in any of the myths because she is from another universe, and is only seventeen. She is also part dragon, is raising one, and that dragon is a vegetarian dragon who is friends with her rabbit. I might be having a breakdown right now - but if I'm not, then Erik sure will be._

This thought crosses her head, as she opens the door.

Loki gets out and wakes Bloom up, not an easy feat.

They all suspect Ember's help in waking the sleeping fairy, because not even a train that was going by extremely loudly made her so much as twitch.

"Bloom, wake up, we're here."

"Mm? Okay."

After a second with the seatbelt, she gets out of the car, and Loki catches her as she stumbles.

She still has the blue belt on, and it actually goes with the Asgardian outfit well.

When they get in the house, Jane goes first, and Thor second.

Erik greets them warmly, and then Jane asks why Erik isn't wearing any pants.

Ian replies "He says it helps him think."

"Well we're going to need everything you've got."

Thor comes up and asks "Are you well Erik?"

"Never better. Your brother's not coming, is he?"

He suddenly looks worried, and then Loki and Bloom come through the door.

Erik freaks and grabs a device he built himself, which has a very long, and sharp end.

* * *

 ***Flashback***

 _He thought he was going crazy after Loki used the spear on him and invaded his mind._

 _When he started seeing the effects of the Convergence, he thought it was getting worse - and ended up in London prison, specifically in the psychiatric ward._

 _They gave him about two dozen different medicines to take, but he threw them all away when hundreds of Starlings vanished from the air outside the prison Darcy and Ian got him out of - and then reappeared directly underneath their feet._

 _Everyone was freaked out, and then Selvig started smiling._

 _When Darcy asked why, he said "There's nothing more reassuring than realizing the world is crazier than you are."_

 _Bloom could agree, except she has been through living hell and it's not just life's craziness she can match but life's cruelty as well._

 ***End Flashback***

* * *

Bloom is really out of it, and can hardly walk straight, so when Selvig holds the weird device he made himself - the thing is taped together - like a weapon in an effort to keep Loki away from him, she instantly reacts.

She doesn't use magic, but she doesn't need to; in a blur of speed she is in front of Selvig, holding the device to his neck.

Then she seems to recognize him, and lowers it.

"Erik?"

She looks at the thing she is holding, then down when Ember tells her he isn't wearing pants.

"Why the heck aren't you wearing any pants?"

Jane says "It helps him think, and we need everything right now."

"Why? Malekith is dead and the Convergence will happen no matter what."

Darcy interrupts, asking "Um, is that a real dragon Bloom? Because if so that is awesome."

"What? Oh, right. Ember, Darcy, wrong Darcy Ember. Darcy, Ember."

The small dragon flies over, and sniffs Darcy, and seems to approve.

"Um, can you hear her in your head or something? Because you talked to her like she was saying something."

"I can actually, that and the fact that we know another Darcy, who is not nearly as great as you. Ember thought you might be her in disguise."

Ian asks "Why would your small dragon think that?"

She looks at him for a second, unobtrusively reading his aura, and says "Because Darcy is the witch of Illusions."

Everyone that wasn't caught up on Bloom's recent adventures stares at her in shock, but Ian most of all.

"A witch? You're kidding right?"

"I wish."

"And what are you then? A fairy?"

"Yes actually. And this fairy is going to take a long, hot bath. I'll be back in an hour, maybe more."

She goes up the stairs, with Ember flying after her and Kiko riding.

* * *

A few minutes later, the water goes burning hot, probably because Bloom turned it all the way up.

She puts a little of her magic into the water when it pours out of the faucet, and uses it to heal herself.

She then reabsorbs the magic, along with all the heat from the water, and feels halfway back to normal already.

True to her word, she stayed in the tub for an hour, healing, absorbing, and just enjoying the feeling of relaxing in the water.

By the time she gets out, the bruises have faded, and her neck doesn't hurt anymore.

She picks up he Asgardian outfit she has been wearing for the past two days, looks at it, and decides she likes it a lot.

She then makes her pajamas appear on her, she makes her phone appear as well, and goes down to do one last assignment for Alfea.

She goes up to Darcy and asks "Hey Darcy, can you help me with something?"

"I'm pretty sure only if it involves me recording you doing something."

Bloom grins and says " I'm in luck, I need you to record me doing something."

"Then sure."

Bloom grabs a large bowl, and fills it with ice before heading out with Darcy into the living room, and sending everyone else in there out.

She has to control the element opposite her own, sounds easy right?

Wrong, it's supposed to be the most difficult thing to do.

And she has to do it in a house in London, after a fight, when she is still somewhat sore and drained from the fight.

Darcy records Bloom using her phone, and hiding behind the couch at Bloom's insistence.

The spell works without a hitch though, and in a few minutes Bloom is done with anything related to schoolwork.

Bloom sends the video to Mrs. Faragonda as Ian asks "Is it safe to come inside yet?"

"Yes, I'm done with the spell."

"So let me get this straight. You're from another universe, you were sent to Asgard because it wasn't safe for you in your world, you spent fourteen years there, then discovered your powers and went back to the place that wasn't safe, and you were at New York during the invasion? Am I missing anything here?"

Bloom says "Yeah, my powers were stolen once, and I've also been kidnapped and turned evil. Believe me, my life is crazy, even by Magix standards."

Jane asks "When were you turned evil?"

"A few weeks after New York, around a month I think."

She shrugs and sits down on the couch and starts drawing in her sketchbook.

She draws herself with five other girls, she draws a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Darcy sees this one and comments. "Ooh, cute. Who's he?"

"Sky."

She sees Bloom look down, and the longing in her look.

"Wanna see something neat?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"This stuff is enchanted. Watch this."

She makes a bowl of Thornbush berries appear, and pops about six into her mouth.

When she lets the taste fill her senses and bring up memories, the pencils start moving on their own.

Before Darcy's eyes, they draw Pyros, specifically the view in front of the cave Bloom made her home.

"Wow, that is awesome!"

Bloom goes to sleep soon after that, and soon everyone else does to.


	79. Decisions

_**Decisions**_

Ember sleeps on the couch with Bloom.

Ember is lying beside Bloom, whose arm is draped protectively over the baby dragon's folded up wings.

That night, Bloom has one of her dreams again, the ones that are about events happening as she is dreaming.

This time, it's the Trix, in Lightrock Monastery.

* * *

Stormy says "Ugh, I don't know how much longer I can take this place sisters. Even the Omega Dimension was better than this."

Darcy says "I know, but at least we won't be here for long. And we know where Bloom is. They might've bound our powers inside us, but we can still sense things if they are strong enough. And whatever Bloom was doing earlier, it drained her dry. She's on Earth, and probably going to be even easier than the last time we took her somewhere."

Stormy says "Unlike the last time we fought her. I still can't believe she wiped our memories!"

Icy says "Patience sisters. Our friend on the outside will get us out tomorrow, and then we will find her and take the Dragon Flame once and for all!"

The last thing Bloom hears, before managing to wrench herself out of the warning sleep, is the Trix's laughter, cold, wild and slippery all at once.

* * *

She returns to her body in a crash of heat and sensations, kicking up a blanket someone had placed over her.

 _"They're going to escape!"_

The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them.

She only meant to tell them to Ember, in the link they share.

But somehow the words made their way to her mouth instead, like back in the car.

Loki is on the chair at the other side of the room, and he starts to stir.

She lets the barest trace of magic into her voice, saying "It's nothing Loki, just a dream. Go back to sleep."

He doesn't move again, but Ember is wide awake.

 **What's wrong Bloom?**

The question comes to her in a feeling of concern, and a jumble of images Bloom can't sort through at the moment.

Whenever Bloom has a nightmare, Ember curls up against her and sends her every memory of Pyros they shared.

When she needs comfort, Ember sends protectiveness and the feeling of safety Ember feels whenever Bloom holds her, or a feeling of peace, or wild joy from being on Pyros.

For about an hour, Bloom debates about what to do, she doesn't want to put anyone in danger - but at the same time, she wants to be with her brothers.

She doesn't want to leave like this, but every time she thinks about staying, she remembers what Icy and Darcy - witch Darcy – said: they are coming for her tomorrow.

When she thinks about her brothers' chances against the Trix, she gets a feeling of horror, like someone just suggested a month of therapy for her; which is likely with Jane and her brothers knowing what happened to her half a year ago.

The only thing that could be worse than putting her brothers in the Trix's sight, is putting them in Valtor's - and he's dead.

She doesn't want the Trix to ever be able to recognize the people who raised her, which would put them in constant danger - not to mention all of Asgard.

The very thought makes her scared, but not for herself; for all the innocent people on Asgard, who had nothing to do with her, and even more for the people who had everything to do with her.

That fear makes her come to a decision, though her heart is screaming at her to pick the other one.

She wants to stay, but if she does her brothers will be hurt because of her selfishness.

The only way to protect them that she can see is to leave, but first she can do everything she can to point them in the right direction to the Convergence.

* * *

She finds a map that everyone was using to pinpoint the exact location of the Convergence.

All the great landmarks, the ones that have no definite origin, are marked.

She gets a moment of brilliance, and runs her index finger in a line between two.

She crosses all the lines in a star, and the middle point is a college in Greenwich.

She leaves two notes, and a large bowl she turns into a scrying bowl for Jane, with the symbol burned into the bottom.

The first note explains how to Scry, and that it is not a good idea for her to try to look into the past using it.

The second note has the words 'I'mma disappear when they come for me' burned into the paper, and the words 'burn me' on the back.

She leaves a magical message explaining everything on it, including the Dragon Flame.

* * *

She almost broke and spilled everything when Loki asked her before she went to sleep, but Darcy had been playing music for hours, and the song 'Monster' by Imagine Dragons had been on.

The line 'If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me, and if I seem dangerous, would you be scared?' played at the exact moment Bloom had opened her mouth to answer, and she immediately shut it.

After a moment, she said "It's nothing Loki."

Then she turned invisible, a good sign she wasn't going to answer any more questions.

Another song that Darcy played, was 'Dark Horse' by Katy Perry.

She asked if magic was like in the song, and Bloom could hardly keep herself from laughing during the song.

When the song ended, she laughed for a minute straight, and then explained how it was very different in some ways, and similar in others.

She burst out laughing again though, when she said she wasn't much of an Aphrodite type.

The next song that had played was 'Just like Fire' by a group called Pink, and the comparison to Bloom was eerie.

* * *

She then raids the fridge, taking the pack of strawberries, the bag of carrots, and changing her outfit to jeans, a t-shirt, and her deep blue hooded jacket that zips in the front.

She is always wearing her belt, and now she has her new gun as well.

She then texts Sky, telling him to be on the lookout for Diaspro.

She has a very bad feeling she is the Trix's 'friend on the outside', and it would be just like her to pull something like this.

Diaspro's possible involvement clinches Bloom's choice, if the Trix themselves didn't.

She refuses to let her family come to harm because she was with them, so she makes a bike helmet, and then her wind-rider appear.

It is pink and blue, and there is a basket for Ember to sit in while she rides - she's going to outgrow that soon enough.

She has a feeling that her brothers will tell her to stay, and she can't make herself leave the planet without them telling her it's okay - either by actually saying the words, or by understanding her reasoning and not telling her to come back.

She hates to leave like this, but then her phone chimes with Sky's ringtone, and she picks up.

"Sky, you're awake?"

"Yeah I got your text. Why would Diaspro be back now? And why wait all this time to free the Trix?"

"I don't know Sky, but I know they are going to do it tomorrow. How fast can you come to Earth?"

"By tomorrow, why?"

"I'm with my brothers, but I can't put them in danger. But I also can't just leave. If they ask me to come back, I don't think I can leave Sky. It's been over a year, and-"

"Bloom, it's okay, I get it. I'll come to Earth as soon as I can."

Bloom feels a rush of gratitude towards Sky.

"Thank you, Sky. Those two are thick-headed and stubborn, but I couldn't do anything if they got hurt because of me. I'm leaving them now, but I left a scrying bowl so they could keep in touch. I know they'll use it, and I'm pretty sure I know what they'll say. But on the off chance they don't, I'll tell you what they said."

"Got it, but there's something else bothering you Bloom, I can hear it."

"The Dragon Flame, they heard me talk about it in my sleep. Now they know about it, but I haven't told them what it is. The note I left explains everything, but if they are afraid of me afterward…"

"Bloom, they're your _brothers._ From what you've told me, they care about you more than anything. They'll take you no matter who you are or what power you hold."

 _Why can't I be any less dangerous to be around? Because I really want to be with you._

Bloom wipes away a stray tear, saying "Thanks Sky, you are amazing you know that? See you soon."

She hangs up and gets on her bike, spelling it to look like a motorcycle.

 _Sorry guys, but I have to do this._

She revs the bike and speeds away before she can change her mind.

* * *

 **AN: You think Thor and Loki are going to let her leave like this? Keep reading to find out! PS. classes start tomorrow, updates may be longer coming - but they will come! Promise!**


	80. Gone Again

_**Gone Again**_

Ian gets up first, and finds the notes and the bowl.

The first simply says 'I'mma disappear when they come for me.'

The handwriting is unfamiliar, and the words actually look like they are burnt onto the page.

He wakes up Selvig, then Darcy, then Jane and Thor, who wakes up Loki.

He gets Thor and Jane up by saying "Hey, wake up. Your sister's gone."

Thor is instantly awake at this, and immediately goes to look for her.

When he sees the couch with a neatly folded blanket laying on it, he immediately wakes up Loki.

"Loki, wake up. Bloom's missing."

He immediately jerks up at that, asking "What? What do you mean she's missing?"

When he gets a good look at the couch, he scrambles off the chair.

Ian says "She left a note, but she didn't say where she was going."

Jane takes the note from him, reading the words out loud. "I'mma disappear, when they come for me. She thinks someone's coming for her?"

Ian asks "Hey guys, has this bowl always had a glowing orange symbol on it? Because I'm pretty sure that's not normal."

Sure enough, on the bottom of the large bowl is a massive symbol the color of fire glowing on the bottom.

Thor says "It's a scrying bowl. She made one like it for us back home, this one must be for Jane."

The scientist reads the second note Bloom left, which explains how to use the bowl, and warns her not to look into the past using it because it's too dangerous; there is no telling if what you're looking for can be seen, and if it can't, it will drain any source of energy the magic draws off of in an attempt to show you.

Ian looks at the first note, and flips it over, discovering the words 'burn me' on the back.

"Hey, there's more on this one. 'Burn me'. What do you think she meant by that?"

Jane says "She probably meant it literally, she can control fire after all."

She takes a lighter and burns the note, almost as soon as the fire touches the paper, it is consumed.

Jane barely has time to drop the paper, but an illusion of Bloom's face appears from the orange dust that remained of the paper.

"Hello everyone. This isn't really me, it's a message I left, explaining everything. I left because some enemies of mine are coming for me today. I know this because I dreamed them talking about it last night. It's similar to what I did yesterday, except I can't control when it happens. As for why they are coming for me, it's for the Dragon Flame. It's not nothing, and I should have told you before. The power of the Dragon Flame was used to create the Magical Dimension, where I was born. It may be that this sparked a chain reaction and created everything else, but nobody knows that, so I'm just blindly guessing there. The Dragon Flame is inside me, it's the source of my magic. It also makes me the most powerful fairy in the Magical Dimension - it makes me the most powerful person in a universe. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to be afraid of me, but this isn't something I want you to hear from someone else either. I've had the Dragon Flame inside me since I was a baby, at least since I came to Asgard the first time when Domino was attacked for it. I had it inside me all the time I was growing up, and never suspected anything. Its why I keep getting kidnapped, and why my powers showed so early, because for someone's magic to surface that early means it is extraordinarily powerful. I left because I don't want to put any of you in danger by being with me when I get attacked today, but I know you hate this reason already. I also know you know about the scrying bowl I left for Jane. Use it to keep in touch with Thor, or contact me after this message is over, but don't use it to look into the past. That is much harder, and it will drain you if what you are looking for was shielded. I wish I could have stayed, I wish I didn't have to go from one battle to the next, but this is my life - and I'm not putting you in danger because of selfishness on my part."

The message ends, and the image winks out of existence.

* * *

Loki and Thor just stare at the spot where their sister's head was talking the minute before, and then Ian says "Well that was bizarre. I don't suppose you know how to work this bowl she changed, do you?"

Jane reads the instructions Bloom left while Thor fills the bowl with water.

He puts it on the table, and Darcy says "She said not to use this thing to look into the past right?"

Jane says "Yes, why?" "Well that implies that it could be done. What if we tried to see what changed her so much?"

Ian asks "You mean she wasn't always like that? High-strung and then gone in the morning?"

Loki says "No, something happened, and she won't tell us."

Jane says "But she was real clear on this, unless we can manipulate energy, then we really shouldn't try this."

Loki says "I think I can try."

Thor says "What? You can do illusions; not what Bloom can do."

"She taught me telekinesis, and besides manipulating a person's perceptions is not exactly something anyone can just do."

He doesn't back down on this, and they let him try.

He waves his hand over the bowl and says "Show me what happened to Bloom."

Suddenly, the water in the bowl is not clear anymore, there is an image of her tied to a stone column, and there are three girls in jumpsuits and one man in a purple overcoat.

This must be Valtor and the Trix, who look nothing like witches described in stories.

They watch her go through the week in a blur, and see what she does when Diaspro talks to her.

Loki grins at her sarcastic remarks, and especially when she starts singing, until Diaspro says she put someone named Sky under a spell.

They watch Bloom's temper explode, and everyone thinks _'Never get on her bad side.'_

As they watch, she is on fire, she knocks the Trix around like they are nothing, and knocks Diaspro out.

She nearly goes into the wall of smoke to finish the spoiled girl, but then falls to her knees in agony.

They watch her get knocked out, and then tied up again.

They keep watching as she starts getting to her captors, and then watch with no small amount of pride as she nearly escapes again, and then fights to be free every step of the way.

They see her try to warn the school that is being invaded, and try to escape the three witches holding her.

Thor realizes how much Bloom really learned in self-defense when she overwhelms the three witches easily.

When she is knocked out, they watch her being carried through the dungeons, until she is put in a cell.

When the door closes, the image goes blank.

Thor says "What? Loki bring it back."

Loki is sitting in a chair, looking like he could fall over.

His face is covered in sweat, and he has an inkling of how Bloom feels when she uses too much magic at once, his whole body feels heavy - hard to do anything with, even focus.

"I can't, and I didn't stop it either. It just cut off suddenly. Something tells me that's why everyone thought she was dead."

Loki has a point, and he looks exhausted.

Thor waves his hand over the bowl and says "Show me Bloom."

When they look in the bowl, they see a girl in jeans, a t-shirt, and a deep blue hooded zip-up jacket with front pockets.

She has hair like fire, and cyan eyes, and she is standing next to a motorcycle with a haze around it. When they focus on the bike, they see beneath the orange haze to a blue and pink bike with no wheels, and a basket with an orange dragon inside it.

* * *

 **AN: ok, Mondays and Wednesdays are packed with classes, Tuesdays and Thursdays are near-clear. Weekends are clear - except for possible homework. Updates will come in between homework - two classes have a lot of it, so be patient - but I'll really try to fit it all in. That said, enjoy the story. It'll keep growing on this site, no worries.**


	81. Scrying and Meetings

_**Scrying and Meetings**_

Thor immediately says "Bloom! Where are you?"

Her eyes flash, and she takes her phone out and holds it to her ear.

"Hey, sorry I left, but the note explained everything. In case you're wondering, I'm not alone."

One of her eyebrows raise, and he gets the hint: the phone is a cover, to make her blend in when talking to voices nobody else can hear.

"Bloom, why did you leave? We can help you-"

"Help me? Assuming you mean help me fight, you can't. Believe me, I wish you could help me stop them. If you're talking about my dreams, nobody can help with those, and I've tried every suggestion offered."

"Bloom we saw what happened, we know what-"

 _"You what? I told you not to do that for a reason!"_

"Yes, but none of us have ever been good at following orders."

"Who?"

"Who what?"

She looks around and asks "Who used the bowl? Who looked back?"

"Loki. Why?"

"Get him to eat something, anything. Preferably something with sugar in it, like ice cream. It drained his energy. Looking at what's happening now is easy enough, unless the person you are looking for is shielded or dead. Looking back at the past is as well, unless the events your looking for happened under a shield. I know what you were looking for, and if you had a giant source of heat, maybe you could see it without draining yourselves immensely."

"Bloom, come back. You just got back, and now your leaving again?"

Her eyes are suddenly bright, and they flash orange with annoyance and pain.

"You think I want it to be this way? You think I want to have to rush off again, after the last two days happened like they did? I'd love to be at that building right now eating breakfast, or sketching, or even having this conversation, but I can't, that's not the life I get. I can try to keep you guys safe though, and that's what I'm doing."

Loki says "The Convergence. Come to the Convergence. Afterwards, you can go wherever, stop whoever is coming after you, but spend the Convergence with us."

Bloom looks torn, because she is.

She wants to keep her brothers safe, but she wants to be with them as well - and while most people would say being the most powerful magic-user in the Magical Dimension would let her keep the people who are important to her safe, she's been sadly disillusioned about the reality of power.

Its lonely, and the more power you have, the less control over what happens because of it you have.

She hasn't been able to keep herself or her loved ones safe since the day she was born, Domino's current state is proof enough of that in her mind.

But before she can stop herself, she says "Fine, I'll be there."

Thor relaxes, and it's too late to take it back.

"Meet me in Greenwich, I marked the map for you guys. Go to the dot in the middle of the lines. And we'll have company, a friend of mine is coming."

Before they can ask anything further, Bloom puts her hood up - and the water goes blank.

* * *

Bloom calls Sky, and he picks up on the first ring.

 _Bloom, what did they say?_

"What I knew they would say. How fast can you come to Earth?"

 _Fast enough. I can be there in a few hours if I gun it._

"Gun it, as hard and as long as you can. I'll be in a college in Greenwich. My brothers will be there to, along with some scientists, including Jane Foster."

 _The scientist Timmy has been talking about recently? He says she came up with some wild theory about-_

"The theory's true, and yes, that's the scientist."

 _Bloom, you were right about Diaspro. Maybe an hour after you called last night, the guard cornered her in the library. She took some pages from an ancient spellbook, then vanished._

"Which book? Maybe we can narrow down what they are planning."

 _The cover says Restoration Spells._

"Crud, that's a pretty big field on its own. There are dozens of different Restoration spells. There are spells to restore the mind, spells to restore the body, spells to restore the…"

Bloom trails off, realizing exactly what Diaspro's game is.

 _Bloom? What's wrong?_

"Sky, get here as fast as you can, I know what they are planning."

Bloom hangs up, and hops onto her wind-rider, and rides it as fast as she can toward Greenwich.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Lightrock Monastery, Diaspro is getting the Trix out.

She spelled the guards from behind, knocking them out for a while.

They won't remember a thing, and by the time they wake up, it will be too late.

They get out of the prison, and well away from Lightrock altogether.

She casts the spell she took from the spellbook on Eraklyon, breaking the spells binding the Trix's magic inside them and restoring their magic.

It partially drains her, but it will be worth it for her if it means Bloom gets taken down.

Diaspro is down to maybe half-strength, but the Trix are back and ready for revenge.

* * *

Loki and Thor sit in the back of the truck they take to Greenwich.

Selvig is driving, with Darcy in the passenger seat.

Jane and Ian ae sharing the back row, and without Bloom the two Asgardians feel somewhat lost now - particularly Loki.

Loki does a small illusion to make them invisible, and the two just sit back there and listen to songs, and compare them to Bloom.

After a while, Thor asks "Why are you different Loki? You changed again."

Loki looks at Thor for a minute, then asks "Will you believe me if I tell you something completely crazy?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"Bloom changed me. She told me to say mother's death gave me a change of heart, but given her message, I think you might believe me. Bloom changed me back to who I was before your coronation, shortly after the ceremony for mother."

Thor takes all this in, and finds he can believe it.

Bloom can separate her mind from her body when she needs to, she is basically a goddess in her own right, changing someone close to her back to who she knew them as doesn't seem too far of a stretch.

During the car ride before, Jane told them how Bloom took the Aether out of her, then destroyed it – so she's more than powerful enough, and she'd have the motivation.

When they get to the school, there is nobody there.

At least not outside the school, which feels like it is freezing.

Everyone but Loki is immediately cold, but they make their way to the courtyard to set up the sensors Selvig made, and to find Bloom.

She said she'd meet them here, but the only two people they see are a nondescript hooded figure with their back to them, and a boy with chin length blonde hair.

They are sitting together on the ground, but there is nothing out of the ordinary about them; except for the fact that they are the only two outside.

As they get closer, they hear a song called 'Try Everything' by Shakira, giving Loki the strange certainty that the hooded figure is Bloom.

Maybe he's reading too much into the song, just like with 'Stronger', 'Roar', and 'Dark Horse', but he's somehow certain the figure is Bloom.

When he goes up to them, it's not quietly in the least - but he doesn't care.

The two are holding hands, and the blonde boy tightens his grip on the other figure's hand protectively when he hears Loki coming.

But the hooded person says something, and he relaxes.

They get up, and the person has a giant sketchbook that is very familiar.

Its only when the hood goes down that he recognizes Bloom though.

"Sky, this is my brother Loki. Loki, this is Sky."

Sky just looks at her for a minute, to see if she was joking; she wasn't.

"And I'm betting the other guy in armor is your other brother?"

"Uh-huh. Thor. I said I had a crazy home life, even for Magix."

* * *

 **AN: Like I said, I'll keep putting chapters out - just be patient! Balancing HW, classes, and free time is not as easy as the story makes it seem! Either way, chapters won't sop coming altogether - promise!**


	82. Bloom Attacked

_**Bloom Attacked**_

When introductions are done, and Bloom explains how a Norse god is dating a modern scientist, and happens to be one of her two brothers, they end up walking through the school.

Bloom teleported away for maybe thirty seconds with the sensors, putting them in place, and for those thirty seconds Sky and Thor talk.

Thor asks what exactly happened to her, because she won't tell them anymore details.

"She actually told you what happened to her? Nobody in Magix has been able to get her to say."

"We got her to say she had been kidnapped, after she had a nightmare about it. We got a name, a description, the fact that you killed him. But she won't say anything else."

Darcy says "Sounds like she's PTSD. Not talking about an experience is a classic symptom."

Sky says "Don't let her hear you say that though. As far as Bloom's concerned, people just like to put a name on something so they can pretend to understand it."

She has a point, but before they can say anything else, Bloom reappears in a puff of orange sparkles like embers.

They all notice she gives off her own field of heat now, but the fact that she was sucking the heat out of the air does help with that; and she and Sky were holding hands so she could share the heat, which she demonstrates by grabbing Thor's arm for half a second when he asks about it.

Heat flooded his body in that second, but it faded soon after she let go.

A few minutes later, they are walking under a covered walkway, and Bloom is in the front with Darcy and Ian.

She is listening to Darcy talk, and Ian is trying to get a few words in as well.

Thor, Loki, and Sky are talking, trying to figure out a way to get Bloom to open back up - and getting nowhere.

Sky does tell them all the ways he knows for sure Bloom is different, from the fact that her body is several degrees warmer to the mental link between her and Ember.

By the time he is through, Bloom is glancing back at them, and they get the feeling she heard every word they said.

She gets a call, and takes it while walking.

* * *

When she freezes, and says "Yes, what happened?" they all get a bad feeling.

After about two minutes, she says "Thank you, I understand. I'll call when I find them."

They all have a very bad feeling, but Bloom's look says it all.

She just says "Great, just great." and glares at the ground.

Sky asks "What's wrong? What happened?"

"They escaped, probably hours ago. The guards woke up with no memories of going to sleep, and they just worked out what happened."

Thor asks "What guards? What's going on?"

"Three witches that call themselves the Trix escaped with some help from a prison called Lightrock Monastery, and the guards just figured it out. If they don't already have their magic back, they will soon, and then they'll come after me."

They realize Bloom is furious when she walks out into the courtyard and it starts to cloud up fast.

They all run after her, and Thor and Loki get to her first.

"I don't usually get to protect the people I care about, why didn't you let me before?"

"Bloom, why wouldn't you be able to protect us?"

"I don't know. Why couldn't I protect Domino so long ago? Why couldn't I protect Sky when Diaspro put a spell on him? Why couldn't I protect my friends from an evil sorcerer that helped destroy my home planet? _Why couldn't I protect my mother when she was a few rooms down from me?"_

She almost breaks into a sob right then, and then Thor and Loki notice the dried tear paths down her cheeks.

She looks down, until the rain starts a few seconds later.

Darcy says "Well, that started fast."

Even though the rain matches Bloom's mood perfectly right now, there's something wrong about it.

When a few drops hit Bloom's open hand, she suddenly realizes what it is: its dark magic!

"Get inside! Get inside now, this isn't normal."

Thor asks "Then what is it? What's-"

"Its Stormy! This is her work. Get under something now. I need to distract her."

She runs a few feet away, and takes something out of a pocket: it's a hoverboard.

She can't transform in the rain, and doesn't have the time, who knows when the Trix will decide to stop playing their games?

She jumps on the board, which vaguely resembles a skateboard, and pushes off.

"Hey Stormy, you want me? Well I'm right here, come and get me!"

She starts moving through the air, and then purple lightning starts striking, apparently trying to hit her.

She dodges every strike though, until Stormy apparently gets tired of missing.

* * *

She, her sisters, and Diaspro appear, in the courtyard.

Bloom stops the board, and teleports between them and her family, who for once listened to her.

"Well, look who it is, one exiled fairy, and three escaped witches."

Icy says "Bloom, long time no see. We heard you should have died, but it seems your too tough for that."

Bloom's brothers are shocked, and plan on questioning her about Icy's little comment at the first opportunity.

She knows this all too well, and mentally curses Icy.

"Well, I obviously didn't. If that's your whole reason for coming here, I would be more than happy to take you back to Lightrock right now."

Bloom's light-ish tone covers up the fact that she is nervous, the last thing she wants is for any of them to realize the apparent strangers behind her are important to her.

The four ladies laugh, and then teleport around her.

They combine their powers, and trap Bloom in a box made out of ice, that is as hard as a diamond, and shocks her when she touches it.

She's been shocked far worse, but she doesn't keep her hand on the ice.

She tries to break the ice by blasting it, but nothing happens.

Icy laughs and says "Nice try Bloom, but that ice is blast proof, and indestructible from the outside. You're not getting out any time soon. Until, of course, we put that cube of ice in a space even smaller than the one we had you in before."

They can't see Bloom, because the box is white, but her knife is suddenly jammed through the box - right where Icy was.

The side is quickly cut away, and Bloom steps out, with her flaming dagger in one hand, and a ball of fire in the other.

She says "Well, have I got a surprise for you four. Enchantix!"

She transforms, for the first time since she left Magix for Asgard, and when the fire clears, Thor, Loki, Jane, Jane's intern Darcy, Ian, and Selvig all have shocked expressions on their faces: they've never seen her transform like that before.

Sky asks "What? She didn't show you this yesterday?"

Jane says "She was kind of tired yesterday."

Sky gets Jane, Ian, the good Darcy, and Selvig inside the college, telling them to run.

Thor and Loki refuse to not help Bloom, which she will definitely yell at them for later.

Thor ends up fighting Stormy, Loki ends up facing Darcy, Sky is against Diaspro, and Bloom is fighting Icy.

The Trix pool their magic, and summon a squadron of the creatures of the Dark again, but not nearly as many as they did the last time.

Bloom, her brothers, and Sky are now fighting a small lake of the purple creatures, which is more than enough for Thor, Loki, and Sky because they can't kill the things.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like Bloom was right. Either way, now the Trix and Diaspro know she is sometimes on Earth. Also, its a little hard to not realize the people helping fight freaky bug-things that keep coming back know Bloom - especially when she's got wings and a ruffled dress on and is blasting the bugs in front of them. Sorry I haven't done an update in a while, been getting ahead on homework and stuff. Keep waiting, more will come!**


	83. Diaspro's Trap

_**Diaspro's Trap**_

Bloom switches knives with Loki, swords with Sky, and starts blasting.

She and Sky are back to back, and she says "Just like the battle for Magix, huh Sky?"

"No kidding, but there were a lot more on both sides."

Loki asks "What is the Battle for Magix?"

He and Thor are fighting nearby, with better luck now that they can actually kill the things - Thor can knock them away, and Loki can stab them to death.

Bloom's knife and sword absorbed her magic, so even touching the creatures with the weapons guarantees the things die instantly.

Bloom uses a bit of her magic, and lights Sky's sword on fire as well.

She is holding the weapon with one hand, and a ball of fire with the other.

"The Trix got a bit of my power once, last year. They nearly took over Magix city, and all three schools were making one last stand at Alfea. Those three had an army of these things, summoned by the smallest ember of the Dragon Flame."

They are beginning to see why Bloom wanted them not to know, she didn't want them to see her differently.

But they remember her being five years old, and being taught to fight.

They remember her playing with illusions, and making Thor's helmet apparently come alive right before his coronation ceremony.

They couldn't be afraid of her if they tried.

* * *

She beats the Trix easily enough, after saving Thor and Loki from Stormy - in a way that gives the term 'flying tackle' a whole new meaning.

Thor hit the weather witch with some lightning, which she absorbed and grew stronger from.

She then started sparking with electricity, and lightning made her hair stand straight up.

She was about to hit the two Asgardians with purple lightning, when suddenly Bloom comes flying down the walkway, yelling "Leave my family alone!" and crashes into her.

The lightning strike goes wild, and Bloom lifts her hand up to Stormy's level.

Thor and Loki remember this move, the last time they saw her do it was on the Helicarrier after being hit with a tranquilizer dart.

She throws her hand around, and Stormy's body follows in whatever direction Bloom chooses.

She then teleports in front of the groaning witch, and judo throws her into a thick column.

Loki can't help thinking about how she yelled at the witch, claiming the two of them as her family.

Given the fact that Odin basically disowned him, he is grateful beyond belief.

While he is thinking about it, the other two witches get slammed into the column, right into Stormy!

Bloom flies down, and throws her hand out.

A rope of fire appears, exactly like what held the cage Thor was in up, and what kept Loki trapped in a corner while his sister was being shot at with tranquilizer darts.

Despite the fact that she has no fat or muscle on her frame, she is far too powerful to beat with brute strength alone.

She ended the Trix's small number of creatures of the dark, by letting loose a wave of fire that vaporizes them instantly.

Loki discovered he could manipulate Darcy's illusions, but it was difficult to do in the heat of battle, especially when she figured out what was happening.

Diaspro disappeared when the Creatures of the Dark appeared, and they haven't seen her since, but Bloom hasn't forgotten her.

* * *

Bloom makes a quick call on her phone, saying she found the Trix, and then starts looking around for the missing enemy.

After about a minute she reappears, and Bloom goes completely still.

They all switched weapons back one the Trix were tied up again, this time by Sky and Bloom, who burned the knot together.

When Sky was finished making a large knot where the three witches couldn't get to it, Bloom grabbed it, and twisted it with smoke coming from between her fingers.

The result is a smelted mass of rope that is impossible to untie.

Bloom went off to find Diaspro after that, while Sky made sure the Trix didn't try anything.

But when Bloom comes back, Diaspro appears and does exactly what Bloom was afraid would happen: she targets Loki instead of Bloom herself.

She holds Loki in the air, directly beside a hole in the air, that leads to a very long fall.

"Well, isn't this interesting. Let's see what you do now, Bloom. I can throw him in here, or you can give up now."

"Oh yeah? How do I know you won't just throw him in anyway?"

They can all hear the desperation in Bloom's voice though, this is exactly why she left in the first place.

"Diaspro I swear, if you hurt him I'll-"

"What? Attack me? You attack me, and he falls to his death, on a realm that's _very_ familiar. Don't you feel it Bloom? Can't you tell, even from here? That's _Pyros_ down there, and if you don't give up now, he'll end up a spatter on the ground with your precious dragons."

Bloom is put in an impossible position, but they already know what choice she'll make, she made it hours before, and she would make it again.

Before Bloom can say she gives up though, Thor tackles Diaspro, accidentally sending all three people through the portal to Pyros without Bloom!

They hear her horrified scream, as Diaspro immediately closes the portal she made - over a random spot on the planet.

Thor hits her as hard as he can with Mjolnir, and the fairy of Gemstones is sent far away from them into the forest.

Thor grabs Loki, and he manages to slow their fall.

They land safely, if heavily, on the forest floor, with no way back to Earth.

Loki says "Thor?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should have listened to Bloom."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know brother. If you're talking about how to get back to Earth, stay alive until Bloom finds us. If you're talking about how to help her, I've got no clue."

"She's thinner, too thin. She wasn't that thin in whatever cave they had her tied up in. when I grabbed her wrist, I was grabbing bone; we need to get her to eat, a lot."

"I know brother, maybe we can get her to tell us more later, maybe it's just too close right now."

They are talking to try and hide their nervousness, at being completely stranded in an unknown forest, outside of the Nine Realms and Heimdall's sight for the first time ever.

Thor asks "You were always closer to her Loki, what do you think?"

"I think, she won't tell us anything unless we force her to, either by getting her mad, or asking about it until she finally gives. What about this place? She said she lived here for two months. She's harder to break than you thought Thor, even when she was young."

"I know brother. But something tells me she'll be a lot better in the training ring than before."

They both smile, until they realize Bloom will likely want to spar a lot.

Given her recent fighting, hand-to-hand or with a weapon will be much harder against her, magic or not.

They make their way away from Diasspro, trying to ignore the fact that there are dragons everywhere, in all different shapes and sizes.

This place definitely accounts for Bloom's newfound confidence, and the two try to copy that as they go, with varying results.

They are sure though, that the dragons are watching them, watching where they go.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the wait, balancing homework and research paper stuff with off-time is not incredibly easy. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**


	84. Found on Pyros

_**Found on Pyros**_

What neither of them know is, as soon as Diaspro closed her portal over Pyros, Bloom open her own and jumped through it.

She didn't even stop to get Ember, or say goodbye to Sky, all she could think about is saving the rest of her family from being killed.

She told Sky what happened the last two days, and nearly broke down at the mention of her mother.

He comforted her, even though they aren't technically dating they are still that close.

He knew the instant Thor tackled Diaspro that Bloom would go after them immediately, because he knows her and she would do just about anything to protect the people she cares about - friends or family.

So when she immediately jumps through a portal of her own, transforming mid-jump, he holds Jane back - who was just about to jump after Bloom.

The hole in space closes a second after Bloom goes through; and to distract Jane, Sky has her explain the Convergence - which was playing havoc with the fight.

Intern-Darcy and Ian ended up in an alley a few streets down, with a creature of the dark, and a floating car.

Before it could hurt Darcy, Ian smashed it with the car, and they ended up kissing through the rest of the fight.

* * *

When Bloom goes through the portal she made, she transformed and turned her freefall into free-fly.

She spends an hour searching frantically for them before landing, trying something new.

Flora found her using the plants on Pyros, which covers most of the planet.

With any luck Thor or Loki, preferably both, are standing on the forest floor, leaning against a tree, or have even climbed a tree trying to find a way back to Earth.

If they are in direct contact with a living plant, then Bloom will know.

She kneels, and puts both hands firmly onto the ground.

She imagines herself spreading, moving out beneath the ground, moving through the plants' roots.

Her awareness expands a thousand-fold, and within a minute she has found her brothers.

Loki senses her, or rather, he can sense a change.

She cuts the link, and takes off flying instantly.

She knows exactly where they are, and where Diaspro is as well - she found her, but didn't try to make contact with the spiteful fairy.

When she gets to the spot, about a day and a half by foot, around a half hour later by wing, her brothers are gone, but not long.

She can see the trail they left, it's something she got good at during her two months.

Ember taught her how to be a hunter, how to track her prey, and how to be a calculating and ruthless predator.

This wasn't something knowingly taught, or something readily apparent to anyone without animalistic senses, especially the predator part, but something that was seen and unconsciously copied.

Bloom isn't a predator in a twisted way, more of a 'top-of-the-food-chain' way.

In short, if Bloom channels Pyros near an animal, they will freak and cower before her, or run away terrified that they will be eaten.

Most people can see it as a change in her behavior, or maybe not even that, but a person connected with animals in any way could sense it immediately.

And the fact that Bloom gets instantly faster and stronger despite having no apparent muscle mass and a small build is a dead giveaway.

In fact, she lost most of her muscle mass in the cell she was trapped in - thanks to the suppression spells - and hasn't really gained it back.

But she doesn't think about that, as she tracks her brothers across the planet she knows by heart, the place she could find her way through blind-folded.

It takes her about ten minutes, but she catches up with them.

When she gets to them, they are arguing about where to go.

"GUYS!"

Two voices, immediately freeze, then yell "BLOOM!"

She is crushed in a double hug, but returns it with all her strength.

She practically crushes them, until she lets them go and then says "But there was something I wanted to tell you guys, now what was it? Oh yeah."

She had walked a step away from them pretending to think.

Now she whirls around and clamps one hand on each of their shoulders in a crushing grip and shakes them hard, screaming "YOU TWO DRIVE ME CRAZY!"

She then starts yelling about how they could have gotten killed, and they realize she has been worried about them the whole time.

They are beginning to see just how dangerous her life is now, as she hugs them again. Loki can't help thinking again about how thin she feels, no fat or muscle, just enough on her frame to not look like she is starving herself completely.

After breaking the hug, she calls Sky, telling him she found her brothers.

 _Good, because Jane is going nutty worrying about Thor. I told her you wouldn't let anything happen, but a scientist goes by facts and…_

"Yeah I know, all she knows about dragons is what she has read in stories or seen in movies. I'll turn the speaker on."

She fiddles with the phone for a minute, and then Sky's face appears.

Its then replaced by Jane's which immediately breaks out into a relieved smile.

"See, he's fine Jane. Like I was gonna let anything happen to my brothers, no matter how crazy they drive me."

Jane asks "So you're coming back now right?"

"Unfortunately, we can't just yet. There's still something I need to do, and these two won't let me out of their sight."

"What? What could you have left to do?"

"We need to find Diaspro."

"The girl Thor tackled? Why would you want to find her? I saw your reaction when you saw her and it was not good. So why would you-"

"Care whether she lives or dies? I don't. I do care whether she destroys this place or not though. She found me here when my friends came looking for me, and it's possible she knows this place is important to me. If so, she will destroy it in an instant."

After a minute, Jane says "Ok, and then you'll come back?"

"Yes, once Diaspro is taken care of, preferably tied up in front of me so she can be locked away like the Trix, I'll bring Thor back, Loki to if you're wondering."

Sky takes the phone back and says "The guards from Lightrock just go here. They're taking the Trix back, who are looking black and blue at the moment. I wouldn't want to be Diaspro when you find her."

Bloom grins, and for a split second they get the impression of a dragon's grin; ferocious and deadly.

Once Bloom hangs up, the three set off through the forest to find one spoiled fairy with a major grudge against Bloom.

* * *

 **AN: Happy September! Enjoy the chapter! PS. Any guesses on what's going to happen to all of the Winx's future enemies?**


	85. Finding Diaspro

_**Finding Diaspro**_

Finding Diaspro isn't as easy as Bloom made it sound though.

Even though Bloom knows exactly where the fairy is, and where they are, getting there is a small problem - because it is a very long walk.

Bloom could run there in maybe fifteen minutes on her own, but that was when she was alone and very much in tune with the planet.

The vines would move for her, and she always knew where tree roots and branches were laying around.

Also, the heat and bugs never bothered her, unlike her brothers.

Now, the walk takes hours, and Thor and Loki are cooking in their armor.

Loki has it worse though, because he is originally from Jotunheim and he can't take much heat.

She absorbs as much heat as she can to try and make it easier, but given the fact that it is the afternoon in the forest, it doesn't really help all that much.

Soon, they take a break, and Thor asks "How much farther?"

Bloom looks over at Loki, and then says "Too far, at least in this heat. We could fly though."

They both look at her, and see she is completely serious.

Loki says "Bloom, I can't fly on my own, and you never rode one of the birds big enough for riding."

"Well, I rode dragons, all the time half a year ago. It'll be fine."

Before they can ask how she plans on getting a dragon to ride, she turns her back to them and cups her hands around her mouth.

She makes a sound like a roar, and they hear an answering roar not far away.

* * *

In less than a minute, a huge dragon lands in front of them. Bloom makes a series of growls, and the dragon responds.

They get the distinct feeling she is having a conversation with the dragon, and after a minute, she turns to them with a smile.

"He says he knows where she is, and he'll take us. C'mon guys."

She helps Loki and Thor on, then gets in front.

Loki is in the middle, so either of them can catch him if he starts to fall off.

Bloom leans forward, and whisper-growls something to the dragon.

Suddenly the dragon gets low, then rushes into the air faster than anything the Asgardians have ever felt.

It's like falling at terminal speed in reverse, and it's the most disorienting thing they have ever felt, even Thor.

Bloom is the only one not holding on for dear life, and is having a blast.

Loki is holding on to her for dear life, while she feels like she is on the best roller coaster of her life - but then, it always feels like that when flying this fast.

When they get up past the clouds, the dragon evens out the speed, and glides for a while.

Loki asks "How can you two do this all the time?"

Bloom says "I have wings and Thor gets pulled by Mjolnir. This is amazing!"

Thor looks like he might be sick, but says "How are you enjoying this so much? I never go that fast."

"Because, I was trapped underground for two months, that's why. Also, I always wanted to go faster than my Charmix wings could take me."

She looks more like her old self than they have seen since she showed back up on Asgard, and the fact relieves them a little.

Thor and Loki relax after a minute of smooth flying, and then the clouds clear beneath them.

Bloom says "This is the view I fell in love with, I could stay here forever if I had the option."

They can see why she loves it. The forest is impossibly green, and it looks beautiful.

Loki lets go of Bloom, and the two Asgardians look around in wonder - there's nothing like this in the Nine Realms.

About five minutes later, they land, and Bloom thanks the dragon.

They still don't know how she can understand the dragons - much less imitate them - but she can and does easily.

"Alright, Diaspro is in the next field, let's go."

They set off, and in a few minutes they can hear her muttering.

"Unbelievable, how can that brat stand this place? It's hot, its sweaty, and these _stupid vines!"_

Bloom's heard more than enough, and whispers "Don't try to help with this fight guys. I can take her on my own, and I'm not putting you in danger again."

They both nod, especially when she gives them a look that says she'll tie them to trees with some vines if she has to, and then Bloom walks between the trees and comes face to face with Diaspro.

"Well, look what the dragon dragged in. Fancy finding you here Diaspro."

Her tone is light, but there is an edge of tension, and her hand is straying near her invisible sword hilt.

"Bloom! I should-"

"What? Blame me because you threatened to throw someone into a hole in space that opened up a thousand feet in the air and then got tackled? That's your fault, and now I assume you want to fight me again? How about a duel, since we both know I can whip you in anything that has to do with magic - unless, of course, you count bewitching people with spells from a powerful wizard."

Diaspro's face turns bright red, and she then rushes at Bloom.

Suddenly, Bloom is behind her, but she didn't use magic.

She then does a spinning kick, then sends Diaspro flying into a tree.

Diaspro uses what little magic she had left, and makes a knife appear.

She manages to cut Bloom's hand with it, but then screams in pain when Bloom grabs her wrist with her hurt hand.

She was channeling Pyros when she did, and wasn't very surprised when Diaspro screamed – because the more Bloom channels her connection to Pyros, the more acidic her blood turns.

Diaspro's wrist looks like it was splashed with acid now, as she tries to rub the blood away, and then Bloom flings her into a stream nearby.

She beats Diaspro to a pulp while her brothers watch, seriously angry.

She is furious at Diaspro, for putting her family in danger, for threatening to kill her brother, for everything that has happened today and the past year.

She is on fire when she finally stops fighting Diaspro, and yells "IF YOU EVER, _AND I MEAN EVER,_ GO NEAR MY FAMILY AGAIN, I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL, ONE MUCH WORSE THAN THE ONE YOU PUT ME THROUGH!"

She blasts Diaspro with all her strength, sending the selfish fairy of Gemstones through a few trees.

When Diaspro gets up, her hair and clothes are singed, she is bruised and beat up, and she has a furious look on her face.

"Next time Bloom!"

She then runs through a weak portal, to wherever.

Bloom sits down on the ground, the fire around her fading.

She is suddenly exhausted, losing her temper like that is never a good idea for her.

Admittedly, it takes a lot to make her go ballistic like that, but threatening her loved ones will do it - or hurting someone just to get to her.

The way she sees it: you want to fight her, then fight her - don't go after someone around her to hurt her.

She is at the edge of the stream she threw Diaspro in, and then dunks her hand in for a few seconds.

The bleeding didn't stop during the fight; in fact, channeling her combat magic makes her bleed faster, and channeling Pyros makes her blood deadly.

She automatically channels Pyros when she gets hurt - and the worse she is hurt, the more she calls on Pyros to work through the pain.

Unfortunately, that means she can't let anybody help her, or they will get hurt from touching her blood.

She takes her hand out of the water, and sees a thin cut across her palm.

She squeezes her hand shut, and concentrates.

She doesn't know any healing spells, but the Dragon Flame's power is creation.

It can be used for destruction, but the Great Dragon always meant for it to be used to restore stuff - including the holder.

Sending her magic to the cut hurts for a second, but the pain is almost instantly replaced by a feeling of warmth.

When she opens her hand, it's like the cut was never there.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, the way I have Bloom's magic going, she can use it two ways: fighting, or healing. When she's fighting, she doesn't heal - she just keeps fighting until she gets a moment to switch to healing magic. And when she's using her healing powers, she can't blast someone - just flood them with warmth and healing, which makes them stronger.**


	86. Fixes and Goodbyes

_**Fixes and Goodbyes**_

She is sitting on the ground, when Loki sits down next to her, and says "Remind me to never make you mad again."

Thor says "I guess all the training you did growing up stuck with you."

"It's a mix of Wu Gong and Asgardian training, and its imprinted on my muscles. I could fight hand-to-hand if I was blind, had no memories, or possibly even asleep."

She grins at this, and after a second so do Thor and Loki.

She is, basically, the most lethal person in all of Asgard, even more than the two of them, Sif, and the Warriors Three combined - and they are the best team in Asgard.

After a second, Bloom dials Sky on her phone, and he picks up instantly.

 _Hey, please tell me you found Diaspro, because Jane is getting really worried._

"Found her, fought her, beat her. She got away, but that's no surprise."

 _Great, so you're coming back soon? Ember is twitchy, and Jane won't stop talking to Darcy, Ian, and you said his name was Erik right?_

"Yeah, in a minute. I kinda lost my cool."

 _Oh, you okay? Now I'm really glad I'm not Diaspro right now._

Bloom grins, tiredly, and then says "Yeah, so are Thor and Loki. Hang on, I'm gonna teleport us in a second."

She hangs up, then has Thor and Loki each put a hand on her shoulders.

She closes her eyes, and concentrates, and a feeling of heat spreads through all three people.

* * *

Suddenly they are looking at a familiar courtyard, that looks like a massive battle took place there - which did happen.

Bloom is sitting on the ground, and then Ember rushes over and knocks her over, licking her face.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You two were worried."

Ember apparently says something to Bloom, and she says "Next time, I'll take you with, promise."

Ember thrums, and then curls up into Bloom's chest.

Bloom laughs and fondly says "Hatchling."

She stands up, and Ember gets on her shoulders, looking almost exactly like a ferret sitting on its owner's shoulders.

Thor and Jane hug, and then a complete stranger in a suit, with a half scared, half angry expression on his face, walks over to them.

"What has been going on here? Flying women, two with _wings on their backs,_ fighting and destroying the school? I'd like an explanation here, and seeing as you are one of the two with wings, I think it should come from you young lady."

Bloom walks in front of him and says "It's simple, I was attacked by the other four. And I'd be happy to fix the school."

She looks around, and then waves her hand.

In a wave of magic, the school courtyard, columns, and buildings are fixed instantly.

In a matter of seconds, you wouldn't even know the school had been the site of a magical fire-fight.

The man looks shocked, and then his eyes roll back into his head and he collapses.

She catches him, and puts him on the ground gently.

Ian asks "What just happened to him? And how did you fix the school?"

"I used most of my magic to repair the school, and to wipe everybody else's memories of what happened. You guys will remember what happened, but everyone else won't. As for him, its partly shock - seeing as most humans don't believe in magic, this is way too much to take in."

Darcy says "You made everyone here but us forget that the whole fight happened?"

"Yeah. They are all sleeping right now, but they'll wake up in maybe five minutes, wondering why they are wherever they are, and what happened."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want it to come out that fairies exist, at least not like this. I don't want to be locked up the next time I come to Earth and be turned into a government lab rat because I can fly."

She is completely serious, and they can understand why.

The world probably isn't ready for magic, and the last thing Earth needs is to find out it exists by way of a grudge match like New Mexico.

That inspired the Tesseract project, and Phase Two: building weapons of mass destruction to try to match the Asgardians' power.

* * *

Bloom takes one step, and her legs give out beneath her.

Sky catches her, and sits her against a column.

He sits down beside her after a second, and she leans her head on his shoulder.

Everyone else is talking, trying to find something to do, except for Bloom and Sky.

She says "Sky? You ever hear the song 'Big Girls Don't Cry'?"

"Yeah."

Bloom's heard every song thanks to Musa, and Sky knows the lyrics to the one she mentioned.

She just told him she misses him, and that she wants him.

"I'll wait as long as you want, Bloom."

"Thanks Sky, you are the best."

"You ever hear the song 'Just The Way You Are'?"

Bloom grins at that, and then Ember comes into the moment.

The moment is ruined, and Sky stands and pulls Bloom up.

She is swaying on her feet, but the world is not spinning and she can walk now.

She has to go back to Magix, she has to find Diaspro again, find whatever rock she crawled back under.

She tells her brothers as much, and then makes a portal back to Asgard for them while she and Sky go back to the ship he took here, after telling them to call her if there is any trouble back on Asgard.

She is more than willing to take the blame for them committing treason, and will even charm Odin into banishing her in their place - she has somewhere else to go, neither Thor, Loki, or their friends on Asgard have anywhere they can go where they will fit in or feel at home.

Before they go through, Bloom runs back and hugs them hard, throwing her arms around their necks.

"I'll come back. I'll _always_ come back."

She smiles, and then teleports over to Sky, and waves before getting into a red ship that was invisible a minute before.

It takes off, and Thor and Loki go through the portal, and end up back in her room - and see the Asgardian outfit she was wearing yesterday lying on her bed.

When they get out of her room, they find Odin has disappeared though.

Neither of them know what to do, because neither of them want the throne anymore.

Bloom asked Loki not to change back to who he became when he got the throne, but she is away in Magix, and now both of their parents are gone.

They come up with the idea of Loki impersonating Odin, at least until the can find him.

Thor makes it clear he doesn't want the throne, instead he wants to live his own life with Jane and protecting the Nine Realms.

He can't do that stuck in that chair all day, and he finally understands why Bloom never wanted the job.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Odin's missing. maybe Bloom can come back and impersonate him doing a coronation again so they won't have to hide the fact that he's gone. Nobody knows where he is or when he left - and most of Asgard doesn't even know he's missing. Keep reading to find out what happens next!**


	87. Break

_**Break**_

All through the summer break, Bloom, Sky, and Ember look for Diaspro, with no luck.

Whatever rock Diaspro's hiding under, she isn't coming out from it.

They get back to Magix city right as the school year starts again.

Lucky for Bloom, this school year is quiet - which is good, because if she has to fight anyone, she might explode.

She spends most of the school year inside Alfea, despite the rest of the Winx's efforts to get her to relax and have some fun.

When she isn't in classes, she is usually in the library, looking for a way to break the curse on Domino and Daphne.

Techna got her a new laptop from Zenith over the break, with almost infinite storage capacity.

It is deep blue, with an orange flame decal on the lid, and super thin and fast.

She uses it to go through hundreds of ancient curses, trying to find a way to break the curse on Daphne.

At the same time, she goes through the library on Alfea, looking for a way to free Domino from the flash-freeze that the Three Ancestral Witches caused.

She finds a lead in the form of a story, called the Story of the Sword.

It's about her birth father's sword, which is supposed to be indestructible.

The only times she actually leaves the school campus are usually when Sky calls her up asking for help with a dragon.

They are in charge of handling the dragons at the school this year, but some of the students are better at it than others.

When something goes wrong, Sky calls Bloom asking for help fixing it.

She comes over, and finds out what is wrong from the dragon itself.

* * *

The first time, the others thought he was kidding, because Bloom is a thin, pale girl who looks like you could snap her like a twig, and the dragon was throwing everyone who tried to ride it off - and was going on a rampage.

But Bloom makes it to the dragon's head, and puts her hand at the temple.

The next second, she apparently learned everything she needed to know, and got down, talking comfortingly to the dragon.

It calms down almost at once, and then when the boy who was supposed to be taking care of the dragon comes over, she punches him in the face.

He lost his temper with the dragon many times, took everything out on it, which is why when he tried to ride it, the dragon bucked and threw him.

After that, nobody questions her, or gets in her way when she shows up to solve a problem with a dragon.

She and Sky go out to lunch sometimes, but she usually ends up getting mobbed by paparazzi, who seem to actively seek her out.

Likely because she is always holed up in Alfea, hardly ever coming out of the dorm except for classes and meals.

Except for when she gets a nightmare - all too often - then she goes running on the track until breakfast, or she goes into the simulation program Techna helped her set up on the laptop.

She has two simulations on the program: a simulation of Pyros called 'Relaxation' and a simulation of the Battle for New York called 'Training'.

She also has a pair of headphones with a microphone, and an earpiece synced with the headphones.

If someone talked into the headphones, she would hear it in the earpiece.

Mostly she stays up most of the night, talking with Sky, or studying for tests.

The week of finals, all six girls pull three all-nighters studying for stuff, and once tests are done, they go into their apartment and nap for the rest of the day.

Bloom becomes amazing at cooking, since she never leaves the dorm for most anything.

She also watches every Disney movie in existence, along with a lot of action movies - Batman, John Wick, movies like that.

Ironically, Bloom has the best grades in the apartment, despite the fact that Techna has crazy study habits.

One thing Bloom did, right after Techna gave her the laptop, was have the Technology fairy teach her Encryption spells of different strengths.

She makes a folder for Valtor, and finds everything he did, every crime he committed.

She adds to the list, making a file that documents everything he did to her while she was stuck in that cell, everything he told her, and showed her.

It's about the only way she can think of to deal with the whole ordeal he put her through - because talking doesn't work, remembering doesn't do anything but traumatize her all over again, she's about to explode.

She heavily encrypts that folder, setting a password that grants access, and the hint is 'Where did you escape to?'

She also makes an encrypted folder with the symbol for the Dragon Flame as the title.

She finds a record of every holder before her and keeps them all in the folder.

Ironically, none of the previous holders had nearly as much trouble before her, and certainly not in such a short time.

They lived long lives, and most people were afraid to challenge them because they were so much stronger than everyone else.

The Dragon Flame's disappearance apparently cured people of that, along with the destruction of Domino.

None of the other holders were kidnapped, or _lost the Dragon Flame_ , and Bloom wonders how they all pulled that off, along with apparently being in total control of the power.

However they did it, she hasn't, and really wants to - but not if it means people would be afraid of her.

* * *

The Winx all passed finals with flying colors, especially Bloom.

But because her planet is dead, and she earned her Enchantix differently than the others, she technically isn't a guardian fairy.

By the time graduation comes around, Bloom has read, reread, and re-reread the story of her birth father's sword so many times she knows it by heart.

Far as she can tell, the person who made the sword should be able to find it again, no matter where it is; and that person is Hagen, Master of the Shiny Steel.

She then looked up everything there is to know about him, and she knows where he lives.

She also found a map of his castle, and has memorized it backwards, forwards, and upside down.

As for Daphne's curse, she won't tell Bloom what it is.

Bloom's asked, begged, and tried every way she knows how besides magic or violence - because she would never resort to that with someone important to her.

Daphne is afraid the curse will strike Bloom if she tries to break it.

While Bloom appreciates the concern, it's really not helpful in this situation - because there is an endless amount of curses that the witches could have used.

What Bloom needs to know, is which one, or ones, they used on Daphne, so she can figure out how to break them.

Bloom has tried dozens of spells to break the curse, her fairy dust, spells from ancient spellbooks, she even spent three days in the restricted section looking through the books Techna identified as having ancient curses in them.

She finds a solution to controlling her powers by trying to disconnect them from her emotions.

She has always felt everything very strongly, which results in a strong reaction in her magic - it's become a real problem with her nightmares, she's woken up dozens of times to find her bed blazing away and Flora running in with a bucket of water and Aisha.

So, she tries to build a wall between her emotional state and her magic - and partially succeeds.

She manages this by keeping her emotions in check, basically by curbing her feelings before they can really register with other people.

She doesn't know how people on Zenith do it, but she had practice hiding her emotions growing up - now she just needs to take it a step farther.

She manages, but barely - and her emotions can override the wall.

This only happens in extreme situations, but if it gets to that point, then whoever got her upset is either naïve or has a death wish.

Keeping her magic and emotions separate also puts less of a target on her back, making it harder for strangers to guess her secret.

* * *

 **AN: Here's Bloom's break from all the nonstop adventures! Can't keep going like she has without breaking completely! Had to put a break in because I switched the timings around to make the Avengers movies fit. Don't worry, she'll get some more action soon!**


	88. Hagen's Castle

_**Hagen's Castle**_

When the Winx get to Hagen's castle, a blizzard is happening, and the castle looks abandoned and forbidding.

They are in cloaks, and Bloom is wearing the necklace Daphne gave her - it doesn't work for keeping her magic contained anymore, not since she was kidnapped and the necklace left in her bag.

They take the lift up to the top of the castle, and then jump onto window sills.

After landing on the floor, Stella calls out "Hey there! Anybody home?"

They can hear her last word echo four times, and Bloom hears twice as many echoes.

She hangs her head for a second, before a bunch of robot guards appear.

Stella says "Now that's more like it."

Bloom says "Winx, get ready to transform! Enchantix!"

The fight lasts less than two minutes, because Bloom hears the sound of a giant machine behind one of the walls.

She melts the wall using a spell called 'Fusion Fire' and then gathers her energy around her.

Fire swirls around her body and then she lets it go, hard.

The explosion destroys the machine around her, and the robots all fall to the floor around her friends.

They make their way through the castle, with Bloom leading them with a fireball.

She can feel something alive in the castle, but knowing where the heat signature is in relation to her body and getting her body to the heat signature are two different things.

Her senses only tell her where something or someone is, not how to get there without magic - or if they are somewhere really hard to teleport to.

* * *

While they are going through the castle by wing, Mrs. Faragonda teleports to the bluff they were standing on not an hour before, sees the castle and realizes what they are doing.

* * *

Bloom finds the hall, where she can sense the heat signature.

She whispers "Dragon Sight."

Suddenly, her vision is a thousand times better, and she blinks a few times.

She found that she can manipulate the spell with a little imagination - she can see anything, heat signatures, magic, even see through illusions to the truth.

Before anyone can react, someone new drives a sword into the floor, making giant cracks filled with heat appear.

Bloom reacts instantly, drawing her sword and parrying another, that was headed straight for her throat.

She sword fights the person for a minute, and it ends in a stalemate.

"The only person who could ever beat me, was a very old friend of mine."

"You must be Hagen, from the Company of Light."

Reading the auras of people from Magix is a lot harder than people on Earth, people on Magix have defenses against such things - but she always gets through in the end, usually because people don't know they're being read.

She's gotten a lot better since she came back from Pyros; she's been practicing constantly ever since.

Hagen's says he's really angry they are in his castle, but she doesn't find anything to make her mistrust him.

"The Company of Light doesn't exist anymore. But if I didn't know better, I'd swear you remind me of someone."

Suddenly, Faragonda appears, shocking the heck out of Hagen and Bloom.

"Hagen, why don't you tell us all who she reminds you of?"

"Faragonda!"

"It's been a long time Hagen, how are you?"

"Years, since we were part of the Company of Light. And who are they?"

"They have been searching for you for a long time. Bloom in particular."

Hagen drops his sword in shock, because he recognizes the name.

"Oritel and Marion's daughter? But we thought-"

"Not dead. She was sent away by her sister Daphne, to another universe. As you can see, she inherited her parents' skill with a blade, though she says she was trained since a young age as well."

Hagen stares at the fiery-headed girl in front of him, currently in her Enchantix outfit with a silver-orange sword in her hand.

After a second, he bursts out laughing, saying "Well, this is a surprise. Only Oritel and Marion, could ever make me work for a win like that, and now it turns out their daughter is even better with a sword than they were!"

Bloom cracks a grin, puts her sword away, and shakes Hagen's hand firmly – and he rubs it quietly when she stops, trying to get any feeling back in it.

* * *

When they get back to Alfea, it is Graduation day, and the whole place is decorated.

Hagen looks out of the window in Faragonda's office and laughs.

"School for fairies huh? Is it always this festive, or is today special?"

"It's the Day of the Gift. Today some of our students will graduate, and leave Alfea. Their journeys end today, but Bloom's is just beginning."

The fairy is sitting in front of Faragonda's desk, thin, pale, and very determined.

She doesn't look very much like either Oritel or Marion, except for the fiery hair, but she shares Oritel's temperament, and his iron will - along with both parents' skill with the blade.

Hagen asks how she expects him to be able to find two people he has been searching for ever since they disappeared.

In response, she hefts a huge book onto the table easily.

Its titled 'The Story of the Sword' and he instantly recognizes where she is going with this.

He wishes this theory were true, but he has been searching every day, clinging to the same hope Bloom has been with no results.

When he tells her that her parents are lost, Bloom runs out of the office sobbing.

She runs right past the Winx, and they all want to know what's wrong.

Stella asks "Bloom, what's wrong?"

She just sprints away, up to the tallest tower in Alfea.

Minutes later, she is watching her friends graduate, with Ember trying to cheer her up.

She watches her friends become guardian fairies for their realms, becoming _the_ fairies of Nature, Music, Waves, Technology, and the Shining Sun.

Musa can hear the songs in people's hearts, and can sing them.

Flora can clearly hear every plant now.

Techna can connect to any kind of technology.

Aisha is connected to every drop of water.

Stella can feel the light of the sun, moon, and stars.

Bloom dimly wonders what she would feel, but it doesn't seem to matter anymore.

Its only when Sky shows up on his hoverboard that she cheers up at all.

She hugs him hard, and then starts crying into his chest.

* * *

Later, they are walking down the hallway, and talking.

They are finished with school, but their lives are just getting started.

But, everybody expects Bloom to be this strong, tough, capable person who could survive living hell for two months, but she doesn't feel strong.

She feels weak, shaky, like one push and she'll collapse like a house of cards.

She hides it from everyone but her friends – and especially not Sky.

That night, she puts an illusion up of a simple dress, not the one she wore to Stella's princess ball.

She is actually wearing her nightclothes, and the illusion isn't hard at all.

She and Sky talk in the courtyard for a while, and he says to forget what Hagen said.

Her parents are still out there, and if anyone is going to bring them back, it will be her.

Suddenly, a ship from Eraklyon appears, and a guard says Sky is to come with her.

He's got no choice, but promises he'll be back.

Later, when she finally goes back to the apartment for the last time, the rest of the Winx are waiting for her.

Stella suggests they have a pillow party, but Bloom is fairly certain it is called a pajama party.

When she asks, they all look at her with the same look on their faces and say "Hm."

They all hold up pillows a second later, and Bloom gets a pillow to the face.

Later, she and Flora are talking, and Bloom says she will go home.

They are all going back to their homes, but they will always be best friends, and the Winx.

The next day, Bloom is packed, and teleports herself, Kiko, and Ember to her room in Asgard.

* * *

 **AN: And, here's where Bloom gets into 'Secret of the Lost Kingdom' - told you guys she'd have some more action soon! Keep reading to find out how Domino is saved!**


	89. Back on Asgard

_**Back on Asgard**_

Her brothers are ecstatic to see her again, even though they had been checking in on her daily using the scrying bowl.

She gets into a routine, to try and seem somewhat normal.

In the morning, she spars with the guards, and then with Sif, Thor, and the Warriors three when the guards don't want to train with her.

In the afternoon, she goes flying for a while, and then spends the rest of the day until dinner painting the walls in her room in a likeness of Pyros.

After dinner, she keeps working on the ceiling, and occasionally beats a few punching bags up for the fun of it.

As it turns out, Thor and Loki were right when they thought she would want to spar in the training circle, because she proceeds to beat anyone who thinks they can beat her to a pulp.

* * *

The first time, they all thought she got lucky; the second time, everyone was watching; after the third time, people were placing bets using drink on who could beat her.

At that, Fandral said he would fight - and then regretted it when he got thrown into a column by her.

Her secret is the fact that everybody underestimates her because she is thin - but she is fast, and she is calling on her connection with Pyros.

It's not magic, but it does make her a match for Volstagg.

In fact, Sif, and the Warriors Three all attack her at once, on her insistence.

She throws them into one another, and they end up hitting each other every time they take a swing at her and don't hit thin air.

Once, she takes on ten guards while blindfolded.

She focused on her other senses instead of sight, namely her hearing and her sense of heat.

Between them, she knew exactly where each guard was, where their weapons were, and every swing they make hits open air.

After that, most of the guards don't spar with her, but Sif and the Warriors still will as long as she goes easy on them.

Thor and Loki never spar with her, because they already know she will win, and they couldn't fight her if they wanted to.

As for painting her room, she uses a special kind of paint the Winx got her, called Time Paint.

The paint changes as the day goes on.

It matches wherever it depicts, which is why Bloom paints her whole room to look like the field outside the cave she made her home on Pyros.

She only paints the room she sleeps in, but she paints everywhere, even the ceiling.

The first day, she painted the floor, levitating everything so she could paint the grass perfectly.

She then started on the walls, painting everything with perfect detail.

The paint actually shows what is happening in the place depicted if it is a real place - which makes it near-impossible to paint something real.

Thor asks her what she is paining when she does the ceiling one night, which she does in her Charmix outfit.

She puts the brush down, and blows orange dust onto the ceiling, making an illusion of the sky over Pyros.

There are galaxies and stars everywhere, even more than over Asgard, and its amazing.

The galaxies are giant space clouds of color, beautiful and faraway.

The stars burn bright white, constant and never changing, a bit of beauty that will always stay the same.

They finally get why Bloom stares up into the night sky so often, aside from the fact that she stares at the spot where Frigga's essence floated up to the sky.

At night, she curls up in her bed, holding Ember to her, like another dragon curled up with its tail at its nose.

At meals, Bloom is always quiet, listening to everyone else talk.

Nobody in Asgard would believe her if she recounted how she was turned evil, or the Battle for Magix.

For the most part, most people ignore Loki, just like when Bloom was growing up.

They nod at him, acknowledge him, but he was always quiet, like Bloom now.

They are both content to let others have the spotlight, and Volstagg and Fandral gladly take it.

Honestly, she never got the Asgardian love of battles, still doesn't.

She will fight to protect the people she cares about, but she doesn't seek out a fight just to have it.

She doesn't eat much anymore, mostly fruit, but she takes heaping platefuls of it, so nobody questions her.

She takes some for Ember, another heaping plateful that never fails to disappear.

Some nights, she works on the armor she had on during her last adventure with her brothers – weaving a few spells into it.

Not much, a protection spell so weapons can't hit her, a spell so she'll never be cold in it, etc.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, more action will be coming shortly though! Don't even know if the outfit is going to play a part in the story, at east not for a while. PS. any guesses on how future enemies are going to fare against Bloom? Find out in a few chapters! Season 4 starting soon! *Soon: 10 chapters or less. Sorry, still have to bring Domino back to life in this story.**


	90. Nightmare on Asgard

_**Nightmare on Asgard**_

One day though, they realize Bloom is not alright, not even close.

She has been putting up a good act, but she isn't alright.

They figure it out when she doesn't come to breakfast one day.

They notice it, but aren't worried, even when she doesn't show up for sparring practice as usual.

But when she hasn't been seen by lunch, then they get worried.

Nobody has seen her in the whole palace since the night before, so they start with her room.

Her door is closed, and there is a piece of paper stuck to it that says 'Keep out' in perfect handwriting.

Thor and Loki recognize that handwriting, its Bloom's.

So Thor, Loki, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg ignore the note and open the door.

* * *

They are greeted with a bizarre sight: pieces of workout equipment that look like they are made of fire are lying all over the floor, and Bloom is doing sit-ups hanging upside down from a pull-up pole.

Her back is turned to them, and she doesn't even respond, they doubt she knows they are even there.

She is in workout leggings and a tank top, and is doing a sit-up a second.

After a minute, Fandral goes over to her and grabs her shoulder - bad idea.

She freaks, thinking she is about to be kidnapped again, and flips over the pole, kicks Fandral in the back, sending him flying into her wall, does another flip, spins through the air through a portal, and straight onto his chest.

Her right foot is on his left wrist, pinning it to the ground, her left knee is digging into his chest painfully, and her left hand is pinning his right wrist down.

Her right hand has her dagger, holding it to her arm so she can cut his throat open and then throw it into one of the other heat signatures she now realizes are there.

"Stop it's me, Fandral!"

She doesn't even hear him, because she was listening to her playlist of workout music.

She freezes when she realizes who exactly is underneath her though, one second before she would have slit his throat.

"Fandral?!"

She takes the headphones out disbelievingly, and then looks over her shoulder at the others, then back at him.

After a second, she jumps off him, and lands a few feet away.

"What are you guys doing in here?"

Sif says "Us? We were looking for you! You've been gone all day, and we got worried. What are you doing in here?"

"It's my room! Didn't you see the sign I put up?"

Thor says "Yes, but seeing as you've been missing for hours, we ignored it."

"What time is it anyway?"

Volstagg says "Its past lunch, you've missed two meals!"

"Well, food isn't my entire life, Volstagg."

Fandral gets up, and asks "And what is? Because after getting thrown into a wall, I think I deserve an explanation here."

"Simple, you scared me, so I reacted automatically. I thought I was about to have to fight off being kidnapped again."

Hogun asks "Again? You've been kidnapped?"

Bloom looks down for a second, and says "Yes, I've been kidnapped."

She turns away, but Sif blocks her, asking "Ok, what happened to you? Because you are very much different from the girl who grew up here. Thor told us what you said, now tell us everything."

Bloom glares at the older woman for a second, who grabs her shoulder to make her stay put, a futile effort if Bloom really tried to get away.

Fandral says "Look, whatever it was, it couldn't have been that bad-"

Bloom whirls around on him, her eyes turning orange.

"Not that bad? Right, you would know, wouldn't you Fandral? You're the one kept up at night with nightmares, you're the one with random panic attacks, you're the one who is paranoid that some random stranger will come out of nowhere and try to kidnap you again! _Your right, it couldn't possibly be that bad!_ "

Fandral wisely backs up, and takes a moment to think of something to say after getting his head verbally bitten off by the girl who has been quiet for four months.

They realize she is on fire, and when they back up she looks down at her hands.

The fire dies, and Bloom looks stricken now.

Thor asks "Why didn't you say something Bloom?"

"You want to know what it was like? How about I show you?"

Her voice is thick with emotion, not just because she was angry, but because they were afraid of her.

She casts a spell that shows them one of her memories of being trapped under Cloudtower, it's not perfect, and they can't feel the weight of all the spells like she could, like she still can in her nightmares.

She shows them Valtor telling her he killed her birth parents, and they see how much thinner she was, and how miserable.

Bloom goes sheet white when the cell forms around them, and once the memory is done, she turns invisible and teleports onto her bed, in the other room.

Loki unfreezes first, and goes to find her.

He can tell she is on the bed because of the indent with nothing in it.

He can hear her crying softly, and when he sits down beside her, she doesn't even react.

Ember jumps and moves closer to Bloom, and she picks her up and presumably holds her closer - Ember turns invisible as soon as Bloom's arms are around her.

* * *

She decides to go flying after that, and they can't really stop her.

She says she'll be at dinner, and then transforms invisibly and jumps off her terrace and flies away.

Sure enough, when the feast for dinner is put out, Bloom is at the table, looking pale and lost.

Loki sits by her, and sees she has hardly taken anything.

She pretends to eat for a while, mostly just pushing the food around her plate, before leaving early, looking like a ghost.

Loki and Thor both saw her expression, and Loki gets up and follows her after sending Thor a look.

He finds her sitting on her bed with her knees pulled to her chest.

She is staring at nothing, even though she finished the mural on her walls a week before.

She even did the ceiling, and now it is covered in stars and galaxies.

It is amazing, and almost makes him want to sleep outside for a night.

He sits down beside her though, and puts his arm around her shoulders.

"What happened, Bloom? Another nightmare?"

She just nods her head, and he pulls her closer to his side.

"What's going on with you Bloom? I want to help, we all do, but we can't if you don't let us."

She shakes her head and says "You wouldn't understand. "

"You don't know that Bloom. What if your wrong?"

"And what if I'm not? What if you guys can't?"

"Then we'll try the best we can."

"I-I can't keep doing this Loki. If I keep reliving this, I'll go mad. I just know it."

Loki puts his other hand in her hair to quiet her and doesn't press the subject – he figures he's pushed her to her limit right now.

She curls up next to him, and Ember is sitting in front of them trying to comfort her as well.

He tries to distract her by asking "Why'd you name her Ember anyway?"

"I read this book once, and there was a line that stuck with me. It went 'a name has to mean something'. There was a character called Ada Ember, who had a tragic backstory. She chose ember, because embers turn to flames."

Loki thinks about that, and then Bloom says "Also, she sneezed a cloud of embers when she hatched."

That makes her smile, and Loki nearly laughs.

Eventually, Bloom falls asleep sitting up, with her brother protecting her.

She had forgotten how it felt to be protected, and it's good to feel it again.

Thor comes in about an hour later, to find Bloom sleeping on her bed, but the illusion disappears when Loki sees he is alone.

He is still sitting on Bloom's bed, with her leaning into him.

He puts a finger to his lips, and then lays her down gently.

Ember slides up next to her, and Bloom smiles peacefully - a lot more peacefully than she's felt all day.

After quietly leaving the room, Loki and Thor talk.

They both thought it was one of her nightmares that started the whole thing, but the problem is nobody on Asgard has ever had the problem.

Which means they have no way of trying to help.

The fact that the song 'Fight Song' was playing when Bloom was talking to them didn't help, along with the fact that they could hear it from her headphones because she had the sound turned all the way up - and then 'Tied Together With a Smile' came on.

Since Asgardians all take music _way too literally_ , the songs did not help whatsoever.

But it is almost true, she's tied herself together, but is coming undone.

* * *

 **AN: Secret of the Lost Kingdom storyline is pretty easy to follow, Asgard instead of Earth or not. Guess where! And keep reading!**


	91. Surprises

_**Surprises**_

While Thor and Loki talk, Bloom dreams.

She is transformed, and the Winx are there too, but she doesn't know what's going on.

When she gets near them, they disappear, even Sky who is in the dream as well.

She doesn't want to be alone, and curls up in a ball - and then hears two voices calling her name.

she looks up, and sees a man with short brown hair, and a woman with long hair the same color as hers pulled up.

They are waiting for Bloom, and she gets up and runs to them as fast as she can.

When she gets within a foot of them, suddenly three ancient hag-ladies Bloom recognizes appear and block her way to her birth parents.

She didn't notice before, but when she curled up, her wings vanished, but now she hears Daphne's voice.

 _Bloom. Bloom, you are not alone. You will always have my love, and you will always have me._

"Daphne?"

 _Listen to me, little sister. Our parents are alive, you know this in your heart. Come to Lake Roccaluce, there's something I have to tell you. Come to me, Bloom._

Bloom thinks of Lake Roccaluce, and suddenly she is standing at the shore of the Lake.

"Daphne? I'm here."

Daphne's spirit rises from the lake, and Bloom's wings reappear.

She flies out to her ethereal sister, and they put their hands together.

Daphne tells Bloom about a very special book on Domino, called the Book of Fate while they fly upwards.

It shows the fate of every member of the royal family of Domino, which means that book is the best lead Bloom has on what happened to their birth parents.

"Why didn't you tell me about the book before Daph?"

"I thought the witches had destroyed it. But our father had hidden away all the magical books in a secret library, high on the mountain of the Roc."

"So I will go to Domino, and find this library!"

"Bloom, there's just one more thing, it's my mask. I want you to have it."

Daphne takes off her butterfly-shaped mask, and it is absorbed into Bloom's fairy dust pendant.

When Daphne says she needs to go back into the Lake to rest, Bloom says "Don't leave me Daphne."

She hugs Daphne to her like she will never let her go, and Daphne tells her she is never truly alone, as she fades from Bloom's arms and returns to the lake.

She whispers to herself and to Daphne "We will be a family again, I promise."

Bloom knows one time in her life she was truly alone: when she was trapped under Cloudtower.

Every time Valtor and the Trix left her in the dark by herself, she was completely alone, cut off from the rest of the dimension.

She used those times when she was alone to make her escape route, but if she has anything to say about it, she will never be alone again.

* * *

When she wakes up in her bed in Asgard, she is wearing her fairy dust pendant, and knows the dream was so much more than a dream.

When she gets outside, she starts to tell Thor and Loki about the dream, when her phone rings.

She answers it, slightly annoyed, and hears Stella's voice.

 _Come to Solaria._

"What? Why do you want me to-"

 _Just come over here, Bloom. It's a surprise._

"Ok, but there's no way I'm doing your version of a spa day Stella. By the way, I've got some amazing news for you."

She hangs up, and looks at her brothers.

"Sorry guys, but if I don't go, then Stella will never let me hear the end of it."

Loki says "Go on, you can tell your friends about your talk with your sister as well."

" _Our_ sister. You two are my brothers, so she's your family to."

They smile at that, the fact that Bloom thinks of them all as her family, no matter the fact that none of them share blood.

She hugs them, and then changes her clothes to what she wears in Magix.

She opens a portal, and then she and Ember go through it.

She is in the palace courtyard, and King Radius directs her to a room with a closed door.

He says he doesn't know what Stella is planning, but that she said to send Bloom to the closed door when she showed up.

There are a bunch of spells on the door, to mess with her sense of heat and magic.

She warily opens the door, with a fireball in the hand behind her back, and using her sight spell.

The room is pitch black, until suddenly the lights all come on and ten voices yell "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLOOM!"

It nearly gives Bloom a heart attack, but she will take this surprise any day over other possible ones.

She immediately puts out the fireball behind her back, as Stella runs forward and hugs her.

Musa and Flora join in, and she returns it hard - because she actually forgot it was her birthday.

Techna isn't good at showing her emotions, and Aisha isn't much of a hugging kind of person.

Bloom sees Brandon, Timmy, Helia, Nabu, and Riven as well, and she says the surprise party and everyone being together again is the best present of all.

Stella asks "Are you sure? Okay Sky, you can go home then!"

" _Sky?!"_

Bloom has been calling him every day since he was taken back to Eraklyon on some royal business.

He was about to tell her something, but the guard interrupted him and he apparently couldn't say it in front of her.

All her calls went to voicemail, and then the voicemail was full and she couldn't leave anymore messages, which were her asking him to call back and saying she missed him.

When she turns around, the blonde boy is standing behind her, and she crushes him in a hug.

"I called you two thousand times, but your phone was always off, ever since graduation. Where were you?"

"Ever since graduation, I've been on this intense journey, but I'm back now, and-"

Stella coughs, breaking up what Sky seriously thought was Bloom about to get back together with him.

"So Bloom, what's the amazing thing you were telling me about?"

Bloom breaks out in the biggest grin they've seen on her face in a while.

"Daphne came to me in a dream, she says our parents are alive. There's something called the Book of Fate on Domino, it can tell me the fate of all my blood family. My search isn't over!"

Stella throws an arm around Bloom's shoulders, saying "Well, what are we waiting for? We have a trip to Domino people!"

Bloom holds out her hand, with her fairy dust pendant in it.

It catches fire, blue fire, and glows brighter than they have ever seen before.

* * *

In a dark prison, far away from Solaria, or anywhere else, a sword catches fire, burning bright blue.

Not a foot away from the sword, is a statue of a man, reaching for the blade.

Three ancient spirits come out of skulls, disturbed by the fire.

It can only mean one thing: a remnant of Domino's power still burns, and burns brightly at that.

It's the three Ancestral witches, and they are trapped in the prison, along with a population of statues.

They can possess all of them, except for the man close to the blade.

They can't touch the sword either, and it killed all others who went near it.

Mandragora, the Witch of Insects, and Keeper of the Obsidian Circle appears, and offers to snuff the last flame of Domino herself.

The three spirits give her some of their power, and she leaves the prison.

Obsidian is a dark, evil place, where even the criminals of the Omega Dimension fear to go.

It's so evil, that it will literally drain any positive magic in the area, unless the person is highly resistant to darkness.

* * *

 **AN: Here's where the movie picks back up! Guess where they're going next! Also, warning: only Winx Club movie for this story. The others have been replaced by Avengers movies.**


	92. Domino

_**Domino**_

When the group finally gets to Domino, maybe twelve hours later, the entry is really rough.

Timmy warned them to expect some turbulence, but nobody but Bloom could take what they went through.

Bloom was used to being in rough conditions, having rode dragons on Pyros every day since she connected with the place.

So she is the only one out of twelve people not feeling sick, and Ember is in her arms.

The young dragon is too big now to ride on Bloom's shoulders, or sit on her arm - she is one growth spurt away from being too big to carry.

Bloom looks around at the frozen wasteland that used to be her birth planet, and is reminded of Jotunheim more than anything else.

All that's missing is the ruins, and the people that blend in with the dark ice.

Aisha comments on how different the planet looks from the descriptions of it before they were born - it used to be the most beautiful planet in the magical dimension supposedly.

Bloom remembers Daphne's mask, and summons it from her fairy dust pendant.

It floats up, and presses itself to her face, and instantly she sees plants everywhere.

It's like Pyros now, except there are no dragons in the trees.

"Follow me!"

Techna asks "Um, Bloom? Are you sure that's the right way?"

She looks back, saying "I know it sounds crazy, but this mask is showing me the way!"

Stella says "Wow, cool. Is that Daphne's?"

"Yeah, she gave it to me in my dream."

Techna says "Alright, but given the temperature, we're going to have to take the hoverbikes, cool?"

Bloom didn't even notice the cold, being part Dragon has its uses.

Also, she automatically called up her magic, just like on Jotunheim all that time ago, warming herself unconsciously.

* * *

In minutes, all twelve are speeding through the ice, and Bloom is looking around in wonder, because she sees Domino as Daphne remembers it.

It was full of life, just like Pyros, and the comparison to what she saw before fills her with sadness, and determination - she will get Domino back if it's the last thing she does.

After about an hour, they get in sight of a mountain, which Bloom identifies as the Mountain of the Roc.

According to the story, the mountain is really the nest of a giant bird, called the Roc.

Most people don't think it is real, but Bloom has seen too many crazy things to disbelieve the story off-hand.

Supposedly, Oritel built the library on the giant bird, which would explain why it was safe from the witches.

They get to the mountain easily, and Flora makes some giant vines stronger than steel for the guys to climb.

Before the Winx can do anything though, the Roc wakes up to find a bunch of little beings climbing up his side.

He flies off, taking the guys with them.

Bloom can see only one way to save the guys, and she teleports all of them, plus the hoverbikes back to the ship.

Techna flies the ship, literally connecting with the interface to take them to the giant bird.

They aren't fast enough, but Bloom fixes that.

"Fury of the Dragon Flame!"

The ship goes faster than ever, and is covered in fire like a comet.

Bloom herself has a pattern of fire burning over her face like a mask, starting at the corners of her eyes and working its way to her hair.

They catch up with the Roc, and find the guys swinging from the vines Flora made, all hanging on for dear life.

Flora can sense the bird's emotions, and it is scared instead of angry.

Musa sings to it, and everyone feels an immense sense of peace when she does.

The stone colored bird lands back on the mountain, and most of the Winx go hug their boyfriends like they will never let them go.

They make their way into the library, which is between the Roc's wings.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mandragora was flying around Domino, riding a giant insect like a horse, or a dragon.

She is telling herself that the witches are mistake, because Domino is a dead world, devoid of life after the flash-freeze spell combined with a few others the witches cast on the realm.

Suddenly, she feels something very powerful, one last flame of Domino's power on the planet.

Its Bloom, using her magic to make the ship go faster than a comet.

She follows the magic trail, which feels burning hot like the breath of a dragon.

She has no idea how right the comparison is, because the girl she is sensing has the power of the Dragon Flame in her and is half-dragon.

She finds them about an hour later, looking through the library for a single book in a massive collection of them.

Mandragora opens a magical ball, containing a tiny bug, and sends it after one of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Winx and the Specialists are looking through the library, and Bloom is making notes of all the books she still has to go through in her search for Daphne's curse.

Eventually, they find a podium with a very thick book sitting on it.

There's no doubt about which book this is: The Book of Fate.

Bloom opens it, but after a second, and a few pages, she shakes her head in despair, as Stella asks if its bad news about her parents.

"I don't know! I have no idea what it says!"

The book is a mass of scribbles, and a voice emanates from the pages.

"You don't have to."

A ghostly man in a suit and monocle emerges from the book, startling everyone - Bloom draws her sword and takes a few steps back.

"Don't worry Bloom. I'm Lord Bartleby. I was your father's scribe and now official keeper of this book. I've been waiting for you for many years young princess."

Bloom's look of suspicion turns to one of hope.

"You know who I am?"

"Of course Bloom, and I am so happy you are well. When the witches attacked Domino, your father risked his life to protect this book."

"You knew my parents? Please tell me, are they alive?"

"See the book."

He waves his hand, and the symbols on the page magically float up, and form a picture.

It's her birth parents' wedding picture, they look so happy, and Bloom sees a world of strength in both their eyes.

Bartleby turns a few pages down, and the picture show Bloom's birth parents with a smiling baby - it must be Daphne.

They all look incredibly happy, and then the page goes to a picture of a girl with pale hair in curls holding a baby and smiling like an angel.

Daphne is maybe ten in this picture, twelve at the most, and Bloom looks like a newborn.

Riven hears a rasping voice calling his name, and goes to investigate.

Stella asks to see more pictures of baby Bloom, but time is running out and there is something he has to show them.

He turns a page, as Stella says she'll take a raincheck on the pictures, and the page has a picture of the Company of Light.

They all look young and strong, but the next page has nothing about what happened in the final battle.

When Oritel and Marion disappeared into Obsidian, along with the entire population of Domino minus two, even the Book of Fate can't say what happened to them.

Bloom fears this means they are dead, but Bartleby says it just means they are lost.

Bloom thinks the book is another dead end, but Flora has another idea.

The book shows the fates of all members of Bloom's blood family, so it must say something about hers.

If her fate is to save Domino, the book can tell them how to do it.

Bartleby says the information can be dangerous, but if Bloom wants to, he will show them her fate.

She has to know, so he turns the page.

* * *

 **AN: Any guesses on how well Mandragora will fare against Bloom hand-to-hand? Keep reading to find out! PS. Daphne's age was just a guess, I have no idea how old she actually is - nobody ever says.**


	93. Prophecy

_**Prophecy**_

Instead of making a picture though, the symbols on the page turn liquid, and start moving.

"Curious. It seems your whole fate is tied to an old prophecy, passed down from the first rulers of Domino. _At the crossroads of endless paths, demons of stone lead to the abyss of a caged people. One connected to all dragons and a king without a crown will save a lost kingdom, and the six of the fellowship that defends light will shine with dazzling strength in the evil darkness. And what was lost, will finally be found."_

Bloom's mind is going through possibilities.

She is connected to dragons, all kinds, but she doesn't know a king without a crown.

And if the line means the same person, they are screwed, but she says "I don't understand. What does _this_ have to do with my parents?"

She puts her hand on the book, and the symbols go back to a picture of an evil face in a rock formation; and it's almost like the book screams at her.

The picture's eyes glow red, and it surges up at her, like it would like to hit her over the head for being so slow.

Stella says "I think you hurt the book's feelings. And Bartleby, your fading like a cheap suit."

"My time in this dimension is running out. When pages are added to the royal family history, I will be back, to put them in the book. It has been a great pleasure serving you, my princess Bloom."

Bloom stops him before he can disappear, asking "Bartleby, what does the last page of my future actually say?"

He turns the page, but the symbols simply spin in place and disappear.

"Hm, it says nothing princess." "Nothing? But what does that mean?"

"It means, princess, your future has not yet been written. You're the only one who can write the ending to this story. Don't you forget that, ever. Goodbye."

Bartleby bows as his ghostly body floats into the air and turns to light, going back into the book.

"Bartleby, wait!"

* * *

Suddenly, Riven comes stumbling in, and collapses to the ground, knocking the Book of Fate off the podium.

It closes itself after a second, and Bloom picks it up carefully.

Musa kneels beside her boyfriend, and Bloom sees a bug bite on his neck.

"Give him room, don't crowd over him."

She puts two fingers on his neck, feeling his pulse, and when her fingertip brushes over the bite, she feels something wrong, like dark magic.

"Let's take him back to Alfea, maybe Professor Palladium can help."

Brandon and Sky carry Riven onto the ship, and Musa refuses to leave his side the whole flight back.

Bloom has a bad feeling about Riven's collapsing, and tries to use her magic to figure out what's wrong, if not fix it.

She can't tell though, all she finds out is something is different about him.

At Alfea, Musa is trying to get Riven to respond, and Stella says "Musa, relax, he's fine. I bet he'll be up in no time."

She accidentally steps on the lever that flips the bed up into a sitting position, and Riven is suddenly sitting up groaning.

"Hey look! I cured Riven!"

Musa hugs her boyfriend, and Brandon says "Welcome back Buddy. We really missed ya."

Riven opens his eyes, and his pupils get huge, so much that they can't see his purple irises.

The only one whose pupils can do that is Bloom, and that's because she is part dragon.

Helia holds up his hand, and asks how many fingers he is holding up - and back in Obsidian, Mandragora answers for Riven, saying "Two, but I am most definitely not your buddy!"

Riven repeats the sentence, word for word, shocking everyone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom, Flora, and Aisha are talking with Mrs. Faragonda, telling her what they found.

Faragonda recognizes the name Obsidian, it's a place even worse than the Omega Dimension.

Fear, pain, and darkness are what makes Obsidian, it's like a nightmare.

Bloom thinks it couldn't be any worse than what she already goes through in her own head, but doesn't say this out loud.

Faragonda tells them that anyone who enters Obsidian is lost forever, consumed by pure evil.

She is looking out the window, and suddenly sees something very alarming.

A bright light shines through, and she has to look away.

Bloom knows what is happening, it's what she is paranoid about happening: they are under attack!

The shield around the school, which Bloom has always been able to sense and feels vaguely trapped under, is shattered by a woman riding a giant bug.

She has spikey, black hair, and a pointy face to match.

She uses the power the Three Ancestral witches gave her, and makes three portals out of flies, summoning gigantic bug-creatures straight out of some horror movie.

One looks like a creature of the dark, but tan, one is a giant worm-thing, and one looks something like a grasshopper-octopus mix.

It has tentacle-like extensions on its limbs, and all three creatures would be enough to give anyone but Bloom nightmares.

The guys, minus Riven go to help fight, and so do the Winx.

The giant replica of a creature of the dark attack Whiz-giz's class, and squishes him.

Everyone but Murda runs, and she attacks the creature.

She is calling on dark magic, when Whiz-giz stops her, and then squishes the bug back by jumping above it and transforming into an elephant.

Palladium is fighting the giant worm, and nearly gets eaten, except Helia saves him.

He holds the worm still, while the others and Palladium cut it to pieces.

Faragonda is about to fight the giant blue bug, when Hagen blocks its tentacles with his sword.

"Hagen! I can take care of myself you know!"

"I do. But you'd better take care of that witch as well. The name Manddragora sound familiar?"

"Mandragora? Here? Impossible!"

She goes running down the hall, and the three fairies go after her.

Bloom catches up first, asking "Who is Mandragora?"

"Run! This is not a good time for explanations!"

Mandragora is destroying Alfea, so Stella, Musa, and Techna go out and confront the weirdest witch they have encountered yet, with Stella saying "Any friends of big creepy bugs are no friends of mine!"

"Run from Mandragora, Keeper of the Obsidian Circle! Giant nightmare swarm!"

A swarm of bugs attacks the three fairies, and Techna puts up a shield, but it fails after a few seconds.

They ae knocked to the ground by a swirl of insects, and Mandragora is having a blast.

Grizelda shows up, and makes a shield against the witch, but it fails after maybe three seconds and she collapses.

She says Mandragora will not win, and then the witch goes on a rant of how she has the power of the Three Ancestral Witches.

Before she can finish, her bug-mount is blasted to the ground by a burst of green-yellow energy.

"What? Who dares?"

* * *

 **AN: Seems Bloom has something that says Domino will be restored - if she can find a king without a crown. Seems she's got a mystery to solve, but nothing gets past her for long. Any ideas what her reaction to the attack on Alfea will be? Keep reading to find out! PS. just got home from college for the hurricane. drove three hours solid, listened to 1989 by Taylor Swift three times through in a row. Very happy to have eaten something.**


	94. Restoration

_**Restoration**_

"Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear it was Alumni weekend around here." Faragonda, Bloom, and Flora are floating there, and the headmistress looks really mad. "Faragonda, I'll get you! But first you'll have to deal with my insects! Swarm and Attack!" Aisha draws her attention to the side, asking "What? You mean these?" She points to a mass of Morphix bubbles, each containing an insect. The Winx attack, but Mandragora's body turns to insects, dodging each attack. Stella, Musa, and Techna join their friends, and they do a convergence. Flora makes a group of tall vines sprout from the ground, turning up four stones between them. Techna makes a wall of electricity inside the barrier, Aisha makes a Morphix trap that wraps around the witch's legs. Stella and Musa make an attack using their elements, and Bloom entraps the bug witch in a fiery dragon. Mandragora grudgingly admits the power isn't bad, and Bloom says "Mrs. Faragonda, we got her!" "Don't let go Bloom! I don't know how you crawled out of that hole, but by the power of all that is good and light, I order you to return to your abyss!" A massive explosion of light bursts from between Faragonda's hands, and Mandragora disappears, saying "Bloom! Bloom, she's the one I was looking for!" The words chill Bloom to the bone, but when the light fades, the bug witch is gone.

Alfea is completely destroyed, and Faragonda suddenly faints, falling to the ground. Hagen catches her, as Bloom and the others were flying for her. Palladium searches the whole school, but only finds one pack of healing potions, and Grizelda's arm is hurt. Faragonda is fine, just exhausted. She used up too much of her magic at once, and is sleeping now.

Meanwhile, Bloom is sitting on some broken steps, scratching Kiko's belly with one hand and rubbing Ember's neck with the other. "Some fairy, huh you two? I try to find my parents, and instead I manage to wake up an ancient evil that was supposed to be buried forever: those three witches. Their so _horrible._ Why won't they just go away?" She puts her face in her hands, and Ember and Kiko jump off her legs and go over to the book. "You think the book knows?" Ember nudges it towards her in response. She picks it up, and the book opens to the picture of her parents' wedding photo. It suddenly shifts, showing her a picture that gives her hope for her own love life: she and Sky, and her smile is full of pure joy. The picture also shocks her, and the book goes flying off her knees, and the picture vanishes when it hits the ground. She sits there for a second, seriously confused, until a familiar voice comes out of nowhere. "Why so doomy and gloomy Bloom?" Bloom smiles, instantly recognizing that high-pitched voice. Another voice adds "No, no, Bloom. It's when things are the worst that you have to look on the bright side." "Pixies, where are you? Come on out." Lockette appears in front of Bloom, and the bonded pixie and fairy hug. The rest of the Winx come running out, when they see who Bloom is hugging. They get to their pixies, and start talking. Chatta talks Flora's ear off in a few seconds, Tune says she is proud of Musa, and Techna and Digit take a picture. Bloom asks if they came to cheer them up, or for another reason as well. The rest of the pixies from Pixie Village show up, with food and healing potions.

A few minutes later, everyone gathers in a circle, the pixies between the fairies and teachers. They all focus, and combine their magics, and Alfea is restored. The buildings are fixed in a wave of magic, and afterward everyone is relaxing. Faragonda comes out, using a cane for support. She tells Bloom she still believes in her dreams, and that it is very important to be around people who believe in you. There are many people in Alfea who truly love Bloom, the Winx, the pixies, the guys, and she should trust in them. Bloom leans her head against Faragonda's arm, saying "Alright, I will." She is tired, but she knows what she has to do. She loves them all, and so she can't put them in danger again. All of Alfea was destroyed because she went looking for her parents and stirred an ancient evil. Now she has to put that evil back to rest, but she refuses to let it near her friends again.

Meanwhile, those very witches, along with Mandragora, are watching the whole conversation. "So, the power of Domino is not contained in an object, it's within a person! Just a fairy!" Mandragora says "Yes, an annoying fairy named Bloom!" "Bloom!" another witch says "King Oritel's surviving daughter! Daphne saved her, before we could kill her!" "I wanted to kidnap her from Alfea, but it was impossible. She had too many strong friends and allies, like Faragonda and Hagen." The third witch says "Faragonda and Hagen, from the Company of Light! May they burn forever, for exiling us to this awful dimension." "Not for long sisters, now we wait for them to come here, and fall right into our trap." "And that Riven boy will be useful. My insect poison worked perfectly, and now he is my puppet, ready to do whatever I say." She already feels a sense of triumph, but the witches start talking to one another, about how they can't let the Dragon Flame burn them, and how the prophecy will not be fulfilled.

The next morning, the Winx, except for Bloom, are talking in their dorm. Musa has no doubt that they should help Bloom, and Stella is with her. Techna points out the fact that unless you are pure evil, the place will drain your magic to nothing, making their chances of succeeding zero. Flora is hesitant, but Musa overrules it, saying Bloom is their friend, and they can't let her down. Then all of them realize they haven't seen Bloom all day, and then they realize what she must be planning. Ever since she was taken by Valtor for two months she has been clingy and overprotective, along with ultra-paranoid. She keeps her emotions in check, by walling them off, to make herself less recognizable as the fairy of the Dragon Flame. She freaking stopped dating Sky so nothing bad would happen to him because he was with her. So her going off to the most evil place in the entire Magical Dimension alone to protect them doesn't seem crazy in the slightest; just Bloom's way of saying she cares about what happens to them. But it's really annoying when they are trying to help her with something really dangerous that she would insist on going with - to the point of spelling herself to them. Luckily, they know how to read her enough to guess what she will do.


	95. Endless Keys

_**Endless Keys**_

Bloom is talking to Ember, saying "Alright, calm down. I need you to be good right now. You have to go back to Asgard, I don't want you getting hurt."

Ember gives a thrum of protest, asking her not to go.

"Ember, it will only be for a day or two, three tops. We both know I can take care of myself, and I need you to be safe, alright?"

Ember nods after a second, and licks Bloom's face with her tongue, which is rough as sandpaper.

"I know, I'll miss you to, but I will come back, I promise."

Bloom hugs her dragon to her chest, and then Ember sits on her arm - wow she is getting too big to do that.

After giving her one last long look, Ember shoots a fireball into the air and opens a hole in space to Bloom's room on Asgard, with the painted walls and bed like the giant nest of a dragon.

* * *

Bloom puts the hoodie up, carrying the Book of Fate in her arms.

She considered zipping it up, activating the magic she wove into it, but dismissed the idea.

Now, she wishes she did - because she was looking down, and then a familiar voice asks "And where do you think you're going?"

She looks up, to see the rest of the Winx standing there.

She sighs, and looks down, saying "Winx… I'm going to Obsidian. I have to go there, and go alone."

Musa says "Yeah, yeah."

Aisha adds "Let me guess."

Flora finishes with "You didn't want to put anyone else in mortal danger, right?"

Bloom is amazed and grateful that her friends can read her so well, because she doesn't want to have to explain how bad things happen to her all the time, and even more so to the people around her.

She trusts them all with her life, but she can't risk theirs, leader or not - not like this.

"The Ancestral Witches are all still alive. And they're in Obsidian."

Techna says "Right! And if they're working their evil magic,"

Stella finishes the sentence "then as guardian fairies, it would be irresponsible of us to not stop them."

She goes over to Bloom, who is looking down at the ground.

"Admit it, you didn't want to go alone anyway. Now c'mon, let's get a ride from those cute boys."

Bloom is glad her friends found her out, because she didn't want to go alone.

She was just willing to so she could protect her friends.

They take two steps, and then Chatta asks "Where are you all going?"

The pixies are standing there, looking eager to help.

Bloom and Stella look at each other, and Bloom thinks _Uh-oh._

* * *

Later they are on the Owl, with Techna explaining their plan.

First, they need to find the Black gate, the portal to Obsidian.

The Pixies point out the fact that the Gate was locked years ago, so they will need the key from a special tree in Pixie Village.

The Pixies cheer, happy that they can help.

The Winx all dive off the ship, Bloom letting herself go into freefall for a second, and go to Pixie Village.

When they get to the tree though, all the portals are keyholes, and too small for the fairies as they are.

The rest of the Winx shrink down, but Bloom can't - her Enchantix is incomplete.

Techna says they can handle it, and Bloom makes herself relax a little, remembering what Mrs. Faragonda said about trusting her friends.

Some pixies offer to go with, but Bloom says "How about we stay out here?"

Lockette immediately picks a keyhole, and when Techna asks if she is sure it is the right one, she says "Well, you know all about crazy gadgets, and I know portals!"

They go in without another word, and find themselves in an endless cylinder of keys.

Outside the tree, Jolly does a magic trick, while Bloom was making an image out of a flame in the palm of her hand.

It startles her, but after a second she starts laughing.

Jolly does the trick again, making a bunch of colorful orbs shoot out of her jester's hat, but two of them come back for her!

She flies, but they are fast little orbs.

She goes into a random keyhole, and then fire shoots out of one, they hear a crow calling, and then the pixie comes out of a different keyhole.

She flies a few feet, stops, and spins around, catching the two orbs, and throwing them into a keyhole.

She looks in cautiously, asking "Are they gone?"

Suddenly, there is an explosion in the keyhole, and orb-colored sparkles burst out - answer, yes.

* * *

In the tree, the Winx and the pixies are falling, there was an explosion!

Next thing any of them know, they are on the ground in a sea of keys.

Aisha says "Oh no! the keys are all jumbled up!"

Chatta says "Lockette, can you find the right key in all this mess?"

"Yes I can!"

The pixie of doorways takes her key, and points it all around, then takes a deep breath.

The Winx all start encouraging her, and she says "Will you guys please chill? Its right over there!"

She points to a golden key with a diamond shape for a handle.

They all cheer, and Bloom couldn't be prouder of Lockette when they get out of the tree.

The pixies agree to stay at Pixie village after that though, because Obsidian is too dangerous to take them with; the very reason Ember is on Asgard right now - after the adventure is done, Bloom will contact Ember and the young dragon will open a hole in the air to her.

A few hours later, they are on the way to Obsidian, with Bloom checking she has everything she might need: sword, knife, fighting staff, gun, bag.

She has all her weapons, along with her wits, and her friends. What more could she need?

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry I haven't updated in a few days. the power went out last night in the hurricane, so, well, all stuff went off. As for the story, good thing Bloom's friends can read her well enough to know what she'd likely do next! Keep reading to find out what happens in Obsidian! PS. Any guesses on how much Bloom, raised to fight and take care of herself, will enjoy royal life if this goes right?**


	96. Obsidian

_**Obsidian**_

When they get to Obsidian, it is a bleak place that reminds Bloom very much of the cell Valtor and the Trix stuffed her in.

The only difference is she isn't drowning in stale magic, there is space to move, and she is crushing Sky's hand in hers.

They find the keyhole, in a block of rock that looks exactly the same as everywhere else they can see.

The Winx's powers are already starting to drain away, even though they have not technically entered the place, and everyone is glad the pixies aren't here; because the pure evil here could actually kill them.

Bloom puts the key in, and after a second there is something like an earthquake.

The rock next to the one with a keyhole slides into the ground, revealing a portal of black gunk.

The Winx all step up to it, but none of them really want to go in, it looks disgusting and poisonous.

Bloom says "Oh for Magix's sake, I'll go first!"

She touches one finger to the black goo, and then it starts climbing up her arm.

Stella says "Ew, that is so gross."

"It's not that bad, it doesn't hurt at least."

In truth, the stuff is ice cold, but it doesn't bother Bloom.

* * *

The rest of the Winx follow one by one, but before Musa can go through, Mandragora appears and attacks them.

The guys fight her, but she orders Riven to seal the gate on the Winx.

He does, shocking everyone but Mandragora.

The rest of the guys are distracted by the gate being sealed, effectively trapping the Winx in a place that will either kill them or corrupt them with darkness permanently, and Mandragora seals them in green goo, like a cocoon.

Musa tries to blast Mandragora, but Riven is still under the spell and knocks her out with his sabre.

Her last word before fading to blackness is his name, and he holds her on his lap, spelled or not.

Mandragora doesn't notice her hold on him weakening, talking about how Obsidian will be his new home.

She tightens the goo surrounding the rest of the Specialists, and Riven remembers all the things he and Musa did.

A jet-black tear runs down his face, and the spell is broken.

His eyes are purple again, and he yells "You'll pay for this Mandragora!"

He slashes at her with his sword, taking her by surprise and freeing the guys.

They all get ready to fight, beating the bugs back and Sky puts the key back in the lock.

Riven helps Musa up, as she groans "I'm a fairy, I know how to protect myself. What happened to you Riven?"

"Mandragora had me under a spell. It made it hard to know what I'm fighting for."

"And have you figured it out?" "I'm fighting for you Musa."

They kiss, and the portal opens.

Mandragora disappears into it, and Sky rushes in to go find Bloom and the rest of the Winx.

* * *

The Winx have been trapped in their fears, but Bloom got lucky and was only stranded and not locked away - she doesn't know why, but she's incredibly grateful.

She watches history, watches her birth parents fight the witches and win.

But they came back out of the portal at the last second and grabbed Oritel.

Marion used a little magic, and put herself in her husband's sword, rather than be separated from him.

The sword went flying into the portal after Oritel, and Bloom draws her own sword and lights it.

The light illuminates the figures of four girls in dresses or tops and skirts lying on the ground unconscious.

They had to face their fears as well, which they all explain.

Stella was disappearing, Flora was being attacked by zombie plants, Aisha was attacked by her own Morphix, and Techna lost all the data in the Magical Dimension, only to find it and be overloaded by it all at once.

Bloom says "Well now we're here, which means we're conquered our fears. The witches have to be close."

They come to an area with millions of statues, and one is reaching for a sword that is burning bright blue; the same color her pendant turned.

There is only one reason why there are so many statues here, and why one looks like Oritel: it's the people of Domino turned to stone!

Three spirits fly over, both like and unlike Daphne.

Bloom instantly recognizes them, it's the witches!

The Winx try to fight, but most of them have already lost their powers from the pure evil of the place.

One witch tried to possess Stella, but she forced the evil spirit out of her body.

The Winx fall to the ground, unconscious, because they are giving in to the darkness around them.

Bloom's powers haven't faded for three reasons: she is extremely resistant to darkness after being turned evil by Darkar, she is even more stubborn than her father, with every bit of his iron will and even more from Pyros, and finally, she has the source of her magic in her body, so it will never fade.

The witches try to get her to destroy the sword by raising the flame, but Bloom refuses; doing that would kill her birth mother and destroy anything left of Domino.

The witches try to fight her, even try possessing her body, but they can't have her father's and they can't have hers either.

Sky shows up, and pulls the sword from the rock it is trapped in.

It shocks him, because only a king who is pure of heart can wield it.

As far as Bloom knows, Sky isn't a king, and she practically begs him not to try.

Her heart feels like it has shattered, and she nearly listens to the witch who says "The sword, it killed Sky! All the more reason to destroy it."

Bloom looks around, near tears.

"My friends, Sky, you're all hurt because of me. If I had left, come here alone, then none of this would be happening."

She calls on the anger stored in her sword, as a tear traces its way down her cheek.

A rush of fire goes through her veins, and her body catches fire, both from the anger in her sword, and the rush of emotions breaking through the barrier she made around them. Her eyes turn orange, and she blasts the witches, making them scream and flee.

Mandragora shows up, because the witches called her.

She grabs Bloom around the neck, but then immediately regrets it when her arm goes numb from the crushing blow Bloom deals her.

The three witches inhabit Mandragora's body, but quickly realize they are somewhat outmatched in ferocity.

Bloom is beating them to a pulp, both with magic and her fists.

Then, Sky runs them through the chest with Oritel's sword, and Bloom blasts them with everything she has.

She lets out the full power of the Dragon Flame, and Obsidian explodes in a burst of fire.

The witches are gone, they have to be dead; but the Winx are not and neither is Sky.

Bloom hugs him hard, burying her face in his shirt like she needs to be sure he is real.

Her wings are flicking back and forth with relief, and Bloom tries to hold back a sob.

Sky strokes her hair, and says "Bloom, I'm fine. The sword just needed to know that I actually am a king is all. Also, I think I talked to your mom."

Bloom feels something between a laugh and a sob rising in her throat, so she asks "How can you use the sword? Only a king can use it and your father is still-"

"Actually, I'm the king-in-training. It all started the night I was taken by the guard, and I never got a chance to tell you afterward."

Before they can say anything else, the statue of Oritel starts to move.

* * *

 **AN: Looks like the Witches and Mandragora messed with the wrong fairy. That doesn't exactly spell easy times for Bloom when it comes to being a princess though. SHe's been trained to fight and do battle since she could lift a blade at around age five - not go around in a dress and heels and play the part of a pretty face. Uh-oh, Bloom might've gotten herself into a bit of a mess here.**


	97. Domino's Alive!

_**Domino's Alive!**_

When Bloom and Sky separate and look over at Bloom's petrified birth father, he isn't petrified anymore.

His face is moving, breaking away the layer of stone covering his body.

He stretches, breaking away all the stone.

They end up in a grassy plain, along with all the people of Domino, and the now awake Winx.

Daphne appears, because Bloom called for her, telling her the news.

She also calls Ember, who appears in less than five seconds.

Daphne hugs them, and Marion asks "Daphne? What happened to you?"

"More than I could possibly explain. All that matters now is that you're free. And it's all thanks to Bloom."

They look over to see Bloom hugging Ember like she will never let her go.

Oritel says "It can't be…"

Marion adds "Bloom? Our sweet baby girl."

Bloom hears her name and looks up, fortunately she is still wearing her sunglasses so they see normal pupils instead of her slits for pupils.

Bloom flies over, and hugs them as well, and Ember sniffs Marion and Oritel immediately.

"Um, Bloom? Who is this and why is it sniffing us?"

Bloom starts laughing, saying "This is Ember, I hatched and am raising her. She likes you!"

They hug again, after Ember sits on Bloom's shoulder and licks Marion appreciatively.

She rubs her head against Bloom's and Daphne scratches Ember's head, having met the baby dragon before and liking her a lot.

* * *

That night, there is a ball in celebration of Domino being brought back to life.

All the staff at Alfea comes, along with Griffin, Saladin, and Hagen.

They are overjoyed that Domino is finally back, and ready to catch up with old friends.

The Winx are there as well, in beautiful dresses picked out for that night special by Stella.

Hopefully Bloom's will survive to another party, assuming nothing goes wrong.

Bloom and Marion walk down the staircase, and Bloom is in a deep blue dress with her tiara.

Marion tells her she is a beautiful young lady, but Bloom frowns at that.

"Mom, there's something you have to know about me. I'm not exactly your average princess, or your average fairy. It's not just the Dragon Flame, I did something to better protect it, and myself."

Before Bloom can go any further, Marion stops her, saying "Bloom, what you are is not important. It's who you are, and you are a strong, brave, loyal girl. From what I saw of your fight in Obsidian, you would do anything to protect the people you care about, and that is far more important than any choices you have made to be able to do that."

Bloom smiles, and then nearly tears up because Marion reminds her so much of Frigga.

Oritel joins them, and then tells Bloom of an old Domino tradition where the king dances with the princess.

They dance, and then Bloom goes over to her friends while Oritel talks with some official looking men.

Stella asks if they can dance, and Bloom says "Stella, I would never deny you the chance to dance."

They all pair up with their boyfriends, and Bloom dances with Sky.

Even though they technically aren't dating, Bloom's whole body lights up with desire for the entire dance.

She can't think of anything, until Oritel comes over with around five different men in uniforms.

Bloom immediately stiffens, not recognizing them, and her hand automatically reaches for her knife before she remembers that Stella insisted she not wear the belt.

Fortunately, she still has her staff, but the dress will be ruined if she takes it out - which would bring down the wrath of Stella for sure.

Oritel says "I was hoping this could be saved for after the party, but, Bloom, these men are going to be teaching you princess etiquette. Most princesses in the magical dimension learn from them when they are very young, but given the fact that Domino was attacked, they feel that you should learn now."

Bloom doesn't speak for a good five seconds.

When she does say anything, its "Uh, what? So they're going to teach me a bunch of rules and protocol and stuff that I have to follow until I'm queen of wherever, and I get no say in whether I have to do this or not. Is that about right?"

Stella and Aisha crack up, they were too young to realize what they were in for and only Bloom can pack complicated ideas and situations into nutshells like that; and she usually does it sarcastically too.

Now it is Oritel's turn to blink, he didn't expect that response.

Daphne just obeyed him without talking back, even if she didn't much like what he was telling her to do.

"Look, they will show you everything, how to act, how to dance, all you have to do is pay attention. And if there is something more important, the lessons can be postponed."

Bloom doesn't want to make a scene, not on the night she finally freed her planet, so she reluctantly agrees.

Much to Stella's delight, the dress Bloom is wearing survives the night and is hung back up instead of burned.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, another update coming soon though! Bloom and her mother are getting along well - which is good because I really didn't want to take Frigga away from her, but I couldn't find a way to make the story still fit. Season 4 coming up shortly, any guesses as to how screwed the Wizards of the Black Circle are?**


	98. Royal Life

_**Royal Life**_

The next day, Bloom sits through her first class, and is absolutely disgusted by it.

She explained to her birth parents about Pyros, Ember, and her special connection to the planet; and the fact that she wanted the knowledge to be kept secret.

That would be why she took them into her room and spelled the door so anyone listening couldn't hear.

So that morning, she is in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but is told to change into a dress.

And then, maybe five maids come and try to help, including washing her; she doesn't take that so well.

One of the maids picks out a dress for her to wear, but it is far too tight for Bloom's taste.

They go back and forth, ending up on a simple dress that gives Bloom freedom to move under it.

Much to the instructors' dislike, Ember stays with the princess for the whole lesson.

He can even see Ember watching him with what seems like a predatory gaze - but it's just her watching him.

When they tried to have the animals removed, she said "Ember stays, or I don't."

The look in her eyes, and the tone of her voice leave little room for doubt that she means it, so the dragon stays for a very boring lesson on how to act in court.

* * *

Bloom stops listening after about five minutes, the stuff is completely pointless.

From what she can gather, princesses are supposed to be wallflowers unless they are spoken to, and then they are supposed to nod politely and give an answer that likely has nothing to do with what they actually think or feel.

When that extremely pointless lesson that was grating on Bloom's nerves more with every second is finally over, next is dancing practice.

The teacher for that is some prince from a planet Bloom has never even heard of.

He's a brunette with greased-back hair, and Ember immediately dislikes him, and Bloom agrees.

He reminds Bloom of a weasel, aura and all, and he can't even dance - he keeps stepping on her feet.

The final straw is when he tries to kiss her, he ends up face down on the floor in less than a second with Bloom's sharp knee digging in between his shoulder blades.

"If you _ever_ try that again with me, or my friends, I swear you will not like what happens."

"And I'm supposed to like this?"

"Yes, all your bones are intact. Lesson's over."

She teleports off him, and out the door, disgustedly changing her dress back to the outfit she was wearing before, adding her belt as well.

Ember hisses at the prince before flying after Bloom, making him gulp.

When Oritel hears about Bloom's reaction in the lesson, he goes to find her.

Bloom calls the prince a weasel, and they discover they share the same temper when Oritel loses his.

It takes a while but Bloom loses hers as well, shocking Oritel nearly speechless.

Daphne's a lot more mild-mannered than Bloom is.

Bloom is fiery and independent, and she isn't afraid to say what she means.

He discovers this when she screams that the lessons are a waste of time, and then storms off, leaving burning footprints in the floor.

He only realizes she was on fire when the torches around him start lowering and she goes through a shadow.

Marion walks in, and calms him down, saying Bloom is very different from Daphne and that she is very similar to him.

In truth, she is just as stubborn and iron-willed as Oritel, which means they will likely be arguing a _lot._

He goes to find her, and finally succeeds when he passes the training ring and sees two guards stumbling out of the door covered in bruises.

When he asks what is going on, one guard says "Princess Bloom. She's really angry and is trying to let it out. When the guard captain said she had to leave, she issued a challenge: she'll leave when she is beaten fairly. So far, she hasn't been beaten, and she's let as many people take her on at once as volunteer."

He looks in, and finds Bloom in workout leggings and a tank top, with her hair in a braid, holding her sword in one hand, and dodging blows from a ring of guards surrounding her.

She's more a blur of speed than a person at this point, and the blows land on thin air.

As Oritel watches, his daughter takes out twelve different guards at once, lethally and precisely.

They will be fine, but they are covered in bruises, along with the rest of the roomful of people; including the guard captain.

When she is finished, he walks over, asking "What is going on here?"

"What do you think, father? I'm working off some steam."

She goes over to a punching bag, and starts beating it to a sandy pulp.

"By beating the guards black and blue?"

She points to the guard captain, saying "He said I should leave, because 'the training ring is no place for a princess.' I said I would leave if I was beaten. We fought, I won. So he sent some other guards to fight, I still won. Challenge still stands though."

Oritel doesn't really know what to do, the fact that Bloom can beat up the entire guard makes him both proud and worried.

Why she learned to fight that well is a question for another time, right now he has to get her to stop beating the guards to a pulp.

He offers to challenge her, and after a second of staring, Bloom accepts.

She wins, it takes a good half hour, but she wins.

Oritel is taller and has been sword fighting far longer, but Bloom is fast as lightning and knows moves that he has never even seen.

The fight is over when Bloom catches the large sword with one hand and holds it up to Oritel's forehead while her sword blade is under his chin, and all the guards are just staring at the two in total silence.

Bloom leaves after that, apparently having worked out her anger.

When Oritel next finds her, she is in the library, wearing jeans and a shirt, along with the belt he noticed earlier.

She is reading spellbooks, and Ember is sniffing the pages from her lap.

He walks over, but before he can even clear his throat, Bloom says "Daphne's curse. I'm going to break it. That's far more important than getting terrible dancing lessons or hearing a bunch of dull rules that I will hate and chafe under and get in trouble with."

Oritel agrees, and postpones the lessons until Bloom either gives up or finds the curse and breaks it; and from what he has seen, Bloom never gives up once she has set her mind to something.

* * *

One day, she has a nightmare, and stays in the library for the whole day, when the Winx come visit, along with Sky, he questions them about it rather intensely.

They don't get very far into explaining when Bloom walks in, and she explodes verbally and nearly magically when she figures out what is going on.

It's the worst fight the two of them have had yet, and she spends the rest of the day in the training ring - much to the guards' dismay.

Stella tells Marion everything that happened to Bloom during their second year that they know of, and asks her not to tell Bloom she knows.

Marion explains to Oritel, giving him a new understanding of his second daughter.

He makes a bet with her that she can't learn something complicated like the ancient language of Domino - but she simply does a spell and now speaks the language fluently.

Unfortunately, she made up the spell on the spot, and now speaks it better than anyone else on the planet.

Now, Bloom has two languages she can speak that nobody else can understand: Dragon and Domino.

She also discovered that she can communicate with any reptile, and speaking Dragon usually works well.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like Bloom and Oritel are more alike than they thought - too alike, maybe. Also, Bloom's not your typical princess in a dress and heels - not who Oritel and Marion thought she'd grow up to be. Thank you Asgardian childhood, she's been using weapons since she was five and learned battle strategy 'til she could plan out an entire battle realistically. You'd think Oritel would be less prideful and more proud of her. Think they're ever gonna work it out? Read to find out!**


	99. Back to Alfea

_**Back to Alfea**_

Bloom is overjoyed when Techna calls her saying they were offered teaching assistant positions at Alfea a few weeks later.

She misses the school, and finds the royal life cramped and stuffy.

Also, after her nightmare, her father was watching her like a dragon watching its prey.

She hasn't gone to another princess lesson, because there are so many spellbooks to go through.

When she was called off Domino, she cast a spell on her bag to connect it with the royal library, making a book disappear and end up in her bag.

When she is finished going through it, she says or thinks the activation word for the spell, and the magic in the bag sends it back to Domino and gets a new one.

The beauty of this is, since the magic is pre-done, it is completely untraceable; and like all her pocket dimension spells, it is coded to her magic.

Only she knows the word, and only she can make the spell work; like putting her knife in her belt sheathe, or taking it back out, or grabbing her bag at her side or sunglasses that are always on her face.

All Bloom has to do is focus on the ghost sensation, but anyone else would have to do a long and complicated spell to even detect the hidden items.

Again, she is extremely paranoid and will floor someone if they grab her; so nobody had better grab her.

* * *

The Winx all meet at the front gate of Alfea, and they all hug.

Ember went through a growth spurt on Domino, and now she is more the size of a medium sized dog with a very long tail.

When they step inside the campus, they are greeted by a mob of students, asking for autographs of all things.

Bloom didn't bring a pen, so she runs her finger over the paper, leaving a burn mark on the page that is her name.

She does have her drawing supplies, which are always in her bag, along with some other stuff like herbs from Pyros and a spell on one pocket that makes an endless amount of food.

Stella makes an enchanted pen, that signs her name, while Techna and Musa say that just because they beat Valtor, Darkar, and the Trix doesn't mean they are famous.

Bloom agrees, and quickly excuses herself, pulling Stella out of the crowd.

They meet Grizelda, who shows them up to their new room in the teacher's wing.

Mrs. Faragonda meets them in her office, and shows them something very special.

She gives them each a key in the shape of a pair of Enchantix wings, their own wings.

The keys open the doors to the Hall of Enchantments, a part of the school none of the Winx have ever been in before.

They each take a key, and walk through a mirror that disappears when it is hit with some magic from the keys.

When they get inside, they find a whole collection of books, along with holographic pictures of themselves, Bloom included.

Mrs. Faragonda shows them a thick book, called the Book of Fairies.

It contains information on all the transformations they can achieve, and the next level for them is called Believix.

With it, they can affect people's feelings, change their hearts.

Bloom wanders down a hallway, while the rest of the Winx look at the pictures of them in the Book of Fairies.

She is looking for books to search through, for a way to break the spell on Daphne, but ends up finding something very different.

She looks down the hall, then to the side, and nearly has a heart attack when she sees a picture of the Trix.

She turns around, and comes much closer to having a heart attack than before - because there is a picture of Valtor not a foot in front of her.

"Breathe Bloom, it's just a picture. It can't hurt you."

Her pounding heart and the memories trying to get her attention say otherwise.

She moves on, recognizing the Ancestral Witches from her dreams of Domino being destroyed, and Darkar.

Mrs. Faragonda finds her, and explains that this hall contains all the enemies of the Magical Dimension.

Bloom finds a picture covered by a sheet, and pulls the cloth down, revealing a picture of four men in black outfits.

* * *

One has shoulder length hair and a goatee even redder than hers and a pale complexion, which looks relaxed, and he's definitely different from anyone she's ever seen.

Another has skin the same color as Aisha's and hair to match, except his is in dreads and is pulled back.

The third has long platinum blonde hair even paler than Stella's, a black cowboy hat, and a cold expression.

The last one has a pointy face, and magenta hair in spikes.

The African-American one has dark eyes, maybe dark brown, the spikey haired one has golden eyes, the blonde has red eyes, and the red-head has dark blue, almost grey, eyes; almost black, really.

Bloom singles the red-head out as the leader, she doesn't know why but she is sure; she can read people like books after all.

There is a plaque under the painting, with the symbols for 'hunters' 'dark' and 'circle' in the cold metal.

The symbol for dark could also mean black, depending on the context, but Bloom doesn't have any time to wonder before Mrs. Faragonda leads her away from the painting, saying some things are better left forgotten - Bloom couldn't agree more with that sentiment, especially after going past Valtor's picture again.

Later, they are standing outside the door to their class, and Techna shows them a hologram program combined with a teleporter - and makes green pixilated images of the guys!

Sky isn't there, he is still on Eraklyon, but the rest of the guys are, and Brandon has a message for Bloom from Sky.

It says he misses her, he hopes she has a good time, and that he'll try to come soon.

Grizelda slams open the door, and sticks her head through the hologram, making it look like she is wearing Sky's royal clothing!

Bloom sputters, and then they all burst out laughing.

They all go into the classroom, where around twenty students are waiting for them.

One girl with hair as blonde as Stella's in long ponytails is looking bored, and doodling in her notebook.

The rest of them watch as the fairies demonstrate their powers, Flora makes a flower pin float into the air, and then out bursts dozens of flower petals.

Stella makes a ball of light that flies up into the air, and explodes into a million little motes of light.

They all go out to the courtyard, where Techna has set up an obstacle course of sorts.

Staying fit is a great way to get stronger, and the obstacle course is to make it more fun.

Flora, Aisha, and Bloom go through the obstacle course, but before they do the blonde girl from before throws something in one of the obstacles.

* * *

It is a colored fireball, made for celebrating special occasions.

She doesn't think the Winx are so great, just a bunch of spoiled princesses and wannabes.

So she decides to play a little joke on them, just to take them down a notch.

She joins her friends, and puts the fireball's box in a little pocket in her friend Alice's backpack.

Flora goes through the course first, and then Aisha rides a Morphix surfboard through it.

When it is Bloom's turn, she goes through easily, stopping at the spinning flames, and then flying forward, changing back to normal, doing an acrobatic flip, and changing back and entering the last obstacle - making the crowd go nuts cheering for her.

Clarisse, the girl who put the fireball in the obstacle, activates her surprise; and the obstacle explodes with light and smoke.

Bloom ends up on the ground, covered in smoke and burn marks, and coughing to clear her lungs.

One piece of the obstacle she was in is heading straight for six students, so she uses her magic to stop it.

She blasts it, and then keeps coughing, because it feels like she just tried to breathe in toxic gas, and it _hurts._

She blacks out on the grass, feeling Ember's alarm and sensing people coming toward her.

* * *

 **AN: And, here's season 4 people! Hope your ready, because things are about to pick up again! PS. anybody think Bloom's going to guess it wasn't Alice?**


	100. Attacked Again!

_**Attacked Again!**_

When Bloom wakes up, the first thing she feels is Ember sniffing her face and licking it.

The next thing she feels is a bed under her and one very sore body.

She sits up, and Ember shifts over on the pillow to make room.

"Take it easy girl, I'm fine."

Stella comes in seconds later, along with the rest of the Winx, except for Techna.

"Bloom!"

The fairy crushes Bloom in a hug, and nearly blows Bloom's ears out talking.

"Ok, slow down. I'm alright, it was just the smoke and shock."

Musa angrily adds "And a stupid prank from a student."

"What? What do you mean?"

* * *

They explain, while Techna and Mrs. Faragonda confront the student who seems guilty: Alice.

She says she didn't do it, and she didn't, but the box the fireball was in was in her bag so she is taking the blame.

She is expelled, and will leave tomorrow.

Bloom doesn't think she did it though, Alice seemed interested and sweet, unlike the girl who was sitting in front of her: Clarisse.

She says as much, and Flora goes to find her, while Bloom insists on looking at the Book of Fairies in the library.

They didn't want her doing too much, but looking through a book isn't hard so they agreed.

Meanwhile, Alice is leaving the school early; if they didn't believe her now, they won't believe her then.

She is crying as she leaves, but hears a door opening and hides behind a column.

Flora walks out, looking for Alice.

Bloom's instincts are almost always spot on, and she is convinced Alice didn't do it.

And since Techna can be kind of harsh at times, Flora went to find her and get her side of the story.

Suddenly, a portal opens in the air, and four men come out of it.

Bloom would say they look like punks, and they kind of do, with all black outfits and metal studs on the hems.

The red-head, with scarlet hair even more vibrant than Bloom's, says "So this is Alfea, the famous fairy school."

Flora is suddenly sorry the shield around Alfea was never put back up, because she can sense the dark magic coming from them even from here.

The African-American guy looks at her and says "Hello."

She takes a deep breath and asks "Can I help you? Are you looking for someone?"

She goes closer, even though her head is screaming that it is a very bad idea.

The redhead steps forward, reminding Flora of what Bloom would do, and says "Maybe you can help. We're looking for a girl named Bloom, she's an old friend of ours."

"I may not know all of Bloom's friends, but she wouldn't be friends with you."

Flora is backing up now, trying to imitate Bloom's trick of teleporting on a thought.

She picked up their tricks fairly easily - manipulating plants, etc.

But they could never do illusions nearly as well as Bloom, or her teleporting.

It takes a certain mindset that they don't have.

The blonde glares and says "I don't like that fairy attitude of yours!"

He stomps the ground, and a crack opens up, knocking Flora off her feet.

Flora is scooting away, going to get Bloom and their friends immediately.

But the red-head opens his hand, and shoots out a beam of purple energy, hitting Flora's neck and lifting her off the ground.

"Now, now, let's not lose our temper Gantlos. I'm sure she'll tell us. Where's Bloom?"

"I'll never tell you!"

"We'll just see about that. Anagan, Gantlos, Duman, split up and search the school. I don't care what you have to do or who you have to hurt, just find her!"

He drops an unconscious Flora to the ground, as the other three men run in different directions.

* * *

Alice saw the whole thing, and runs back inside to look for the rest of the Winx.

She finds them in the library, with Ember sitting on Bloom's lap awkwardly - she's starting to get too big for it.

"Bloom!"

Stella shushes the gasping girl, because they are in the library.

"Bloom…you have to come quick…four wizards outside…looking for you…they've got Flora!"

That's all Bloom needs to hear, and she's off.

The rest of the Winx have to sprint to keep up with Bloom, who is running like she used to on Pyros; full sprint, a blur of orange and blue.

She makes it out to the courtyard in record time, and slides on her knees to Flora.

While the rest of the Winx catch up, Bloom puts two fingers on Flora's neck, making sure her roommate is still alive.

They crowd around her, and only Bloom notices the four men appear in front of them.

"Alice, come here."

The young girl comes beside her, and Bloom says "I don't think you did the prank Alice, but that's not important right now. You want to help us?"

"Yes, what do-"

"Take Flora to the infirmary, Ember will go with you."

Ember makes a protesting growl, but Bloom looks at her and they have a silent conversation.

Ember makes a fireball, and shoots it beside Bloom, making a hole in the air leading into a hallway in Alfea.

Alice drags Flora through in a second, and the hole vanishes.

* * *

Bloom looks up, and is somehow not very surprised to see the four men from the painting she found.

She stares at them with suspicion and anger, reading them, sizing them up - and making no secret about it.

She's not just reading their body language, she's reading their auras as well; and finds exactly what she already thought she would find: they're trouble.

Finally, she asks "What did you do to Flora?"

The red-head Bloom picked out as the leader says "She wasn't very cooperative. Maybe you can help. we're looking for a girl named Bloom."

Her eyes flash orange with an emotion they can't read, but neither her face or her voice give anything away, as she casually asks "Yeah? Why ya looking for her?"

"We're old friends."

His aura says he's lying, but she already knew that.

That line is exactly what Valtor said years ago, when he first talked to her on Andros, and the parallel makes her want to laugh, or throw up, or maybe beat them to a pulp; likely the last one.

Her expression does change now and her voice, which held casual disinterest, hardens as she says "Right. Now how about one of you other three tell me the real reason, because your _no friends of mine._ "

Her voice almost sounds feral, and one half of her upper lip is lifted in a snarl.

The four men look shocked for a moment, but the red-head says "We found her!"

Bloom yells "Enchantix!" and suddenly all five girls are transformed.

* * *

 **AN: Any guesses on how badly the Wizards are going to get beaten - figuratively and literally - by Bloom with her paranoia and her strength from Pyros? Keep reading to find out!**


	101. In and Back Out

_**In and Back Out**_

They fly up, and attack the four men, but they are too fast for anyone but Bloom to hit or track. They move like lightning, but Bloom does as well, after her first target moves. The red-head comments on their wings, and how they are what makes a fairy so special. The spikey-haired one adds that it's almost a shame to rip them off. He then goes for Bloom, but she blasts him into the ground, making a gouge in the grass. Bloom is glad she got Alice and Flora out of the way, because the spikey-haired wizard is a shapeshifter and he can turn into any animal of his choice - meaning he is likely carnivorous. The blonde goes for Musa, who makes a shield. He kicks it, sending her flying into a column.

Some students and teachers come out, attracted by the noise. Bloom yells "No, go back inside!" The red-head says "You all heard her, everything is fine, now go back to sleep!" He throws a blast at the window, but Bloom blocks it with a shield of her own, and it holds. Before he can wonder at this, she makes a large ball of energy and throws it at him, making an even bigger gouge in the lawn using his body than she did with his friend's. He is vaguely sore, but gets up and dusts off his arm. "Well that felt good." She lands in front of the Winx, and takes another shot at the red-head, who just absorbs it into his own body. "I have bad news for you Bloom. The Wizards of the Black Circle can't be hurt by your fairy powers." Bloom has just about had it with these four, and her body catches fire. _He can absorb my attacks huh? Well let's see if I can overload him._ She uses a good part of her strength, and gathers it in her hands. When she releases it, the attack is a massive fireball that can destroy anything in its path. They absorb it, but barely. If she used much more power, they would've been overwhelmed. When the smoke clears, they are still standing, but look like they just went through an oven. The red-head says "You have no chance against me." The four of them would wonder just who they have picked a fight with, except they are sure Bloom's the one they are after, so the red-head makes a ball of energy using the strength they got from her attack but she does a flip in the air, dodging it.

She lands, and stands protectively in front of her friends. "I've been waiting for you for a very long time Bloom. The Black Circle welcomes you." The four guys touch fingertips together, forming a half circle and a portal of dark energy opens around them. It is pulling at all the fairies, but specifically at Bloom. The Winx's powers are turned on them, Musa hears deafening noise, and everything goes black for Stella. Bloom grabs onto her best friend's shoulders in a hug, yelling "Don't let me go Stella!" Stella's arms wrap around Bloom, trying for dear life to hold on to their friend and leader. "Don't try to resist Bloom, let your destiny unfold!" There is no way Bloom is not fighting tooth and claw, as Stella finds out when Bloom strengthens her grip on the fairy's arms. But Bloom starts to slip from the hug, and Stella screams "No, hang on Bloom!" "I'm trying!" Bloom's grip is white-knuckled on Stella's arm, and then her wrist, and then thin air.

Before she can go into the portal, she grabs her sword, and jams it into the ground. She holds onto the hilt, and uses the knife, to pull herself away from the portal. She channels Pyros more desperately than ever before, and her muscles are filled with strength and fire. Her wings start going so fast none of them can see them, and she makes progress against the pull of the portal. When she gets to a column, she holds onto it, sheathing her sword and knife. When the Wizards see what she is doing, they are all shocked and annoyed - they never encountered someone so determined not to give in. The red-head makes a beam of magic pull her to the portal, but she wraps her arms around the column, and bricks start flying toward them instead. She finally goes into the portal and Red, as Bloom is calling the leader until she learns his name, says "Finally, we've captured the last Earth fairy!" _Earth? So they don't know about the Dragon Flame?_ Before the Wizards can get too happy, Bloom is thrown out of the portal hard, landing a few feet away, shaking and feeling seriously sick. She could almost puke, but clamps a hand over her mouth just in time.

The African guy asks "Hey, Ogron, what's happening?" The portal closes, and now Bloom has a name for Red, or rather, Ogron. She takes heaving breaths, trying to stop her body from revolting. "The portal has rejected her, she's not the one we're looking for." The blonde says "Yeah, but she was using so much magic on Earth somewhere, maybe she knows who is." Ogron goes over to her, and the first thing that comes out of her mouth is a sarcastic "I was born on Domino you morons. Any _friends_ of mine know that, seeing as I was adopted." The glare she gives them is enough to make Ogron stop for a moment, because they have never seen someone look so ferocious. He then picks her up by the neck, a _really_ thin neck. He holds her up, surprised at how light she is; and because he is taller than her, her feet are a good three feet off the ground. "Tell me Bloom, who is the last Earth Fairy?" His fingers are digging into Bloom's throat, they completely surround it, but she takes a breath and chokes out "Wouldn't tell you…if I knew." She can feel the dark magic burning her neck, as Ogron says "Fine, any last words?" "Just three. Let. ME. _GO!_ " Bloom channels Pyros with every word, and when she hits Ogron's elbow, it is with a strength that would powder a rock. As it is, she nearly dislocates his arm, and she swings her feet up, hitting him straight in the chin and freeing herself from his grip and doing a double flip and landing on her feet. His whole arm went numb with her blow, and now he swears he can taste his own blood. He goes flying, not able to absorb any strength from that.

The blonde wizard with the black hat helps him up, and says "I say we should destroy her and her friends so they won't stop us." Before Ogron can agree, because he can tell Bloom and her friends will be a problem, she throws her hand out and a wall of fire blocks the way between them and the Winx. Stella runs up to Bloom, and sees the angry mark on Bloom's neck, from Ogron's dark magic. "Get everyone inside Stella, I'll handle them." "Bloom, our magic doesn't work on them, how are you going to-" "Who said anything about magic? Get everyone inside, and whatever you do, don't let the students see this." "Oh, well, don't let me get in the way then." Stella flies back, and starts getting everyone in. The rest of the Winx help, and in seconds all the people are inside, making the four men worry about who they picked a fight with. Bloom changes back into her human form, and the wall of fire fades.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, blondie said the wrong phrase. Now they're going to find out just who they messed with. Maybe she'll pound some brains into their skulls. Then again, maybe they'll just keep trying. Read to find out!**


	102. Beat to a Pulp

_**Beat to a Pulp**_

She says "You want them, you'll have to go through me."

The four would start laughing, except she is in a fighting stance, and her body is stiff as a board; also, she is glaring at them with pure ferocity in her eyes.

As they watch, she blazes orange and they can sense most of their magic burn away - she has Healing powers then.

They start to think that coming for Bloom was a really bad idea, on top of a total waste of time.

They have been hunting her for over a year, having sensed her in the universe Earth is in every night for four months before she vanished.

They first started looking for her when they sensed her three days in a row in the universe, and then she stayed in one spot for four months the next year, before vanishing here.

Ogron says "Fine. Anagan, go through her."

The African guy smirks, and says "With pleasure."

He speeds over, so fast, Bloom can only keep track of him using her sense of heat.

She hasn't stopped channeling Pyros, and when Anagan throws a punch at her, she dodges it easily.

After three blows to thin air, Anagan's fist connects with Bloom - when she catches it in her rock-hard grip, and then squeezes so tight he can feel the bones in his hand cracking.

He tries to get his hand out of hers, but it won't budge.

"What the…?"

Bloom has a dangerous smile on her face, one that spells a lot of pain for him - it's the kind of smile you get when you know you're going to win, and win hard.

Before even he can react, Bloom deals him a series of blows to the chest with her free hand, stunning him and nearly breaking a rib.

She then throws him to the ground, in a very sore pile of numb limbs and a jacket.

"I've fought people like you before, I'm not that impressed."

* * *

The blonde goes next, stomping his foot on the ground, aiming a seismic wave at her.

But suddenly Bloom has disappeared, and then Anagan yells "Gantlos, she's behind you!"

 _Three names down, one to go._

Bloom teleports behind Gantlos, as he tries to hit her, then teleports back again, having a little fun messing with him.

When he tries to clap his hands together, she hits him in three specific points on his arm: his wrist, his elbow, and his shoulder.

These are where the main nerve centers are located on the arm, and Gantlos never knows what hit him.

One second he is about to hit Bloom with a seismic wave to send her to the ground, the next she is gone and his arm is hanging limply at his side.

He realizes this, and then he feels a heel like a crowbar slam into his stomach in a spinning kick faster than lightning, sending him onto Anagan.

He is now also extremely sore, and Ogron says "Duman, distract her."

* * *

the guy with a pink Mohawk, Duman, changes into a black bear, while Ogron teleports over to Anagan and Gantlos.

Anagan groans "This is different. We're on the losing side for a change."

Bloom, is doing backflips, avoiding bear claws, and then jumps into a hole in the air she makes, landing on the bear's back.

"C'mon you big ball of fur, let's see what you can do!"

She hangs on hard, as the shapeshifter thrashes around, transforming into different creatures to shake her, exhausting himself in the effort to get her off him.

Both of the beaten Wizards stare in shock at the sight of Bloom riding Duman like a rodeo bull - this is getting fairly ridiculous, who the heck did they pick a fight with?!

* * *

Ogron doesn't get the chance to help Anagan or Gantlos, because Duman yells in the psychic link they made _Guys, there is something wrong with this girl! Oh shoot, heads up!_

Bloom's hand started glowing, and she lets her magic flow over the exhausted bear, levitating him and then sends it flying straight into Anagan and Gantlos! Duman hits them straight on, transformed as a bear again and massively heavy, crushing them painfully.

While Bloom was hanging on, she was using a spell called Dragon Strength to hang on easily as he thrashed and slammed himself around; so now three Wizards are extremely sore, two having just been crushed by a giant grizzly bear.

The only reason it didn't hit Ogron is because he teleported to the side, and now he's mad, along with seriously worried about who they are fighting.

He is vaguely impressed, Bloom just beat three men to pulps in less than two minutes.

But he is more annoyed, and takes a shot at Bloom; but suddenly she is not there, and he feels his knees get kicked from behind.

He falls to his knees, but blasts behind him.

He doesn't see if it hits, but the lack of a body hitting the ground gives him an answer.

He gets up and manages to grab Bloom's wrist, which he quickly realizes is the worst mistake he's made in a lot of years.

He figures this out, when he is face-down on the ground a microsecond later, feeling like he might have a few broken bones, and with something burning hot against the back of his neck.

He has no idea how he got on the ground, with his face buried in the dirt and Bloom's extremely sharp knee digging in between his shoulder blades, and one arm pulled behind his back hard.

He focuses on the burning hot object on his neck, and it feels like it could be metal.

 _What the heck?_

He is pulled from his thoughts when he feels Bloom lean closer to his head.

He hears her voice, the words like drops of fire instead of chips of ice, hiss out "Make a move, Ogron. Better choose wisely."

The burning object presses down in warning, and after a second, Ogron teleports over to the other Wizards and then teleports them all away.

Before he leaves, he takes one last look at Bloom, who is glaring at them with a burning knife in her hand and a protective look on her face.

He recognized her attempt to protect her friends, he just didn't think it would actually work.

Normally, that would be suicide, but given the fact that she just beat them all to a pulp, it wasn't.

 _That girl is trouble. And has seen lots of it. And where did she get the knife from?_

When the four men disappear in a puff of black smoke, Bloom says "Good move."

She stows her knife in the sheath at her hip, and then walks back inside.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like they got a very hard lesson. Next time, don't say your going to kill Bloom's friends when she's in earshot - she's not so easy to beat as they thought. PS. the only reason they won the first round is because Bloom didn't reveal the Dragon Flame to them.**


	103. How?

_**How?**_

That night, the Wizards are still recovering from getting beat to a pulp by a fairy who looks like she could very well be a ghost.

Anagan and Gantlos got the worst, having been crushed by a giant bear that only changed back into a human body maybe a minute later.

They all have massive headaches, along with an impressive array of bruises of all kinds and colors.

Gantlos can feel his arm now, and he wishes he couldn't; it feels like Bloom tried to dislocate it.

Ogron's arm, the one that was holding Bloom up by her neck, feels similar, except its focused on his elbow.

Duman feels like he was forced to run for miles, and Anagan is beat up, and took the most weight, along with the most hits.

Gantlos groans "Ugh, how can a girl, with that small a frame and no muscle mass, beat us up that _freaking bad?!_ "

The others agree, and Duman says "Guys, I'm telling you, there is something off about her. I didn't notice it when we were first fighting her, but it was definitely there the second round. Anyone who will ride a black bear like a rodeo bull is not fully hinged. I swear, there was something about her, like she was a predator farther up on the food chain than any I turn into, and it could eat me for a snack."

Anagan says "Now that's just crazy talk. Ferocious expression and dangerous grin aside, I seriously doubt she is an animal - much less an animal that can have you for a midnight snack. She did have a grip like Gantlos's when she caught my fist though."

"Remember her dragon? What did she call it?"

Ogron answers "Ember, she told the girl 'Ember' would go with to take their friend somewhere. Then her dragon growled, and she looked at it, and then it let out a fireball and opened a _hole in the air_. How did she learn to do that, much less teach it to her dragon?"

Duman continues "I don't know, but I swear there is something up with her. If we never have to fight her again, it will be too soon."

The others agree, but Ogron says "We'll fight them again. They don't seem the types to just sit back while evil is around."

Anagan says "True, but they don't know where to find us, or even our names."

"Oh, I think Bloom knows our names Anagan. I told you to go through her, you warned Gantlos she was behind him, and then I told Duman to distract her. And you asked me what was happening when she was rejected from the portal - and she said my name when she beat me. She knows our names, and since we called her the last Earth fairy, she knows what planet we are on."

Gantlos adds "She's a sarcastic smartass. 'I was born on Domino you morons' - she is so lucky I wasn't the one in front of her."

Duman says "Chances are she would have caught whatever blow you were going to deal, and then turned it back on you."

Gantlos agrees, and puts the icepack he was holding to his head back.

Ogron says "Well, she's a powerful sarcastic smartass, I barely absorbed her last magical attack."

Anagan asks "And what makes you think we're going to be fighting them again Ogron? And more importantly, how the heck do we fight her? Because she beat us up worse than anyone has in years - the first blow was to my chest and it disrupted my magic."

Duman sits up, painfully, saying "Jeez, she knows how to do that? If she does that every time we fight, we won't stand a chance."

Ogron says "She beat us to a pulp because we threatened her friends. She was protecting them, before it was about not being kidnapped by us."

Gantlos comments "Ok, lesson learned. Next time, don't say we are going to freaking destroy her friends until she is out cold, tied up, or dead."

Duman adds "Something tells me she won't be easy to kill, or even capture. You saw her pulling herself away from the portal. If she can disrupt our magic with one blow, becoming insanely strong for a girl with no muscle mass, then there is no telling what else she could do."

Anagan asks "And how exactly did she get so strong? Her grip was like iron, and she moved as fast as me. Any ideas?"

Ogron says "I don't know, but I doubt she'll tell us if we ask nicely. In fact, she will likely beat us all to a blood spatter on the ground next time we see her."

Gantlos asks "Did anyone see how she got behind me? One second she was there, the next she was gone."

"She teleported, faster than we can. The only reason I know is because I saw a few embers where she was standing right before I warned you."

They are all still too sore to do much but talk back and forth, they'd gotten elbowed, punched, kicked, kneed, and thrown around all in less than two minutes; and the blows _hurt!_

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but more's coming next - promise! If there are any questions about Bloom's appearance, she didn't starve to death because of the Dragon Flame - but it didn't keep her from getting seriously thin and starved-looking while she was in captivity. she filled out slightly on Pyros, but she was running around so much she doesn't have a drop of fat on her. She's not a skeleton, but she does look like she could gain ten pounds and not fill out at all. And as for Duman's reaction to her now, he's a shapeshifter - so he's sort of an animal, and he can sense Bloom's dragon-side a lot easier than the others. Anybody think they should listen to him?**


	104. Research

_**Research**_

While the Wizards of the Black Circle are licking their wounds, and Bloom left a lot of them, Mrs. Faragonda tells them the story of the four men.

They've been around since medieval times on Earth, the planet they were born on.

They are fairy hunters, gaining strength for every fairy they captured; and their specific prey is Earth fairies.

They see a picture of the four men in ancient armor, almost like it's from Asgard; with Gantlos wearing a helmet, of all things.

The armor looks heavy, and ancient, and Ogron has a sword, which looks really sharp.

They took all the Earth fairies, locked them away in their own home on Tir Nan Og Isle, a place that is on no map in modern times on Earth.

The next day, they have to go to Pixie Village to learn where the last Earth Fairy lives, because Earth is a big place to look for a single girl.

Bloom spends the rest of the day after getting briefed by Mrs. Faragonda looking up every story on the Wizards, everything they have done, every spell and fighting style they are known to use.

She makes a folder titled 'WotBC' and inside are four folders with the Wizards names.

There is a summary document she made, along with a file titled 'How to fight'.

It basically says 'Do not use magic directly on them. Affect the environment instead. Channel Pyros, and start pounding, use martial arts moves, beat to a pulp.'

In the folders for each individual wizard, is their backstory, what she could piece together.

There is also a list of their powers, and every spell the subject is known to use.

At the top of the page, is a summary file, detailing how to avoid their attacks, and which nerve clusters to hit.

For Anagan, it is his knees and possibly ankles, for Gantlos, the arms and legs, for Duman and Ogron, just beat them to a pulp and hope for the best while channeling Pyros.

She doesn't encrypt this folder, because there is nothing about her in it, or anything vitally important that has to do with her family or her friends.

* * *

The Winx can't believe the thing Bloom was so paranoid about happening actually happened; fourfold!

Techna said the possibility of a completely unknown stranger attacking and attempting to kidnap Bloom out of nowhere was almost impossible, and not one but four total strangers attack and try to kidnap her.

Now Bloom has the perfect excuse to stay inside and read spellbooks, whether Stella likes it or not.

By the time they go to bed, she has found just about all the accurate information she can on them, and it is a lot.

They pretty much disappeared around the time Domino was attacked though, give or take a few years.

Their last known victim was Morgana, queen of the Earth Fairies.

Bloom reads up about the Earth Fairies, and fins a lot on them.

Diana is the fairy of Nature, much like Flora, Aurora is the Fairy of the North, Nebula is the Fairy of Peace, and Sibylla is the Fairy of Justice - those four are the major fairies, right below Morgana.

They all have minions, fairies that follow and protect them, much like the useless guard Oritel assigned to protect her even though Bloom can beat them all to a pulp and can easily ditch them if she really wanted to - all it would take is her zipping up her jacket and putting up her hood, or turning invisible and making an illusion of her going around a corner in their sight.

It's pathetic really, that a princess should be able to so easily outsmart the - what, dozen or so? - guards assigned to protect her while she is on Domino.

* * *

She is pulled out of her thoughts when the Winx come into the room with ID's for Earth, including social security numbers and names.

Ironically, Bloom's last name is Scales, which cracks her up by the sheer rightness of it.

All three princesses call up their parents, and each borrow a small gem from the treasury.

Clarisse admitted to pulling the prank, and Alice convinced Grizelda not to expel her, so everything with that turned out all right.

But Bloom is seriously sore, now that the adrenaline from fighting faded, after being put in the portal.

She is covered in bruises, and has a really good headache, which is from the lingering dark magic in her system.

Ember is sitting on her lap, constantly sniffing her neck and licking her face comfortingly.

"I'm fine Ember, he just burnt my neck a little."

 **Thought you couldn't get burnt.**

"He used dark magic. I'll heal."

Bloom keeps typing and saves the file she is working on just as Stella comes in.

Bloom quickly makes an illusion to cover up some of how bad the magic burn on her neck is, its red and raw, but its only hurts of someone touches it, and the illusion soothes it a little.

Eventually, they get some sleep, Bloom talking to Daphne and asking if she knows the four.

She does, but she never fought them personally - which is good because if they attacked her sister, Bloom would beat them even worse than she did.

By the time they get up the next morning, the red mark around Bloom's neck has faded to what looks like a good sunburn, but it hurts a lot if anyone touches it.

Before they go to Pixie Village, Mrs. Faragonda tells the Winx they might want to say hello to someone who came a long way to see them.

When they look out, the biggest thing in the courtyard is a ship from Red Fountain!

* * *

 **AN: Bloom's automatically learning everything she can about the four total strangers that attacked her, 'know your enemy' and all that - Asgardian training, once again coming into play. And, this happens to be exactly what Bloom said would happen: a total stranger would come out of nowhere and try to kidnap her. What are the chances of that?**


	105. Off to Pixie Village

_**Off to Pixie Village**_

When they run out, Brandon, Helia, Nabu, Timmy, and Riven are standing there.

Bloom looks behind them, but a familiar blonde is not standing there.

There is someone on the ship, probably another boy from Red Fountain who drove the ship.

Stella runs into Brandon's arms, knocking him over because she was going so fast.

Helia and Flora talk, but they are both really shy.

Aisha and Nabu talk as well, as Stella describes the four wizards as having bad hair etc.

"Well, they're gone now, so no worries. And all that matters is that in the end, you guys won, and they didn't."

Musa replies "Oh, sure. If you can call knocking us all to the ground winning. They only left when Bloom beat them all to a pulp, and none of us saw what happened then."

Bloom says "I beat them up, they left black, blue, and all on the ground. End of story."

Riven suddenly picks Musa up bridal style, saying "Winning is when you can get back from a defeat and plan victory with people who believe in you."

"Really well said Riven, are you sure you wrote that all by yourself?"

Riven puts her down and fakes outrage, saying "How can you diss me like that Musa?"

He turns around a second later, with a grin on his face, and admits "Okay, Helia wrote it down for me. You know he's better at saying those kinds of things."

Musa laughs and says "Yep." Techna walks over to Timmy, and sees he is working on a diagnostic of the ship they flew in on.

The error will automatically reset itself, and they calculate it down to the second, and then once it does they start kissing, losing their balance and falling to the ground.

* * *

Bloom sighs, thinking about Sky.

They may not be dating, but that doesn't stop her from wanting him, even though it would probably put him in even more danger.

She is glad he isn't here to see her neck though, the burn from the dark magic is pretty obvious, not to mention all her bruises – she heals faster than most, but they're still there.

Brandon asks why she has such a sad look, Riven answers "Duh, she obviously misses Sky, dating or not."

"Well, I'm getting used to it. With the whole King-in-training-thing on Eraklyon, he hasn't had much time for anything else, but I get it. There's responsibilities, protocol, along with a bunch of boring royal nonsense that takes forever to sort out."

She turns around, facing Alfea and tries to hold back a wave of loneliness.

She doesn't see Brandon go over to the ship, but hears him announce the last person on the ship: Sky!

Bloom whirls around, to see all five guys miming trumpets and the door opening to reveal Sky wearing a crown and what looks like a royal cape.

He saunters down, walking stiff-legged and holding his head high in the air.

The Winx are all laughing, none more than Bloom who can't stop even though her sides are hurting from it.

"Oh, please stop. Let me breathe for a second!"

Her face has turned red from laughing, and the sound of her laughter makes Sky's heart thump in his chest.

Bloom has one hand on her knee, supporting herself while the other holds her chest.

He goes and hugs her, and she says "It's so good to see you Sky."

"I couldn't get here fast enough."

Bloom has finally managed to stand up, and asks "So does that crown mean-"

"It means nothing Bloom, promise."

Brandon takes the crown off Sky's head, saying "He's still our good old Sky, a specialist."

Riven jokes around, putting the crown on, while Helia takes the cape-thing from around Sky's shoulders.

Sky notices Bloom's neck, and tilts her head into his hair, trying to get a better look. "Hey, what happened here?"

"It's nothing Sky, he just called some up dark magic is all."

"Let me see, it looks like it hurts."

He brushes his fingers over the burn, and Bloom stiffens but doesn't say a word.

He leaves her neck alone though, because he knows Bloom won't say anything about the pain, just calls on Pyros and pushes through it until it either stops or is so bad she passes out - and Pyros helps stop her from losing consciousness for a long while.

* * *

Mrs. Faragonda comes out, and says it's time for the Winx to go pack, the mission they have is too important.

They leave to go pack, and Stella kisses Brandon, the rest of the Winx hug their boyfriends, Bloom and Sky included, and then the six fairies are gone.

As soon as they are sure Bloom is out of earshot, Sky asks "Well, how did we do?"

The cape and crown was all to throw Bloom off their trail, because almost nothing gets past her.

Mrs. Faragonda says "I really hate lying to my girls, but their defeat at the hands of the Wizards, despite the fact that Bloom won less than three minutes after, is still fresh in their minds. I don't want them thinking I have anything less than absolute confidence in them."

Brandon says "Right, we'll follow them, and when they need us, we'll kick those four creeps' butts back to wherever they've been."

"I can't allow anything to get in the way of the success of this mission. Stay close to them, but far enough away that they don't know your there."

They all nod, and then they realize how hard that will be, not because they will miss their girlfriends, but because Bloom is so hyper vigilant now.

If they follow the Winx around enough, she will definitely notice, and if they use disguise magic there is no realistic way she will not notice.

While they try to think of a way to stop one extremely paranoid fairy, whose theme song should be 'Eyes Open' by Taylor Swift, from figuring out the fact that six guys she knows well have gone to the same place they have and are trailing them to help fight their latest enemies, the Winx pack.

Bloom tells them her idea for finding the last Earth Fairy's home: The Tree of Life.

It is connected to all magic, so any living creature with magic has a spot on its branches.

When Stella asks where the wonderful 'leaf-o-pedia' is Aisha says "It's in Gloomywood forest, guarded by a village of some little friends of ours."

They leave, flying to Pixie Village fast, and Bloom takes Ember with her, because they aren't coming back to Alfea without the last Earth Fairy - also Ember really wants to see Lockette again, because they get along really well.

* * *

 **AN: Nothing gets past Bloom for long, so the guys will have to be seriously careful about following the girls. Bloom's gotten hyper-vigilant ever since Cloudtower, and Nabu's magical signature will make it nigh-on impossible maybe. PS. Bloom and Sky are still really close, she's just trying to protect him in her annoying-to-everyone-else way by trying to keep him out of danger - in this case, to keep something like what Diaspro did from happening again because he's dating her. Killing them both, but Bloom's too clingy by far to not try to protect him - and she'd never stop blaming herself if something happened to him because he was dating her.**


	106. Missing Pixies

_**Missing Pixies**_

When the Winx get to Pixie Village, the place is deserted.

They all think the Pixies are hiding for a second, but Bloom can't sense them anywhere.

There is something in one of the houses though, so they walk over and shrink down, and Bloom gets the weirdest feeling that the entire world just grew a thousand times bigger than her.

She walks up to the house, and then they hear a massive rumbling.

It sounds like a frog-gobbler, and at this size it could easily eat them all in one bite.

Bloom walks in, and makes her fighting staff appear in her hand.

The pink bow around her neck feel constricting, but she isn't as afraid as the rest of the Winx - which is why the bow annoys her for some reason.

The rumbling comes again, and she tracks it back to a room.

"Quick vote: keep going or go back?"

The rest of the Winx answer "Keep going."

She can feel a heat signature around their size coming from a pot. Bloom opens it, and then swings her staff to fend off anything coming out - except there's nothing.

She looks in, and starts laughing, because it's Piff in there!

* * *

When Bloom starts laughing in pure relief, the rest of the Winx look in, and nearly break down in laughter as well.

Aisha gets Piff out of the pot, while Musa comments that it would probably be a great place to hold a recording session.

They all laugh again, until Piff starts squirming and cries out from a nightmare.

They all hear something growl outside, something way bigger than them and definitely not a snoring pixie.

When they get outside and grow back to their normal size, they find a floating figure with a shroud over its face.

Stella distracts it, while Bloom and Musa do a convergence spell that dissolves it.

The pixies are still nowhere to be seen, but now the monster that probably scared them away is gone as well.

They make camp for the night, setting out some tents, and Bloom just uses a bed roll.

She doesn't mind the elements, having spent so much time outdoors on Pyros that it feels perfectly natural to her.

Unfortunately, Stella is not so comfortable, wishing they could have stayed small and slept in the missing pixie's beds.

Bloom disagrees, saying "Yeah, but that would mean splitting up, and with that monster around that's an awful idea Stell."

Piff is still asleep, she hasn't woken up yet, even though it is hours since they found her.

Flora says "I'm just worried about the Pixies, it's not like the to disappear."

Piff starts squirming again, having another nightmare, and then out of nowhere the monster shows back up, destroying some tents.

Ember was lying on Bloom's bedroll, and Bloom tells Aisha to take her along with Piff somewhere safe.

Aisha runs into the forest, and sits against a cliff wall, making a Morphix bubble around herself, Ember, and Piff.

* * *

The rest of the Winx try to fight, but the monster is much stronger than before, and when they try to get a good look under its hood, Flora makes some vines to hold it.

But the monster breaks them, and gives Stella a very good look, by trying to eat her!

Musa was knocked into the bushes near Aisha's hiding spot, and asks "How's Piff doing?"

"She keeps having nightmares! I don't…wait. Why didn't we think if this before?"

She holds up Piff and asks "Where are you?"

As Aisha talks to Piff, Musa tries to help the others, while Techna tries to pull Stella out of the monster's hood as Flora and Bloom hold it open.

It breaks the vines on its other arm though, and pushes Stella the rest of the way into its stomach.

Flora cries into her hands, and Bloom shoots the monster with a ray of fire, knocking it back - and then the creature's stomach starts _talking._

"Hey, you guys, it's me Stella. I'm not gone, and I'm not alone! The Pixies are here as well, and we can feel everything happening."

Flora shouts "Stella and the Pixies are alive!"

Asha finds what she is looking for, a butterfly on the side of Piff's head.

She makes a bubble of Morphix energy in her hand, and traps the creature in it.

It's a Dream-Eater Butterfly, it reads a person's nightmares and turns them to reality.

As soon as it is off Piff's head, the monster dissolves, this time leaving the Pixies and Stella behind. Stella falls to the ground, while the Pixies fly over to their bonded fairies.

Bloom hugs Lockette, Musa asks Tune if she's alright, and then the Pixie asks the same question back, Chatta talks Flora's ear off telling her what happened, and Digit says that if she wasn't already eaten she would have beat it up.

Amorae says "Look on the bright side Digit, at least we're out now."

The next morning, they are taken to the Tree of Life, and Flora can feel it's connection to all magical beings.

Each branch represents another world, and the Earth branch is small and fragile, with only a single bud about to open.

Flora puts her finger on the bud, and it starts glowing.

She discovers the last Earth Fairy lives in a city in California, called Gardenia.

She sees a brown dog, and a bar next to the ocean.

The Winx all fly off, along with Ember and Kiko, who is riding her, promising to bring another fairy for a pixie to bond with.

They make their way to Gardenia, Bloom putting a spell of Ember and Kiko so they won't die in space.

They each brought Mrs. Faragonda a large jewel, which she turned into Earth money, and a lot of it all total.

They have enough to either rent an apartment for a while, or buy a place and figure out what to do from there.

When they get to Gardenia, it turns out to be a pretty big place, so they start looking, with Bloom keeping a hold of Ember and making her look like a large cat.

* * *

 **AN: How much do you want to bet they kept the Dream-Eater Butterfly as far away from Bloom as possible? I know I would've, what with everything she's been through. If you want to see the Wizards try to fight the Winx again, keep reading!**


	107. Love and Pets

_**Love & Pets**_

Somehow, they manage to land jobs at the best toy store in the city for a day, and it pays really well.

But they are stuck in a warehouse sorting boxes, and the one Stella and Flora are carrying breaks open.

Inside is a bunch of stuffed animals that are absolutely adorable and grab the Winx's hearts immediately.

Bloom picks up a white dog, as Flora says "It's such a shame they are going to end up in a dumpster somewhere, just because they're flawed."

Bloom lets a little magic flow to her fingertip, and fixes the imperfection on the dog doll she is holding.

But her magic does more than fix the flaw, it brings the doll to life!

She gasps when it makes a small yawn, and automatically opens her arms in shock.

The little dog has big green eyes, and matching hair on its head, and Bloom decides to call her Belle.

While the other Winx are busy staring at Belle, she animates the other dolls, bringing them to life as well.

Flora ends up with a cute pink kitten with a green flower headband called Coco, Techna with a yellow duck called Chicko, Aisha with a white rabbit in a tracksuit named Millie, Musa with a bear called Pepe, and Stella with a little poodle-like dog she calls Ginger.

But there are dozens more, along with the boxes they came in, so Bloom quickly puts them in her pocket realm, the fairy pets as well.

She was sure the dolls didn't have wings, but with her magic, they are magical pets.

They can't cast spells or anything, but they can fly using little wings on their backs, so they are technically fairy pets.

Mr. Rooney doesn't see the pets, and gives them a bonus for clearing away all the boxes so fast.

* * *

Later that day, after their shift is done, they find a building with two floors.

The first floor is for a business, with the second floor used for living quarters.

It has six bedrooms, a living room, and two restrooms on the second floor, and the first is basically one room with a wall separating the front from the back area.

They use most of the money they got by turning the jewels into cash buying the place, because Bloom had a fabulous idea for how to take care of the rest of the animals she brought to life: have people adopt them and sell products for caring for them.

Anyone who doesn't like them can walk away, and the people who do want them now have a little magic in their lives.

It's a great way to help bring magic back to Earth, and they can look for the last Earth Fairy in the process.

They make a bunch of furniture, both for the ground floor and for their rooms.

Bloom and Stella move everything for upstairs into the living room up there, to be sorted later.

Techna works on the electrical wiring, while Aisha and Musa clean by spelling some mops and scrub brushes.

Flora decorates, along with Stella and Bloom when they get back down.

Once everything is cleaned, they start levitating stuff all around, and soon the place looks like a fully functioning pet store, complete with pets.

Bloom immediately got the boxes out, along with the living dolls that are their new pets.

They start flying around, checking out all the new spaces, and Ember seems jealous of Belle - Bloom scoops her up and tickles her until she starts thrumming and spurting out fire.

Techna connects the last plug, and the whole room lights up, and all six girls cheer.

They call it the Love & Pet Shop, and make the sign right above the automatic glass doors.

Bloom will greet the customers, and make sure they have everything they need, Flora will make delicious and healthy meals for the pets, Stella will groom the pets, Musa will teach them dance routines, Aisha will be the pets' personal trainer, and Techna will manage their website.

* * *

They go upstairs to decorate their rooms.

Techna has a sparsely decorated room, but she has a ton of diagrams for new inventions she is working on, none of which anyone but her and Timmy understand.

Musa puts a bunch of instruments on the walls, and has files of sheet music for each.

Flora has about twelve different flowering plants, from all different planets in the magical dimension.

Aisha has workout equipment everywhere, she actually moved her bed up so she could put a treadmill under it.

Stella's room is full of pictures of different outfits, and she put a bottomless well spell on her closet to hold her entire wardrobe.

She fully plans on taking the first opportunity to go shopping at the nearby mall.

And Bloom's room is neat and organized, with an herb garden and a big thornbush that was spelled by Flora so it would never run out of berries growing in the window.

There isn't much in her room, a desk with her laptop, the herbs and bush with spikey vines, along with an easel and a good view outside of her window, which is huge and overlooks the park.

There is even less stuff in her room than in Techna's, she put in a massive television and a bunch of tech from Magix.

Bloom's is technology free, except for her laptop, but it just leaves more room for books and a nest for Ember and now Belle.

That night though, they all sleep in the living room in sleeping bags, exhausted but incredibly glad that they got the whole place finished.

Opening day is in a few days, and they have to be ready.

They have all the equipment they could need, along with a few dozen pets to adopt.

* * *

 **AN: And, in case anyone was wondering how I'd make my story fit with Season 4 - here it is! Bloom's a total softie when your not on her bad side - i.e. at the pointy end of her sword in a battle. She's impossible to fight, unless you can fight someone who is 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' strong at will and not get pounded instantly - but if you push the right buttons, the ones Ember always manages to push, then you see the girl underneath all the armor.**


	108. Energy

_**Energy**_

The next day, they are planning festivities, when a girl with long pink hair with yellow tips comes up to the window with her dog.

So far nobody has done more than look in, even though there is a steady stream of passerby's.

Bloom immediately notices the hair, because there is no way that is a natural hair color, not even after seeing Ogron and Duman's crazy hair.

They probably used magic to turn it that color, so this girl might be the Earth Fairy.

She is nearly the same age as them, fifteen or so – the same age Bloom was when her whole life got turned upside-down.

She puts her hand on the door, and Ginger puts her paws up to the glass.

Bloom watches curiously, until Stella closes the curtain rudely, saying not to peek until opening day.

The girl with pink hair is about to walk away, when Ginger pokes her head from under the curtain. S

he says "Aww, we want to play too."

Unknown to the girl, she starts to sparkle, sending magical energy into the shop.

The Winx sense it, and almost as soon as they do, are thrown back by an explosion of magic.

It's like a less intense, less destructive version of what the Wizards did when they opened the portal to take Bloom.

It knocks the Winx out, but Ember and the pets are fine, in fact, they feel great.

* * *

Ember goes over to Bloom as she gets up, trying to see if she is okay.

She groans, and rubs her head, and says "I'm okay, stop worrying."

She says it with a grin though, trying to lessen the tension.

The other Winx groan as well, and use one or both arms to support themselves.

They don't know what just happened, but Bloom has a feeling the girl who was just here has something to do with it.

When they walk out though, she is gone, and there is no sign of the Wizards.

They can all still feel the energy, it's in their heads, knocking around like a ping pong ball that's way too big and way too heavy.

Bloom says "If Ogron and his Wizards are here, we'll find them. Ember, you look after the pets while we're gone, alright?"

Ember sends a wave of reassurance, and a feeling that roughly translates to 'Kick their butts!'

Bloom laughs, and says she will, and then they do an invisibility spell, before transforming and splitting up in teams of two.

Musa and Techna go one way, Bloom and Flora go another, and Aisha and Stella go a third.

* * *

None of them find the Wizards, but Bloom notices the girl with long pink hair and her dog, which looks a lot like the dog from Flora's description of her vision.

On a bridge, Bloom and Flora see four guys who look like they could be Ogron and the others, but when Bloom gets a closer look it's just four ordinary guys talking.

She and Flora fly off undetected, and they meet up with the rest of the Winx, who found nothing either.

Bloom did see the same pink haired girl from before, but that was right before she noticed the Wizard look-alikes.

They didn't find the Wizards, or the source of the energy, so Techna goes onto the internet.

Within an hour, she has already mastered it, and seen some similarities between it and the MagiNet.

She uses a software to merge the two in the Shop, so they won't need a magical modem for the computers.

Also, she finds a game online and makes a character, and using special commands, get the highest scores and beat the levels in record time.

They talk with Mrs. Faragonda, who reminds them that if the Wizards get the last Earth Fairy, they will be too powerful to ever defeat.

* * *

While the Winx are talking to Mrs. Faragonda, Ogron and the other Wizards show up on a bridge.

Ogron goes on a rant about the city, and then a police car shows up, with two men wondering why the four guys are out in the rain.

When they offer to help though, Gantlos smashes the hood of the car, Duman transforms into a wolf, and Ogron lifts the car easily and blows it up - scaring the two cops witless.

They run from the four Wizards, who are thinking they might have some fun in the city after all.

* * *

That night, the girl from before, with pink hair and a dog, is having the weirdest dream of her life.

She is in a forest that looks like it's made of crystal, and there is a woman floating there like a ghost.

She has big, leafy wings and black hair, and the girl gets the feeling she should know her.

The woman holds out her hand to her, and after a second, she goes to take it, but the woman dissolves into mist.

She doesn't wake up, but her dreams are not exactly peaceful either.

Bloom, meanwhile, is not having peaceful dreams either.

She is dreaming about being held captive by Valtor, but at the Interdimensional portal.

She wakes up when Valtor knocks her out after Diaspro tells her she put a spell on Sky.

She sits up, gasping and covered in sweat.

Ember looks up from her perch.

She tilts her head, making a questioning thrum in her throat.

"I'm fine Ember. It's just a…just a dream."

Her head hits the pillow, and she stares up at the ceiling, thinking she should paint her room like she did on Asgard.

She is already walling up her emotions again, an automatic response from doing it for years.

She whispers to herself "Just go back to sleep Bloom, it's over. It's been over for years. Why are you still messed up about it?"

She can feel tears pricking her eyelids, so she sits back up and wipes her eyes.

Ember looks at her again, and jumps onto the bed, so she rubs the dragon's neck for a minute.

"I'm fine, just tired of these nightmares is all. Go back to sleep, girl."

 **When you do Bloom.**

Bloom chuckles under her breath, and then lays back down on the pillow, feeling much better.

She and Ember share memories of Pyros, and the dreams they have then are of flying through clouds and over brilliant green forests.

* * *

 **AN: And we've just met Roxy! Bloom already has her suspicions about her - seriously, there's no way that hair was normal in the cartoon. Either she turned it that color when she was too young to remember, or Morgana did it at her request. Also, I had Bloom use her head a bit more instead of blindly rushing four random guys standing on a bridge - make sure you have the right target and all.**


	109. Frutti Music Bar

**_Frutti Music Bar_**

Its opening day for the shop, and Musa and Flora are putting all the pets in an enclosed area.

This would theoretically stop them from getting to the rest of the shop, except they are fairy pets and have wings.

Ember is lying under the counter Bloom stands at, keeping close to her.

She doesn't want to stay upstairs just because people on Earth would flip over a dragon, but the customers can't see her because people on Earth would flip over seeing a dragon.

So Ember is hiding under the counter while the customers are around, except for the first three hours nobody comes in.

Techna gets the idea to make a magical website where people can download their pets straight from the computer.

It starts working in minutes, and soon pets are disappearing fast.

While they are watching the screen, a girl comes in wanting to look around.

Bloom shows her around, while the rest of the Winx get to their stations.

The girl loves the place, and in less than an hour there is a massive line leading out to the sidewalk.

The building is packed, and there is no possible room for a break, or even a breather.

Musa is singing her heart out, Aisha is working out, Techna is typing away at her computer, and Stella is busy washing pets and designing adorable outfits.

* * *

Bloom can barely get through the crowd to grab some bottles, when a boy with black hair in his face asks about Musa.

They talk for a minute, and he introduces himself as Andy.

When Bloom reads his aura, she doesn't find anything to be really worried about, and she discreetly slides her hand away from her belt.

Stella and Musa come over, and Stella jokes that maybe Bloom is finally going to date someone again.

Andy looks at Musa, saying "Actually, I was wondering about you. Your voice is amazing, and I'm in a band that's playing at the Frutti Music Bar tonight. I was wondering if you all would like to come, maybe sing a few songs?"

Stella says "It's a date, for sure."

Bloom is just glad the guys aren't there, Brandon and Riven would get so jealous, likely Sky as well.

She walks Andy out, and unknown to her, the Wizards are watching a few dozen feet in the air with really angry expressions.

They're still sore from Bloom beating them to pulps, and are covered in bruises that are turning green-yellow - after a lot of healing spells.

Well, they aren't completely unknown; Bloom can feel someone watching her, and the four men turn invisible just in time as Bloom looks around and then up.

She chalks it up to paranoia and goes back inside to keep working, but with a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

Unknown to everyone, a portal opens up in Gardenia Park, and six guys come flying through it.

They land on their faces on the ground, apparently the portal was really sudden.

But Timmy can't get the technological portal to shut off for a minute, and the six Specialists are nearly sucked back in to Magix.

Timmy finally gets the portal closed before anyone sees them.

Unfortunately, they didn't bring anything in the way of money like the Winx did, and they aren't supposed to be here anyway - so they can't ask their girlfriends for help.

They start walking through the park, and Nabu draws their attention to the fact that blending in will be pretty hard in Red Fountain uniforms and his purple robes.

They quickly figure this challenge out when they find a group of twenty people staring at them.

Sky ends up pawning the Seal of Eraklyon, which is the only thing all six of them have that will get them any money.

They have a month to get it back, and they plan on doing exactly that.

They don't get much for it though, but they will get the ring back.

* * *

Later, at the Frutti Music Bar, Andy and his band are playing.

A guy named Mark is on guitar with Andy, and Rio is on drums.

Musa gets up and tries out Mark's guitar, shocking all three guys when she plays a few riffs expertly.

The axe is pretty good, but she's seen better in Magix.

Riven gets jealous, thinking Musa was flirting with Mark, even though he knows Musa is a natural at any instrument she touches.

Brandon pulls his shoulder back down, warning him not to blow their cover.

Sky tells him that he has to trust Musa, and then sees Bloom talking with Andy.

Nothing happens, and since they are technically not dating he shouldn't get jealous, but the feeling comes anyway.

After a second she leaves, Sky read her lips and she said she needed to find her friends.

Later, the Winx are enjoying smoothies and fruit salads, with fruit that isn't anywhere in Magix.

They order six more smoothies, and Stella jokes that the vitamins are good for her hair, making the waitress think she is full of herself; it's the girl with pink hair!

* * *

The man who owns the bar is named Rick, and the girl with pink hair is his daughter Roxy.

Aisha and Stella get Musa up on stage as Andy ends his song, so she can sing one.

Riven nearly goes ballistic at this, but Brandon pulls him back down.

As Musa sings a random song, Roxy's dog, Artu, starts barking at the loud music.

Roxy calms him down, unconsciously using her magic and sending out a positive energy wave.

Bloom and Stella feel it, and Bloom goes over to investigate.

She sees Roxy calming her dog, and makes the connection.

Later, they are waiting for Roxy to get out, except the rest of the Winx don't know it's her.

They all think the source of the energy wave is the girl who was right in front of the counter, not the girl calming her dog they didn't see behind it.

Bloom didn't get the chance to explain, and the random girl gets cornered by the Wizards when she leaves.

To get their attention, Bloom does the first thing that pops into her mind: she makes one of the Wizards' hair catch fire.

It happens to be Duman, and the scared girl surrounded by four floating men who are glowing purple actually starts laughing.

He frantically pats out the flames, and the four men look around - knowing only one person they've met could do that.

She saves them the trouble, asking "Back for another pounding fellas?"

They don't waste breath answering her jibe to get their focus on her, just open the portal.

Ogron yells that they have the last Earth Fairy, but Bloom says "Small problem: she's not the Earth Fairy."

She has a grin on her face, and the girl goes flying out of the portal, and Bloom teleports and catches her.

Bloom lets the terrified girl go, as Ogron approaches angrily.

He demands that she tell him who the Earth Fairy is, and in response, Bloom lifts her hand to his level and then throws it to one side suddenly and hard.

His body follows, and he ends up groaning on the ground.

She spits out "Not on your life, Fairy Hunter."

He surprises her by blasting her suddenly, knocking her to the ground.

They didn't transform, being rather fond of their wings and all, so the Wizards have the aerial advantage for now.

Suddenly, the guys come in, and the Wizards are now outmatched.

They leave, and then Bloom hugs Sky hard.

But then, the thought of what they are doing on Earth pops into her head.

He says they missed the girls, but with so many ums and uh's that a blind person could see he was hiding something.

He admits it when Bloom just raises an eyebrow at him.

They all get into an argument about trust, because the guys saw them with Andy and his band and read too much into it, and because the girls are a little offended the guys don't trust them enough to handle the mission.

They all walk away, with Aisha and Nabu looking back at one another.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, now all the guys have to do is figure out how to make up with their girlfriends, the Winx have to find Roxy - who Bloom has no doubt is the last Earth Fairy - and the Wizards have more bruises to heal - exactly why did they think they could fight Bloom? I don't know, honestly, you'd think a person would learn from getting crushed by a bear.**


	110. Spell on Ember

_**Spell on Ember**_

A few days later, the Winx have been on early morning patrols for the Wizards.

Bloom told them her idea of who the real Earth Fairy is, but they didn't see her where the magical wave originated from.

So they went on a hunt for the fairy hunters instead, leaving Ember to guard the shop and keep an eye on the pets.

Stella falls asleep, Bloom has no idea how because they are _flying,_ and they land on a roof talking about the lack of balance on Earth.

Without the Earth Fairies, the whole planet is out of balance, so the last Earth Fairy has a lot of work ahead of her.

* * *

 ***Love and Pet Shop***

Meanwhile, at the shop, a weird liquid is outside the door and moves under it.

Some of the pets start flying near it curiously, until the goop rises up and turns out to be Duman.

He lets the other Wizards in, and they have to work fast because the Winx could be back soon.

Kiko runs, screaming like his tail is on fire.

They go over to the pets, and Ogron compares the Winx to insects; they have wings, they fly around, get in their way, and sometimes their attacks sting.

They are about to cast a spell on the pets, who even the Wizards can't help but find pretty dang cute, when suddenly they hear a roar and Ember comes out from behind Bloom's desk and attacks Duman.

"Holy shit, get this thing off me!"

They struggle with the dragon, but manage to get her off Duman with little injury to him.

Ember makes a fireball, and a hole in the air is burnt for the pets to escape through.

It leads to Bloom's room, but the Wizards don't know that.

It closes after Belle goes through, effectively stopping their trap.

They are all amazed at the stunning resemblance between Bloom and Ember.

Anagan says "Bloom does this with her friends, and so does her dragon with their pets?"

Duman asks "Who in the hell raises a freaking dragon anyway?"

Ogron answers "Apparently Bloom, though where she got this thing, I have no idea."

Ember growls at them warningly, and he gets a new idea.

"Forget the pets, go for the most dangerous animal on this planet."

They team up, but it turns out Bloom taught Ember well, she makes holes in the air that send their attacks at one another.

She also uses her claws and teeth well, leaving the men with several slashes and bites.

Eventually though, they manage to put the spell on her, which will turn her evil when she gets hungry.

None of the pets see this though, when they get down, the Wizards are gone, and Ember thinks she is fine and the spell was a dud because nothing happens to her.

* * *

With the Specialists, they have an apartment, and Riven is getting antsy for some action.

Brandon asks him to get a glass of orange juice, and Riven goes to the kitchen.

It's not exactly Sky's palace on Eraklyon, but he can deal - Bloom would be fine in this place easily, she practically holed herself up in the dorm room back at Alfea after all.

Timmy walks in with bags of clothes, but they are all baggy sweaters and not exactly what they are used to.

Sky suggests they get a job so they can start earning money, to get the royal seal back and to have enough to buy groceries with.

Riven looks in the newspaper, and sees job listings, and one is a repair shop looking for mechanics.

They know the engines of their ships like the backs of their hands, so fixing earth vehicles can't be too hard, can it?

As it turns out, it can and it is.

The technology on Earth is far behind that in the magical dimension, so cars with wheels are basically foreign objects to the guys.

Nabu uses a little magic, to try and fix the car, but he makes no promises on the results.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Pet shop, the girls are busy as usual.

Bloom puts down three people for an appointment, and then shows them around the shop.

When all the customers are gone, the Winx feed the pets, but Bloom suddenly gets a pounding migraine like a knife to her head.

Ember lets out a roar of pain to match Bloom's scream, and after a second she goes over to her dragon, who is curled up in a ball and shaking.

"Ember, what's wrong? Answer me, please!"

Ember communicates the memories of Ogron and the Wizard's intrusion, but before she can show Bloom the spell, the dragon grows huge and has spikes on her wings and spine now.

Bloom lets out a gasp, as Ember roars and lets out a stream of fire.

Bloom does some quick thinking, and yells "There's a plain about twenty miles outside of Gardenia, meet us there!"

She jumps onto Ember, and teleports the two of them to the field she mentioned.

* * *

Ogron and the Wizards are watching the whole thing amusedly. It's so ironic for Bloom to be destroyed by her own dragon, that they go to watch in person.

* * *

The rest of the Winx close up shop, and then call the guys; argument or no, the only person on Earth who knows dragons better than them is Bloom - who is busy dealing with a spelled Ember.

* * *

 ***Plain outside Gardenia***

As the Wizards watch, Bloom avoids all Ember's attacks and doesn't fight back, at least not magically.

She yells at the dragon to fight the spell they put on her, and to their total amazement, she actually seems to get through to her for a minute.

When that doesn't work, Bloom jumps at the dragon, grabbing onto her neck and scaling it like a monkey climbing a tree.

In about a second, she is at Ember's head, and puts both hands over Ember's temples.

They don't see what she does, which is flood Ember's mind with memories they made; all their time on Pyros together, all the third year at Alfea, and Bloom's love for the dragon.

Ember roars, and Bloom hugs the dragon hard after sliding down to her shoulders, burying her face in scales.

The wizards think Bloom is done for, but to their shock, Ember _licks_ Bloom's body.

They figure this out when they hear Bloom's laughter, and her saying "Ember, that tongue of yours is way rougher now!"

Gantlos says "What the…? _What the freak did she just do?_ " Ember's head immediately turns toward them, and Bloom's head snaps up to stare at them.

 _Oh crap, this isn't good._

* * *

Ember starts growling, and Bloom growls back, adding a hiss in as well.

She slides off, saying "You take the air, I'll take the ground."

Ember growls again, and then flies up, while Bloom teleports over to them.

The compassion and concern she had for Ember is gone, replaced by pure fury for the Wizards.

They made it personal, and if they had any doubts she would beat them to a pulp again, they are thoroughly dashed when they see the fire in her eyes.

Anagan says "Oh shit, we're so screwed."

She is in the process of beating them to four pulps, when Ember decides to help out.

She sends down a massive fireball, and the Wizards can barely teleport out of the way.

It hits Bloom full on, and they seriously think she just got torched by her own dragon, until the fire vanishes, and Bloom is on her hands and knees panting like she is out of breath.

* * *

 **AN: Any guesses on what that fireball did to Bloom? All I'm going to say is that what happens next will be a big deterrent for the Wizards to not get any ideas in the future. Read to find out how badly they bet defeated next chapter!**


	111. Dark Bloom's Return

_**Dark Bloom's Return**_

The four Wizards are seriously wondering why she isn't a pile of ashes right now, but they start worrying about what exactly the fireball did to her when she gets the creepiest smile any of them have ever seen before on anyone's face.

The look is one they are absolutely certain Bloom could never have pulled, because this smile is malicious and cold.

It's even worse than her grin when she was fighting them hand to hand back at Alfea, because this one seems so _wrong_ on Bloom's face.

The laugh that starts up in her throat doesn't help matters either, because unlike the warm laugh they heard in her voice not three minutes before this one is cold and evil.

"Back again, and with no spells from Darkar to keep me from deciding he wasn't worth all the trouble."

Her voice is cold now, and when she opens her eyes, they are yellower than Duman's and glittering with power and malice.

Ember lands behind Bloom, and she puts a hand on her nose, whispering to her in a series of growls and hissing.

They stop when Ogron walks forward, and Ember growls menacingly, baring huge fangs and showing a glowing throat.

Before he can say anything though, Bloom asks "What, I suppose you want me to join you and take over the planet? Maybe decide you like me and steal me away from Sky?"

He stops, he wasn't even thinking that.

Bloom turns around, and he clearly sees her yellow eyes and the power in them, a power he never noticed before - or that was purposely kept hidden.

"Well, my answer is no. I've had enough of being controlled by Wizards. And besides, you hurt Ember."

A ball of purple fire ignites in her fist, shocking the hell out of the four guys.

The fire quickly spreads up her arm and to her whole body, lifting her hair and making her that much scarier.

The four are honestly terrified right now, she has clearly been turned evil.

* * *

She yells "Enchantix!" and suddenly she is in her dress and wings, except she looks very different.

Her dress is smoky gray, her gloves and makeup are black, her jewelry is jet black like it is made of Obsidian crystal, and her wings are blood red.

Also, she is surrounded by purple flames instead of her usual orange energy.

"You want to hurt me, fine. But _no one_ hurts Ember. Now it's personal."

She disappears in a flash of light, and then suddenly Duman screams in pain, with Dark Bloom hanging on to his arm from behind.

She is sending fire through his body, flooding him with heat and searing pain.

It's like the fire is eating away at him, and it is absolute torture - and then he is used as a human shield to block Gantlos's seismic wave.

Dark Bloom drops him, and then teleports behind Gantlos, and does a maneuver they don't see and suddenly his arm is twisted around his leg, but somehow not broken, and wrapped with burning fire in the shape of a rope.

"Aaahh! Get this off me!"

Ogron tries to break the magic, but it's too powerful, while Anagan unsuccessfully tries to fight Bloom.

His magic is no match for hers like this, and when he tries for speed, she just lifts her hand up to his level.

Ogron remembers this move, except Dark Bloom doesn't stop with one hit this time.

She throws him into the air and slams him down hard many times, clearly enjoying doing it, and then she does it one last time onto Gantlos and Duman.

They really hate that trick now, and they almost prefer regular Bloom to this version of her.

Ogron baits her into blasting him, thinking he will just be able to absorb it like all the other attacks.

He thought wrong, Bloom is far more powerful like this than before.

They don't know this, but Bloom blocks the Dragon Flame, and has a barrier up between her emotions and her magic - and this version of her doesn't.

So all the strength of her feelings is going straight to her magic.

And when she throws an intense blast of magic at Ogron, he is knocked four feet back and ends up on the ground steaming and burned.

 _Oh great. She's even stronger now, and we are screwed._

Duman weakly adds _Hey guys, I just had a terrible idea. What if back at Alfea, she was going easy on us?_

They all get the horrible realization that Bloom did go easy on them when Anagan tries to get up, and she knocks his feet from under him, and then blasts him into the other two with a look that says she is enjoying beating them down.

"What's the matter you four, you don't like my real power? Or maybe you don't like getting beaten up by a fairy?"

Ogron manages to grab her hand, intending to drain the negative energy from her, and hopefully get the version of her they appreciate just a little bit more back; but she starts sucking the heat from his body.

"What? Were you going to change me back to that goody-two wings who lives for everyone but herself and locks away her true strength? I'd have thought you would want to find out just who I am and what I can do."

Before he can wonder - and worry - about this comment, he is sent flying back and there is fire in his veins.

Anagan and Gantlos try to get up, Gantlos having finally freed himself from her fire rope, but Ember hits them both with a crushing blow from her tail, sending them both flying.

They are almost literally getting beaten to a pulp, this is _so_ not working out the way they had hoped.

Apparently, bad stuff tends to happen to Bloom but she makes the most of it.

Ogron breaks the spell on Ember and Bloom, making it so that they will use up the negative energy and revert back to normal eventually.

Suddenly, the rest of the Winx and their boyfriends are there as well, and Stella is holding her staff.

They all stare at Bloom, Ember, and the scene of mass destruction and flames.

The Wizards look up, see the others, and immediately decide to teleport away.

They are almost positive Dark Bloom broke some bones this time, but they can't get over the fact that Bloom and Ember still care about one another; even when they are evil.

Ogron uses their mental connection, and says _Some things never change with people. Bloom and Ember are bonded, and she will beat us to a pulp with ease. But who the heck is she?_

None of them have an answer, and just after they disappear in a heap of black smoke, Bloom falls to the ground and Ember collapses and suddenly shrinks.

Bloom's Enchantix outfit fades back to blue and pink, and her eyes turn cyan again, and then she passes out, after saying "Hey when did you guys get here?"

The next minute she is on the ground, right next to Ember, who is curled up.

The Winx and the guys take the two back to the shop, and they sleep for hours.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, they indirectly caused Bloom to be turned evil again. Ember's mind may have been at least partially freed from Ogron's spell, but she is still very much affected by it - so, when Ember hit Bloom with a fireball to give her a power-boost, it was full of dark magic. Bloom automatically absorbed the fire, absorbing the dark magic and overwhelming her instantly. Regular Bloom doesn't take any joy in hurting people, not like her Dark self does, but she won't hold back on dealing out a few bruises in the name of not getting beaten - Dark Bloom fully enjoys beating someone down after they're already beaten. Think they're going to try and bring DB back again? I wouldn't! PS. Please review! More than welcome to feedback!**


	112. Cleaning and Fights

_**Cleaning and Fights**_

When Bloom wakes up a few hours later, she has a splitting headache, but she is herself again, along with Ember.

She has no idea what happened, there is a gap in her memory that starts when Ember hit her with the fireball as a boost to her energy, and ends with her on her hands and knees with the Dragon Flame nearly running uncontrollably wild inside her.

As she got the power back under control, the magic in her system faded, leaving her with the worst magic crash she has had in a while.

Since magic is in her blood, it can go to her brain almost instantly, a lot like alcohol or an injected drug.

The difference is, magic doesn't harm your body or have any side effects like hallucinations or dizziness - unless you use too much of it at once and get a magic crash.

Then, you get a pounding headache, dizziness, intense hunger - and a lot of sleep before you even wake up to these symptoms.

When she looks around she is on the couch in the living room, and the rest of the Winx, along with the guys are downstairs.

It's been around four hours, and they have been talking.

The guys were working in a repair shop, unsuccessfully trying to fix an Earth car.

They were fired for leaving the job; they all rushed out when Stella called saying Ember had been spelled and turned evil, and Bloom had taken her to a field way out of town.

They have figured out they need to find a job that doesn't require technology, at least not in the way of vehicle repair.

Everything they are used to using is so far ahead of Earth tech, they are at a serious disadvantage because they have such a huge advantage.

She finds they have all made up from the fight, which is good because they really didn't want to fight with their boyfriends.

* * *

After a while they leave, and Bloom goes to get a drink at the Frutti Music Bar.

She goes alone, leaving the rest of the Winx to guard the shop.

She is positive the Wizards are too hurt to pull anything, so she goes to talk to Roxy.

The conversation starts off normal enough, Bloom introduces herself when Roxy brings her smoothie, says she likes Artu, and they get to talking.

Roxy doesn't know who her mom is, she's just absent from Roxy's life.

She also has no idea how her hair grows pink with yellow tips, it's been that color ever since she can remember.

The story sounds familiar to Bloom, it's the same as her pendant - which is just a family heirloom ever since it was left in her bag when she was taken by Valtor and the Trix.

The next morning, Stella gets up last, and they have a little cleaning to do.

They are all eating breakfast, and Bloom is going between the book of Fairies, and a spellbook of curses.

The Believix section of the Book is amazing, Believix fairies have greater powers and three sets of wings, and they can only reach Believix by convincing someone to truly believe in magic.

Bloom isn't finding anything in the spellbook that comes close to taking the body of the most powerful fairy in the magical dimension, and she is at the end of it, so she closes it for now.

They are busy dusting and sweeping, using magic to get all the pet hair, orange scales, and dust from being empty for a while out.

Andy and his band come over, and the Winx immediately stop the spelled brooms and dustpans when Bloom answers the door – and Musa does a spell to hide the scales.

* * *

When the Specialists get over, the three bandmates are still there, and they instantly get jealous.

The Winx don't see why though, they are in their own apartment cleaning, Andy and his friends come over to say hi and then offer to help clean, and then the six who just got here get all jealous.

The Winx hadn't really planned on asking for help, which is why their boyfriends' jealousy is so ridiculous; if they thought they would need help, they would have asked for it.

After Andy and his friends leave, the guys say that if they would rather spend time with 'Bandy' and his friends that is fine by them, and they move to leave.

Bloom has had enough with their jealousy at the moment, and says "No, nothing happened. We were just cleaning, and hadn't asked for help. If you guys really think that we would cheat on you every time we are with some new friends we made here, then fine, be that way. We didn't know Andy, Mark, and Rio were coming over, or that they would offer to help. if you want to overreact to three guys being polite, then fine. I'm going for a walk, hope you don't think I'm getting together with some random guy I bump into on the sidewalk, Sky."

She teleports to her room, grabs her jacket, and then teleports downstairs and walks out the door.

The guys are speechless for a minute, and Sky is about to apologize to Bloom when he hears the front door slam downstairs.

They really managed to tick her off, they can tell because she actually sounded fairly angry; she hasn't been one to show her emotions much after being kidnapped for two months.

They swear the temperature goes down as soon as Bloom leaves, and then they realize it had been steadily going up the more they talked.

The guys leave, and Sky is hoping to find Bloom walking away and say he's sorry; but no such luck, she's disappeared.

In fact, Bloom started sprinting like she was on Pyros as soon as she hit the open air.

She goes to the Frutti Music Bar to get a drink or two and hopefully cool down a little.

She and Roxy get to talking, and Bloom leans over and scratches Artu behind the ears.

Roxy admits she has a few more pets, but it's a secret.

Bloom says she'll show Roxy a secret pet of hers if she'll show Bloom her secret pets.

They agree, and take a walk down the beach.

They reach a small wooden shack hidden in palm trees, and Roxy opens the door, revealing about ten different fairy dogs!

She's the mystery adopter Techna has been tracking.

The shack has a bunch of pillows, along with fresh water and pet food, and all the fairy pets immediately flock to Roxy and start licking her face.

She refills the water and food bowls, playing with each of the pets.

Bloom breathes a sigh of relief, because all the pets the mystery adopter had chosen are here, safe, and well cared for.

Roxy clearly just loves them, which is good because she is the last Earth Fairy, and Bloom has a pretty good idea what she's the fairy of.

After all the pets are played with, Roxy asks "So, what's your pet-related secret Bloom?"

"Well, its sorta the pet itself that's the secret. My friends know about her, but the whole world would flip if she were ever found out."

"Really? What is she?"

"You ever hear about dragons Roxy?"

* * *

 **AN: Oops, the guys screwed up big-time. Any guesses if Bloom's going to tell Roxy everything? PS. This is going a lot better than in the cartoons, don't you think? Keep reading! Review! Don't start thinking I'm going to abandon this!**


	113. Believix

_**Believix**_

Roxy blinks at Bloom's question, trying to decide if she's serious or not.

Eventually, she says "Yes, but aren't those just a myth?"

"Yeah, on Earth. But so are pets with wings, and look around."

"Ok, fair point. Let's see this dragon."

Bloom grins, and says "Hold on a second."

She focuses, and then suddenly a fireball appears out of nowhere a few seconds later.

Ember flies through it, and lands next to Bloom.

Roxy just stares at Ember for a minute, entranced by the dragon's beauty.

The scales are the same fiery orange as Bloom's hair, and they shimmer in the light.

Ember sniffs Roxy's hand, and then licks it with her sandpaper-rough tongue.

Roxy giggles and Bloom says "She likes you! Which is good because there is something else you need to know."

"What's her name? I had no idea that dragons existed anywhere on Earth."

"Her name's Ember, and they don't. Let's just say we're both a little far from home. Which is part of what I need to tell you, but we can't have this talk here."

Roxy is looking at Bloom curiously, she would be freaking out right now except Bloom pretty much proved she was not exactly a normal person when Ember showed up.

"Alright, where are we going?"

"You know the abandoned factory a little ways away from here?"

"Yeah, why?" Bloom thinks about it, and suddenly they are there, along with Ember and Artu.

Roxy gasps, it feels like her whole body was made of heat for a second; the experience is kind of disorienting the first time, or with no warning.

"How did we get here?"

"It's called teleporting, and it's something I can do on a thought. You remember my friends?"

"You mean the other girls in that cool pet shop the pets came from?"

"Yeah, well, we're fairies, and we're from another universe. It's also where Ember came from, and we're here on an important mission."

Roxy is having a hard time believing this, but she was just teleported here, the pets she keeps adopting have wings and fly around, and she is staring at a _dragon_ ; she doesn't really have a choice but to believe, and Bloom's trying to go slow for her.

She says "Ok, you're all fairies from another galaxy, and you're here on Earth why?"

"We came to find the last Earth Fairy, who is being hunted by four fairy hunters who have been around since medieval times and attacked me thinking I was her. They are looking for you Roxy, you're the last Earth Fairy."

 _"What?_ How am I the last Earth Fairy, I'm just a normal girl!"

"Who has a strong passion for adopting fairy pets, and how can calm down her dog just by whispering to him and using positive energy."

Roxy just gapes at that, she had no idea she was using magic to calm Artu down. Bloom can see Roxy is still going back and forth, so she makes a fireball in her hand.

Roxy just stares at it, and Bloom says "Roxy, magic is real, and you have it. We've been sensing it for days now, and I don't know how the Wizards missed you and focused on some other girl instead."

* * *

Suddenly, a deep voice says "Hm, neither do we Bloom."

The voice has a familiar accent, and Bloom doesn't need to turn around to recognize the owner: Ogron.

She can sense Anagan and Gantlos spreading out on either side, and Duman flies up as a blackbird and transforms back to human form.

She does turn around now, getting between Ogron and Roxy.

Artu starts barking ferociously, and Bloom takes a deep breath while staring at Ogron; and then Artu stops barking, looks at her, and then backs up whimpering.

He backs up behind Roxy, who asks "Um, Bloom? These wouldn't happen to be the guys you and your friends had trouble with earlier would they?"

Bloom snorts, and says "Yeah right. These boys are trouble of a different kind, Roxy."

She opens her hand, and in a gathering of orange sparkles, her fighting staff is in her hand.

She expertly spins it around in her hand, saying "Stay behind me Roxy. They are nothing but trouble of the worst kind."

Ogron says "Well, I'd almost be hurt if we had done anything but fight every time we meet."

"You four picked the wrong day for a fight. I'm itching to let off some steam, and you four make the perfect targets."

Suddenly, another voice says "Well don't forget about us Bloom!"

They all look over, and see the rest of the Winx standing there.

* * *

Gantlos mutters "Oh great, now there's the rest of them."

The fireball that was in Bloom's hand has spread up the rest of her body, and her grin is the one that spells trouble for anyone foolish enough to fight her, but the four Wizards are just relieved it's not the one Dark Bloom had.

She yells "Winx Enchantix!" and suddenly she and her friends are in their fairy forms.

Roxy gapes at the girl in front of her, who is now winged and on fire.

"Get to cover Roxy, this is about to get interesting!"

Bloom teleports Roxy and Artu out of the circle of Wizards, and she runs behind some barrels.

As she watches, the Winx try to fight, but their attacks are useless against the Wizards, except for Bloom's who is using the fighting stick she made appear before.

It can block and bounce their attacks back.

But even so, they are pretty much at a stalemate, until Ogron grabs Roxy from behind a barrel.

Bloom yells "Let her go Ogron, she's just a kid!"

"I don't think so Bloom. She may be a kid, but she's also the last Earth Fairy! You can't stop us this time!"

Bloom looks at Roxy, trapped in Ogron's grip, and yells "Roxy you have to believe in us!"

Roxy manages to get her mouth from under Ogron's hand, and yells back "Kick their creepy butts, fairies!"

Ogron and the other Wizards start laughing, until they sense a new energy.

It's coming from the Winx, and it's far stronger than before.

They suddenly start to glow brightly, and when it fades they are in new outfits with bigger wings.

Bloom is in a bright blue and light pink skirt and matching top that shows her tiny stomach with big blue wings and boots.

Stella is in an orange and pink-purple skirt and top, with matching wings and boots.

Flora is in a light green and hot pink outfit, and her wings are leaf-shaped.

Aisha is in a bright blue outfit, with double-crescent shaped wings.

Techna is in a purple jumpsuit, and her wings are shaped similar to Flora's.

Musa is in a pink top and light grey pants, with big pink wings and her hair in a braid going down her face.

They all look at themselves, and Bloom turns to look at Roxy, and thanks her for believing in them and turning them into Believix fairies.

Then she gets the grin the four Wizards know to be wary of again, and makes her fighting stick disappear.

Bloom's eyes flash orange, and suddenly Roxy is out of Ogron's hands and behind the Winx, along with Artu.

Ogron can't believe it, he had a hard grip on Roxy and suddenly the girl disappeared in a feeling of heat.

* * *

 **AN: And they have Believix everybody! Ironically, Roxy's the same age Bloom was when her entire life got turned upside-down and inside-out - so Roxy kind of reminds Bloom of herself before she was kidnapped by Valtor. PS. considering making a spin-off of this story, a bunch of one-shots of things Bloom did for the first time. Anybody wants to pitch me some ideas, they're more than welcome.**


	114. Fairy of Animals

_**Fairy of Animals**_

None of the Wizards can believe what they are seeing, the Winx just went through a new outfit change - apparently because Roxy believed in them.

Gantlos asks "Ogron, what happened?"

"It's just another lame fairy trick! Let's beat them and get the girl back."

They get fighting again, with the Wizards privately thinking Bloom's ankle boots will really hurt if she lands another kick in their side - and the Winx's new powers are actually working!

Musa deafens Duman with a spell called Stereo Crash, but Ogron absorbs it when she uses it on him.

Bloom thinks _Alright, since he can still absorb our attacks, how about a different approach?_

She grins, and then lifts her hand towards some barrels and swings it toward Ogron.

He punches through them, like she knew he would, getting covered in oil.

"What, you think that would work Bloom?"

"No, I just thought you would douse yourself in oil."

Suddenly, four more barrels float over around Ogron as he looks down at the oil soaking into his jacket.

He looks up, right as Bloom sends a Dragon Heart right into the middle of them.

Ogron gets thrown back, and Duman goes for Roxy.

Artu tries to protect her, and Duman, who is in his sabretooth form, slashes his paw.

Aisha makes a Plasma Barrier, which catches the Wizard right before her can land on her.

They keep fighting, and after a second everyone notices Roxy, Ember, and Artu have disappeared.

Bloom mentally told Ember to keep Roxy safe, so she is relieved when Ember tells her where they went.

* * *

 ***Gardenia Streets***

Ember is disguised as an orange cat Roxy is holding, and Artu is limping.

They get into a woman named Mrs. Martinez's car, who offers to drive Roxy somewhere.

Roxy asks to go to the Frutti Music Bar, but when they look up from belting in, Gantlos is standing in front of the car.

Roxy tells Mrs. Martinez to stay in the car, then amends it to locking herself in, along with Artu and Ember. She gets out, but Ember streaks out after her, still looking like a little kitten, and stands between Roxy and Gantlos.

He says "Ha, a little kitty is the only thing between you and us? That's pathetic, even for Earth."

The little kitten hisses menacingly, and little flames shoot out from behind its teeth.

The kitten body is only an illusion, Roxy could feel the scales, wings, and tail while she was carrying Ember, and her arms were really starting to ache from her weight.

In what looks like a graceful leap from the kitten, it ends up on Gantlos's face and starts scratching him up, biting him, and making a decent distraction.

The rest of the Wizards show up, to find Gantlos struggling with what looks like an adorable kitten, with fiery orange fur and cyan eyes.

The Winx show up, and Ember lands in front of Bloom.

Duman asks "Seriously? You were losing to a baby cat?"

Gantlos spits out "That's no cat, Duman."

Mrs. Martinez runs from her car, while Artu gets out as well, going to stand by Roxy.

Gantlos makes an earthquake, scaring all the people staring at the six winged girls.

Once all the humans are gone, Ember drops the illusion, revealing claws red with blood.

Roxy runs, and Artu follows, right along with Gantlos.

The rest of the Wizards disappear, going after Roxy, and Bloom sprints after.

She saves Roxy from the wizards, right before they can put her in the black circle.

Stella tells Roxy to run, and tries to stop the Wizards with a Solar Storm.

Anagan bounces it back, making it hit Stella and send her into a wall.

* * *

Roxy runs after Artu, but she doesn't know what to do.

Everywhere she goes, she puts people in danger.

Artu opens the cover of a manhole, and after a second, and hearing Ogron's voice say she couldn't have gotten far, she climbs down.

Once she finds Artu again, sitting in a dry area, Roxy sits down and tries to think.

The Winx are risking their lives for her, to protect her from the Wizards.

They are being braver than she could ever manage, and so is Artu.

She is scared of being a fairy, but then a voice in her head tells her she doesn't have to be scared.

It's a woman's voice, and Roxy knows she should know it, and it tells her to believe in herself.

An earthquake ends the moment, and Artu slips out from between Roxy's arms.

He runs past the Winx and the Wizards, giving Ogron an idea for how to find Roxy.

* * *

A brown dog is running through the street, until he is grabbed by Roxy, who says "No more running off now."

The dog's eyes flash yellow, and it turns into Duman!

Gantlos is standing on the real Artu, and the Wizards open the portal again.

The voice tells Roxy she is the Fairy of Animals, and Roxy makes a ball of magic in her hands and throws it at Gantlos's foot, freeing Artu.

They run through the portal when the Winx break the Wizards' concentration for a moment by doing a convergence with their attack powers.

They reopen the portal, a moment too late; Roxy is with the Winx again.

She says they can't leave her now that she finally knows she's a fairy, and Bloom laughs, saying "Well, it's about time! It took a lot to convince you."

Ogron drags Roxy back to the portal with a spell, except Bloom switched places with her at the last moment - so he's dragging a girl who is literally on fire to the portal, and who is clearly ready to pull one of them with her when she gets rejected.

Before she is pulled in, a ball of energy breaks the beam, and Bloom lands on her feet.

When they all look up, The Specialists are standing on the rooftop, and Sky says that if the Wizards mess with the Winx, they have to deal with them as well.

They join the fight, and for once the Wizards are beaten by all of them - not just Bloom hand-to-hand fighting them.

Ogron is still strong, he absorbs damage, mainly from magic but he can use pain for a little bit, and turns it into strength, but the rest of the Wizards are not so lucky.

They are covered in burn marks, cuts, leaves, and are nearly deaf by the time the fight is over and Ogron says they will meet again.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but now the Wizards are gone for a while. Seriously though, how long until they figure out that fighting Bloom only goes one way? I'd have figured it out after Alfea. Evil guys are all the same apparently. Anyway, keep reading! More updates coming soon!**


	115. Relaxing

_**Relaxing**_

Later, the Winx and Roxy are back at the Frutti Music Bar, and Rick comes over as soon as he sees Roxy.

He asks where she has been, he's been looking everywhere for her, what happened to her?

Roxy goes with the sterilized version of what happened: she went for a bit of a workout.

Bloom has found that most people don't want to believe something that is very far out of their comfort zone, so they either go into denial, or they think you are lying or crazy.

Either way, it works, Rick introduces her to the new guys he hired, and the five faces are very familiar: Sky, Helia, Nabu, Riven, and Brandon!

Roxy asks "Hey, don't you know these guys?"

Bloom says "That's one way of putting it, yes. You remember the guys I told you about before everything started?"

Roxy nearly laughs at that, and they are all nearly busting up at the seams by the time Rick is finished introducing them.

Sky is called Smile, Brandon is Brandie, Riven is Rivet, Helia is _Tobias_ , And Nabu is called Booboo.

Timmy shows up, but Rick doesn't have him on his list.

He doesn't work there, he's just visiting.

He says Rick can call him Jimmy, and Rick calls him Timmy, making Techna laugh at the cleverness.

Musa asks what happened to their new pizza delivery jobs, and Riven explains how their boards let them deliver the pizzas faster, but they were always cold.

Rick starts talking about how the guys are incredibly fast, so Musa says she would like to see them in action.

Rick times them, and the girls help by providing distractions as a challenge.

* * *

Later, the Winx are on the beach, wearing their swimsuits.

Bloom is in a one-piece that is the color of her fairy dust pendant with a streak of flames racing diagonally across from her left shoulder to her right hip, Stella is in an orange bikini, Flora is in a pink one-piece with green leaf-like frills at the legs, Musa is in a hot pink bikini, Techna is in a bikini the color of her Believix jumpsuit, and Aisha is in a sea-green bikini.

Roxy brings smoothies and they relax for a minute - except for Bloom, who is almost never relaxed anymore, always ready to fight off some random enemy.

A girl named Mitzi is at the bar, and she is spoiled, selfish, and self-centered, just like Diaspro.

She sees Sky, and decides she likes him.

He is working at the moment though, and she doesn't really have time to try to get him to be with her - so she gets his cell number, and puts him in her phone.

Bloom notices, but doesn't say anything; because technically she and Sky aren't dating, and she doesn't want to be one of those control-freak friends who tells you who you can and can't be with.

They all go swimming, getting full of sand and seaweed.

When they get back to the Pet shop, they immediately contact Mrs. Faragonda, telling her how they found Roxy and Bloom fills in their former headmistress while the rest of the Winx take showers.

They found the last Earth Fairy, got their Believix, their shop is doing amazing - they keep filling the register every time they are open - and they finally made up with the guys.

They all go to bed, and Roxy looks through an old photo album.

The pictures are of her, Rick, and a woman she doesn't recognize on a farm.

She remembers the farm, but doesn't know the woman standing beside her in every picture.

In each photo, she is a little bigger, as time passed and visits were made.

She falls asleep with the giant album in her lap and Artu sitting beside her.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but more action is coming soon! PS. Seeing as Mitzi's just like Diaspro, in almost every way possible, and Bloom and Sky are currently not technically dating, she develops her stalker-obsession-crush on Sky instead of Brandon. More updates are coming soon, don't lose hope! Also, still not abandoning this story - ever - so don't stop reading, please! Also, please review! If not, everyone will be subjected to the beatings and fighting Bloom can do in my head - think the Wonder Woman movie that just came out. That's basically Asgard, but all female - and Bloom's training was 'I will train her 10 times as hard as any Amazon before her' since she could first lift a weapon at age five, except all Asgardians are trained that hard. Bloom just happens to be so amazingly good because all that training was imprinted on her muscles along with Wu Gong while she was staying on Pyros - Thor always said she wasn't good enough, she was actually a natural at fighting and was only losing because her opponents had so much more experience on her, and the fact that for most of her training she was much shorter than them.**


	116. Farm From the Past

_**Farm From the Past**_

A few hours later, Bloom's phone rings, waking her up from a semi-deep sleep.

She picks it up, putting it to the ear that is not being covered by a pillow.

Ember is curled up in the same side, so she doesn't sit up.

"Wha…what's going on Roxy?" she groggily asks, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

 _Bloom, I need you. Something weird is going on._

"Ok, weird I can handle. Please describe weird."

 _I fell asleep looking at this old family album. I had a weird dream again, and when I woke…You have to see this, it's so bizarre._

"Alright, let me wake up the rest of the Winx, we'll be there soon."

Bloom quickly gets the other fairies up, and they all run to Roxy's house.

* * *

 ***Roxy's Room***

She is sitting on her bed, looking at four pictures on the floor.

Bloom takes a close look as Roxy tells them what's happening.

They are pictures of her, Rick, and another woman who looks vaguely like Roxy.

"When I woke up, all the pictures were scattered on the floor. If I try to put them back, they just jump out of the album again."

Bloom asks "Hey Roxy? Who's this woman, she's right beside you in all the photos."

"I don't know, I don't ever remember her, and my father and I have been going to this farm for years."

Bloom makes her sketchbook appear, and quickly sketches the woman's outline, and then notices something.

"Hey, the pictures arranged themselves. Look carefully."

In each picture, Roxy is a little taller, maybe a year older.

Bloom gathers all the photos, and says "Watch this. If I'm right…"

She tosses the pictures in the air, and sure enough they land in exactly the same spots.

Musa says "Now that can't be coincidence!"

Bloom asks "Roxy, where are these pictures of?"

"It's a nice house in the country. My dad and I used to go on vacation there when I was young. I remember having lots of fun."

"Well, maybe the dreams you're having, and the pictures are a message, and it has something to do with this place."

They all agree, and the next morning the guys borrow a pink and white camper for them.

Stella immediately says she'll drive, because everyone in Solaria says she has no sense of direction and never lets her drive anything.

They all say goodbye, and the Winx all promise to be safe.

Stella made them some country outfits, and she changes Roxy's clothes as well.

The only thing out of place on all six fairies is Bloom's belt, which she absolutely refuses to go anywhere without.

They get on the road, but halfway through they make a driver change to Aisha.

Stella nearly got into an accident six times, and she keeps hitting potholes.

Everyone but Bloom feels like they might throw up by the time Aisha takes the wheel, so Bloom opens a window.

* * *

When they finally get to the end of the road, it is at a horse farm.

They get out and Bloom notices a bird high in the sky, but she doesn't think anything of it.

They get some horses, and the man warns them about the new owner of the house Roxy is leading them to.

His name is Batson, and he is not exactly a nice person; he is a grouchy old guy who chases off anyone who comes near.

Bloom thanks him for the warning, and then rides off to the house they are going to.

Everyone else follows, and the bird that has been watching them for the past twenty minutes lands on a nearby cliff, and turns into Duman.

"They don't suspect a thing Ogron. They're all here, and they brought Roxy with them."

"Good work, Duman. Keep on top of them, and let us know when the time is right for us to attack."

Duman turns back into a bird and follows the Winx, noticing Bloom rides her horse like she has been riding them for years.

 _Just who is this girl anyway?_

* * *

 ***Batson's Farm***

They get to the house, but they can hardly recognize it from the pictures.

The trees have all been cut down, there are weeds everywhere, and the whole place has been neglected for years.

Flora can feel the pain the plants have been through, and it's making her dizzy.

Bloom is dizzy as well, but from a source of powerful magical energy on the farm.

It looks like nobody is home, but before they can look around a man with an axe comes around the barn and yells at them to get off his land.

He says he doesn't want any strangers or nosey cowgirls on his property, and after a minute they leave.

In the forest, the Winx debate what to do; they can't hurt Batson, even though they don't like him, he is just a human being living his life - even if living his life means being mean and rude to everybody he meets.

Stella suggests putting a spell on him, and Bloom says "I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. We can't use magic on Batson, even if we don't like him."

Aisha suggests using their Believix powers on him to convince him to let them in.

Musa agrees, because it would be so much easier if he knew they weren't going to cause any harm.

Bloom says "But it wouldn't work. Believing in fairies is something that comes from the inside, we can't force people to believe in us."

Roxy says "There's no way we can just give up. I have to know what's hidden in there."

Bloom puts a hand on Roxy's shoulder, saying "Don't worry Roxy, we'll find a way in. I'll turn invisible and sneak in if I have to."

Suddenly, a familiar voice cuts in, saying "Oh, I don't think so little fairies."

Bloom spins around, her long braid whipping around her shoulders. "This just keeps getting better and better."

She moves between the Wizards of the Black Circle and Roxy, blocking any attacks from the with her body.

She gets into a fighting stance, and the Wizards find it vaguely ridiculous to be worried about a girl in a skirt, a top that shows her stomach, and cowboy boots beating them up - except those boots look like they will hurt a lot in a spinning kick to their sides and they know how much Bloom's blows can hurt.

"Did you think you could get away from us?"

To the other Wizards, he adds "Take Roxy and eliminate the others."

Bloom obviously heard him, even from about six yards away, because she yells "Not a chance, Ogron! You want her, you have to go through me!"

That makes the four guys groan inwardly - they vividly remember the last time she said that.

Aisha asks "But how did they find us?"

"Doesn't matter, because we have new powers, Winx Believix!"

Bloom glows deep blue, Flora glows forest green, Aisha glows Morphix purple, Musa glows bright pink, Stella glows sunlight yellow, and Techna glows neon green, and suddenly they are in their Believix outfits.

* * *

 **AN: Lesson learned, never let Stella drive anything other than a spell into her target. Also, you'd think by now they'd have learned from all the bruises they've gotten to** ** _not_** **try to fight Bloom. I personally, wouldn't have hunted her down to start with - but I also couldn't be evil and lock someone away. Hm, wonder how it'll all turn out in the end? Updates still coming soon!**


	117. White Circle

_**White Circle**_

They fight, with Duman charging them as a bear.

Stella shoots a Solar Storm at him, but he bats it behind him like a volleyball.

Flora hits the ground with a Winter Rose, and vines sprout from the ground, wrapping around his giant ankles and wrists.

He breaks the vines, and jumps back to the other Wizards, saying "I can't believe she nearly had me."

Ogron says "They're all yours Gantlos."

The extremely strong wizard jumps high into the air, and lands hard, creating a shockwave that cracks the ground and forces all the fairies with wings to fly up.

Bloom goes back for Roxy and steadies her, just before Anagan shoots for her.

Bloom uses Anagan's momentum against him though, by somehow grabbing his wrist and throwing him to the ground.

She has the arm she held onto on top of his back, and the impact was so hard he was stunned.

She slams her free hand to the ground, and vines sprout up, shocking the three standing wizards thoroughly.

In maybe a second, Anagan is wrapped by thick vines from neck to toe - Bloom left his head free so he could breathe.

"What the…? Let me go!"

He starts struggling under the vines, but Bloom simply makes more wrap around him, restraining him even more.

* * *

Bloom turns to Roxy, saying "Go take cover, Roxy. Go!"

The fairy without a transformation runs through the forest, back to the farm they left before.

Bloom jumps back and lands on her feet, between the Wizards and Roxy.

Ogron fights Bloom, while Duman tries to free Anagan without hurting him.

The vines are thick and wrapped tight enough to keep Anagan there – honestly, they are almost cutting off his circulation.

He turns into a wolf, and starts chomping away at the plants.

"Hey, watch it will ya? I really like my limbs attached to my body you know."

"Well, don't move then. I could do this a lot easier of you didn't squirm every time I try to bite these."

Ogron is not having an easy time fighting Bloom, even without her Believix she could likely have beaten him with magic if she really let loose - because he gets the distinct feeling Dark Bloom's power level wasn't much different from where Bloom's would be if she had the same temperament.

He fires a blast at her, hoping to knock her down so he could help free Anagan; but Bloom makes a Flame Shield, and the attack pushes her back a few inches, but doesn't break the shield.

She fires a ray of fire magic between him and Anagan and Duman, and Anagan starts really struggling as the grass lights on fire maybe a foot away.

"Hurry up Duman! I really don't want to be turned to ashes trapped under these stupid vines!"

"I'm trying, just hold still!"

Gantlos was fighting the rest of the Winx, but he comes over and starts pulling at the vines while the fairies try to get up.

Bloom teleports over and helps them up, and says "Winx, lets miniaturize and find Roxy. They'll be busy for a bit, let's go."

Bloom finds Roxy's footprints, and the rest of the Winx shrink down and follow her.

She looks back at the Wizards, who are still trying to get Anagan out of the vines.

The fire was just an illusion, something that put Anagan in no real danger of being burned alive, so she lets it vanish while sprinting like she is on Pyros again.

* * *

 ***Batson's Barn***

The Winx get in the barn, and Bloom teleports inside.

Roxy is sitting behind a pile of wood, hoping they managed to weaken the Wizards.

Stella says "The Believix energy is difficult to control. I wish…I knew how to teleport."

Suddenly, Bloom looks out of a crack in the wood, and sees what she already knew: All four Wizards standing there, looking more than a little mad.

Gantlos can sense them in there, and sets fire to the barn.

Batson comes out, to find his barn on fire and four guys watching the doorway expectantly.

Inside, the Winx are coughing and choking on smoke, even Bloom.

Roxy sees something on the floor that definitely wasn't there before: a circle of blue-green fire sitting in the smoke.

Suddenly, they hear a scream, its Batson's!

He went to see what was going on, only to be attacked by Gantlos.

His body is floating in purple-red energy, and his screams are pain-filled.

Bloom teleports out, while the rest of the Winx fly out through the crack in the wall.

"Attacking a human? I know he's not exactly the nicest guy ever, but that's low, even for you four."

Gantlos, Anagan, and Duman go to fight, as the rest of the Winx grow to their normal sizes and get ready to fight.

* * *

Ogron goes into the barn, where he finds Roxy kneeling on the floor in front of a circle of blue-white fire.

"Well, look who's here. So tell me, what is it you've got there?"

He looks at it, and his expression turns to one of shock and recognition.

"The Earth's Flames? But that's impossible."

He kneels down, and picks it up, but then the ring glows brightly and he drops it, yelling in pain because it burnt him.

Roxy picks up the circle, which turns out to be a white ring underneath the fire, and runs outside.

She holds up the circle, which starts glowing even brighter than before.

"No more running, I know what we have to do now! Creatures of the Sky and Forest come to me, come to me now!"

The sky is filled with birds and bugs, and more and more come flying out and around Roxy, attacking the Wizards.

They are getting bitten up and pecked, but they are shocked when Bloom falls to her knees, holding her head and yelling "Shut it down Roxy, shut it down! It's too loud, I can hardly think!"

Ogron notices, and is seriously trying to figure out the total mystery that is Bloom.

It's like trying to solve a puzzle, but he gets the distinct feeling he doesn't even have all the pieces yet.

He says "When she has possession of the White Circle, that girl is too strong."

He flies over to the other Wizards, saying "Let's go, we'll get them later."

They disappear in four puffs of smoke, heading back to Gardenia.

* * *

Bloom yells, trying to fight Pyros for the first time in her life.

Normally, she can call on it at will, but now the change is being forced on her, and it _hurts._

Roxy is yelling as well, and suddenly there is space in Bloom's head for the information that she is screaming to enter, because the pressure from Roxy's magic is gone.

The gathering of birds and bugs around her vanishes, flying back to the forest, and Roxy falls to her knees.

Pyros stops surging in Bloom, and in seconds her head is clear enough for her to get up and go over to the Fairy of Animals.

Musa says "Roxy, that was incredible, you sent the Wizards away!"

Techna asks "Roxy? Where did you get that ring?"

Roxy is drained now, but she says "It was in the burning barn. Ogron tried to hold it, but it wouldn't let him touch it."

Bloom can sense the powerful energy in the slim white ring lying on the ground, it's like Loki's spear, powerful and active.

Batson starts yelling for someone to help, so Aisha contains the flames while Bloom absorbs them.

She asks if the Wizards hurt him, but Batson collapses.

Bloom heals him, and gets him to believe in them.

Flora heals the land, restoring the trees and grass, and when Batson gets up a moment later he is a completely different person.

He thanks them as they leave, and this time Bloom drives back to Gardenia.

* * *

 **AN: And we have the White Circle! In case anybody thought Bloom would've let Anagan burn like that, it really was just an illusion - she's no sadistic like the enemies she fights. She just needed them good and distracted while everyone else got to safety. Bloom doesn't threaten people's lives like that - they didn't put anyone she cares about at risk or made her think they were dead, just started another battle. If you want to find out what she'll do when you push the right buttons, that's coming up soon enough.**


	118. Singing and Jealousy

_**Singing and Jealousy**_

They are back at the Frutti Music Bar, a few hours after leaving the farm, and Bloom is wondering about the White Circle.

It is in her bag, she asked to borrow it from Roxy for a while until she can find out more about it, and the fairy said yes.

Sky gets her a cherry-orange swirl, which is colored fiery orange like her hair.

The other Winx talk with their boyfriends, Techna and Timmy kissing, Stella and Brandon sharing a smoothie, Aisha and Nabu talking.

Aisha asks how he likes Earth, and he finds the planet fascinating, but the best part is being with Aisha.

Mitzi and her friends come in, just as Sky sits down with a smoothie of his own beside Brandon, Flora, and Helia.

One of Mitzi's two friends asks "Hey, Mitzi, isn't that the Sky boy you like so much?"

"Yeah," she looks around and spots a familiar red-head, "and there's Bloom. He says they're dating, but not if I can help it."

* * *

Bloom is reading a spellbook, and when Andy finishes his song Mitzi grabs the mike and starts singing to Sky.

It's about how she wants him, and Bloom tries to ignore it - but her smoothie boils away in the cup in her hand.

Stella notices and says "Um Bloom? Maybe you should take a walk, your smoothie is gone."

"Who the heck does she think she is?"

Stella smirks and asks "What? Jealous?"

The napkin beside her bursts into flames, and Brandon sees and nudges Sky.

Sky is a little distracted by Mitzi's singing right next to him, but he gratefully looks over; until Brandon points him to Bloom's back, which is stiff as a board, and he sees the napkin burning.

"Uh-oh, that can't be good."

Bloom makes her sketchbook appear, and starts furiously writing.

She only does that when she is really mad, or really upset.

He says "Uh, thanks Mitzi, but my break is about up, so I'm gonna get more smoothies for people."

He gets up and walks over to the bar, sneaking a look at what Bloom is drawing.

She is writing, line after line of words.

'Not dating him trying to protect him want him to be happy want him to be safe want him want him want him want him I want him I want Sky' - and her grip on the pencil is hard, she might break it before she stops writing.

He makes her a smoothie, along with some for the rest of the Winx, while Stella and Musa glare at Mitzi like they want to strangle her.

Mitzi is staring open-mouthed at Sky, who just walked away from her and is giving Bloom a smoothie.

* * *

Musa sees and whispers to Bloom "Watch this." before going over and taking the microphone out of her hand.

"Thank you, but I think Andy wants the mic back."

She walks over to the stage, and Andy invites her up to sing a few songs.

Riven gets jealous, but the crowd cheers her up onto stage.

She sings, and one guy in the crowd is very impressed.

He has golden hair and brown eyes, and his name is Jason Queen.

He is the biggest record producer in Gardenia, and he can see Musa's pure talent.

After Musa is done singing, Jason gives Bloom a card to give to her, and it has his name, address, and phone number on it.

Andy suggests they do some karaoke, and Musa's the star - and then she suggests Bloom sing!

She tries to refuse, until all five girls give her big puppy-dog eyes - she's forced to agree, but she's only singing two songs.

Musa picks 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift, making Bloom go bright red.

It's basically the exact way she met Sky, another not-subtle attempt to get Bloom to date him some more.

Sky zones out, remembering the party where he met the most amazing girl he's ever known - then Bloom's voice cuts in with a wild burst of emotions at the part where Romeo proposes to Juliet.

If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Bloom's magical talent was music - she may as well be putting a spell on him with her beautiful voice.

Brandon whispers "Sky, I think she wants you to marry her."

He checks around for Mitzi, then whispers back "First I'd have to date her, Brandon. She's trying to protect me, but…"

"Yeah, but. Sky, ask! We all see the way she looks at you when your back is turned. She is crazy about you."

"Which is why she's trying to protect me."

Bloom picks the next song, 'Back to December' by Taylor Swift.

If you didn't know Bloom, you wouldn't hear the sadness and regret in her voice as she sings the words.

Sky hears it clearly though, and then gets the thought that it's her apology for trying to protect him.

 _"Maybe this is wishful thinking, probably mindless dreaming. If we loved again, I swear I'd love you right, but if the chain is on your door, I understand…"_

Sky stops hearing the words at that, wondering if she's telling him something with the song or if he's just seeing things where there are none.

As soon as she's done singing, she hands Musa the mic and makes her way through the crowd to get her sketchbook and leaves.

* * *

At the shop, Musa calls Jason and he offers her an audition.

Bloom teleports to her desk, grabs the pen and pencil off the counter, and nearly shoves them into Musa's hands when she needs to write something down.

She writes down the time and place for the audition, and then nearly jumps for joy when she hangs up.

He wants Musa to call him Jason instead of Mr. Queen, he seems really nice, and he thinks her voice is amazing and wants to make her a star.

All of which seem like good indicators for who he is, but Bloom doesn't say to be careful because she doesn't want to spoil the moment.

* * *

 **AN: Can anybody else tell Bloom's driving herself crazy because she doesn't want to drive herself crazy with guilt and grief if something happened to Sky like what Diaspro did at the Millennium party? All her friends sure can! They will get back together eventually, I promise, just be patient. As for why I picked those songs, Bloom takes music a little literally thanks to her Asgardian upbringing - and the rest of the Winx know she takes songs a little literally. Mitzi keeps going, she might find out what Bloom can do when she's jealous - not a good idea! She's been trained in hand-to-hand fighting and with weapons, and her emotions burn high! Mitzi doesn't know that, but she also doesn't care who she's dealing with either.**


	119. Questions

_**Questions**_

Later that night, at around 11 PM, the Wizards of the Black Circle do a location spell to find out where the White Circle is.

They focus on it, thinking of the ring Roxy held up to the sky in a swarm of bugs and birds.

They still have the bug-bites from that spell, and are really confused as to why Bloom was affected by it.

Duman knows she is no ordinary fairy, there is something very animalistic about her; even more than with him.

They finish the spell, to find the White Circle floating in a ball of orange in front of Bloom, who is looking through a very thick book, and typing away on her laptop.

The biggest shock, however, comes when they see her eyes: the pupils are slitted like a cat's, or a reptile's; or Ember's.

Duman asks "How far from normal is she?"

They know what he means; Bloom can beat them to four pulps, her evil side is not entirely different from her good side, she is affected by a spell from Roxy, and now she doesn't sleep and has slits for pupils.

 _Who is this girl?_

They have asked themselves the question over and over again, with no answer.

They don't even know much about her, only what they have learned from fighting her; she's protective of her friends, she has a strong bond with her dragon, sneaking up on her is impossible.

* * *

As they watch, Bloom makes some kind of discovery about the Circle in front of her, and gets out a sketch of a woman they find vaguely familiar to hold up to the book for comparison.

"Oh, by the Great Dragon Roxy…"

Her face has gone pale white, and her irises have hugely dilated in shock, and she takes out a drawing of Roxy to compare it to the other drawing.

They start to think maybe the slits are an illusion, or maybe interference from all the magic in the store.

Honestly, they have filled the building with their positive magic, all four could sense it when they went inside.

Bloom starts flipping through the book, but stops when she gets to a page with a girl with long ribbons on her wrists and her hair in curls.

She puts a bookmark in that page and keeps flipping.

She starts typing stuff into her laptop, her fingers becoming blurs of speed.

She goes through page after page, entering stuff apparently on different fairies into the computer.

After about twenty minutes of this, she snaps the book closed and sends the ring back to Roxy using magic.

Suddenly they are seeing Roxy's room.

It is covered in animal print, and the ring is sitting on her nightstand.

* * *

They shut off the spell at this point; they don't know where Roxy's house is yet, and if they switch it to Bloom, they will end up with a few dozen questions and no answers.

The questions they already have are driving them crazy, but they decide to believe Bloom's unique eyes are due to magical interference - it's the only explanation that makes sense, because they have fought her and her eyes were definitely normal, at least by Earth standards; strikingly blue, but with round pupils instead of slits.

They don't even look like her dark side's eyes, the slits started at the top and tapered to points near the bottom of her golden eyes then, these slits were contained in her blue irises, and are slightly wider in the middle than at the points - but they were contracted, from the light of her laptop.

The rest of Bloom's irises were her usual cyan blue, striking as always and unforgettable.

It makes her features sharper, less human.

Either way, it has to be a trick or some kind of interference from all the magic; they would have noticed _that._

They already know she is not at all what she seems; incredibly strong but with no muscle on her frame, power over fire but slow to explode – unless you push the right buttons - a person but affected by Roxy's spell.

Duman could feel it working on him as well, but Bloom was apparently affected much more - why, they have no idea.

He could feel Roxy's power trying to make him transform into an animal, any animal.

He can be a bird, a giant snake, a bear, and a wolf, anything he wants, and Roxy's magic was pressuring his to activate, to turn him into one of the animals she was calling.

Bloom fell to her knees holding her head like it was going to crack open, but Duman couldn't hear her through the pressure in his own head.

They all know she is no screamer, so whatever Roxy was doing was extremely strong and extremely painful.

If they are ever going to figure out the mystery that is the girl they picked a fight with, they might just have to get the answers from her.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter again, but all four guys are as confused as ever about Bloom. She was affected by Roxy's magic running wild because she's part dragon, which the four guys don't know yet. More action coming soon, just be patient for a little while - but don't lose hope and stop reading! Tell your friends, family, anyone! Please review!**


	120. Surfing and Surprises

_**Surfing and Surprises**_

The next day, the Winx are at the Frutti Music Bar, and Musa is performing again.

The audition is the next day, so she really wants to do well.

She is on stage with Andy and his band again, but Riven is getting very jealous.

Bloom tries to explain how they are helping Musa make her dreams come true, but he doesn't really listen.

Sky demonstrates Riven's point by being extra friendly to two girls, making Bloom's eyes flash orange with frustration and jealousy.

She shouldn't feel this way, but she can't stop it; she may be able to keep her feelings in check during battle, or whenever some enemy is concerned, but when it comes to Sky she is practically helpless.

Riven walks away, and Nabu follows to try and talk him down from the jealousy they can practically see in the air.

* * *

Mitzi comes in, and says there is a surfing contest going on.

She says Brandon and Sky should go out on the waves, and when Bloom looks back, Mitzi is practically _draping_ herself onto Sky.

 _Alright, that's it. Dating him or not, this is so over._

Bloom walks over and asks "A surfing contest? I'm in."

Mitzi stares for a second, and then says "I didn't know you surf, uh, Bloom, wasn't it?"

Mitzi's aura is full of petty spite and jealousy - exactly like Diaspro's.

"Yeah, there's a lot you don't know about me. See you two on the waves."

The last remark was for Sky and Brandon, who were watching the exchange between the two girls.

They didn't miss Bloom's little challenge to Mitzi, which sounded off-hand unless you know her.

There's a lot almost everyone in existence doesn't know about her, like the fact that she is the most powerful person in all of creation at the moment.

When they get done changing, and get boards, Bloom is in her swimsuit with a surfboard that matches perfectly.

Sky can't stop staring at Bloom, she may be much thinner than when they met her, but the one-piece suit shows off her slender figure, and Sky's brain has basically shut off.

If this is Bloom's way of getting back at him for trying to prove his point, she is doing it extremely well.

She throws her board, which they are sure she made less than three minutes ago, onto the waves, and starts paddling, getting out to the big waves in seconds.

Sky and Brandon follow, after Brandon closes Sky's open mouth for him.

Brandon wipes out instantly, and then crashes into Sky.

When they get out, the boards made it back to shore first, and Sky says "You know, I prefer Dragons to surfing anyway."

"Don't say another word."

Sky looks out at Bloom steering her board on a wave like she has been doing it all her life and sighs.

He must have been crazy to let her go.

 _No, she said she needed time, so you said you would wait. And if you keep acting like this, you might just lose her altogether._

He has to remind himself that Bloom is paranoid, has been through something that would kill most people, and doesn't trust most people.

To Sky, she is drop-dead-gorgeous, along with brave, honest, and loyal to a fault.

If she was falling for someone else, she would tell him, not hide it and make him wonder.

* * *

Suddenly, they see her sharply veer towards the shore, and in maybe a minute and a half she is back and running to the Bar.

When they get inside, Sky and Brandon are met with an impossible sight: Sky's father, king Erendor of Eraklyon.

He has maybe four guards, who Bloom is watching carefully.

She is still wearing her suit but the board is gone, and even with the saltwater in her hair, she is standing tall and defiant as always.

The day she kneels to anyone when the situation doesn't call for it - or she thinks doesn't deserve it - is the day she will have gone insane.

She isn't one for dirty tricks, even though she can and will let people see what they want to see, so she would never pretend to submit only to backstab somebody.

And even if that was the kind of person she was, she has a core of pride and stubbornness inside - you just don't see the pride much.

But he can, he can see it in her back, straighter than a board, in the challenging gazes the throws the guards; even when they fought because the Winx thought they didn't respect their abilities and the guys thought they were cheating on them.

Erendor has just finished asking where he is, and hasn't noticed him yet.

Flora whispers to Musa "Just a wild guess, but there will be major trouble if Erendor finds out his son is a waiter here."

"Uh-huh."

Bloom immediately turns Sky invisible, just before one of the guards turns around, flicking her fingers towards them from behind her leg.

The meaning is clear: go, I'll cover for you.

How he ended up with Bloom's loyalty like this is beyond Sky, and the gesture makes him feel ashamed of being jealous of Andy, of doubting Bloom.

The rest of the Winx try to excuse themselves, saying they have an appointment to be at, but Erendor says "Guards, stop them!"

The men cross their giant axes, and the Winx gasp.

Bloom's eyes flash orange with shock, then anger; Erendor might be king on Eraklyon, but not on Earth.

"I'll repeat the question Bloom, where is my son?"

Bloom starts to explain why the guys are even in Gardenia, but trails off and puts a hand to her forehead.

Stella asks "Bloom, what's wrong?" Bloom sees Roxy in her room, with Artu, her fairy pets, and the White Circle.

A voice comes from the magical object, calling itself Nebula.

It takes control of Roxy, forcing her to release it.

The voice is in control of the Animal fairy in seconds, and Artu is barking but curls up in a ball when Roxy walks past.

Bloom opens her eyes maybe a second later, but to her it feels like hours; it always does when she gets a vision like that – and a good headache comes with it.

"It's Roxy, she's in danger. We have to get to her now," she flashes a warning look at the guards, "no matter what."

They all look nervous, they heard the story of how she beat a group of guards in mere seconds.

She has one hand clenched in a fist, hiding the ball of fire in it.

They all walk to the door, and the guards let them pass, much to Bloom's relief; she didn't really want to beat up four guards on Earth where a dozen cellphones would put her on YouTube in seconds.

They transform and fly up, just in time to see Roxy using the White Circle to fly across the city.

They can't lose her, so they change into their Speedix wings, and follow Roxy to an old warehouse near the docks.

* * *

 **AN: In case anybody's wondering, yes, Bloom was making her own point. Both to get Mitzi to back off and to get back at Sky for purposely tormenting her. No, she didn't have an illusion over her hoverboard, it really was a surfboard - Bloom just knows how to balance really well ever since Pyros.**


	121. Possession

_**Possession**_

Roxy lands in the entrance of the warehouse, and Anagan rushes her - but she holds up the White Circle and swipes it at him, throwing him back to the ground.

Duman goes for her next, turning into a werewolf-type creature, she holds the Circle in front of her and makes a ball of energy appear and hit him square in the chest.

Ogron mutters "In her hands, the White Circle is a dangerous weapon."

Anagan gets to his feet and responds "You think? And something tells me it's not Roxy calling the shots here, look at her eyes."

It's true, Roxy's eyes are small and red, and her voice is not hers at all.

"Now you shall know vengeance, fairy hunters! Nebula swears it!"

Suddenly, the Winx fly in fast, with large wings and land in front of Roxy.

All the Wizards think _oh great, now we can get beaten up by Bloom and her heels instead of fighting a possessed Roxy._

If they can get out of here without any broken bones, it will be a miracle.

Out loud, Ogron says "Oh look, the Winx. Now we can get rid of you all at once."

Bloom replies "Not a chance Ogron, you'll have to go through me first!"

Her fists are up in a fighting stance, they have no doubt she means to beat them to a pulp again.

Stella says "Roxy, go and hide, we'll deal with them."

"Not a chance, I have been waiting for this for centuries!"

She holds up the Circle again, and a blast forms and hits Ogron straight in the chest.

He is thrown back into the wall hard, the Circle's energy making him weak.

* * *

Bloom looks over at Roxy suspiciously, both the voice and the personality are not like her.

Musa asks "Hey, what's up with Roxy? This isn't like her."

Bloom answers "That's because it's not really Roxy fighting!"

Ogron hears her, and doesn't know why he didn't realize it himself when she flew through the door – he figured it out after a minute, but still.

Roxy wouldn't just show up out of nowhere and fight, and she doesn't know enough about the Circle to use it this well.

How Bloom figured the problem out so fast is a mystery for another time though, and the Wizards teleport away.

'Roxy' is furious, the Wizards were right where she wanted them.

She blames the Winx for the Wizard's escape, and Bloom is getting really worried.

She doesn't want to hurt Roxy, but she can't let this other fairy keep control of her.

The problem is solved when the possessed fairy holds the White Circle up, aims it at Bloom, and shoots a ball of magic at her.

She automatically deflects it with Fire Armor, and then teleports forward.

The attack hits Roxy dead-on, breaking Nebula's control for a second; and Bloom uses that second to snatch the White Circle out of Roxy's hands.

Roxy doesn't get possessed now - Bloom does.

 **Who are you to try and stop Nebula?**

The voice sounds really angry in Bloom's head, but tries to take control of her body to chase after the Wizards.

Lucky for Bloom, she has a core of determination; a combination of Oritel's iron will, growing up with Thor for a brother, and being part dragon.

She uses that to fight back, while trying to talk to the voice raging inside her head.

 _Your Nebula, the fairy of Peace. Why are you going around possessing people?_

 **Nebula has been trapped too long! She will have her revenge!**

 _Not with my body you won't, or anybody else's!_

* * *

Bloom doesn't see much of a choice, with her mile-long stubborn streak it's a stalemate between her and the crazed fairy trying to take control of her.

She does the one thing she really wishes she didn't have to do, and turns to her time as Valtor's prisoner.

The dam holding back all the memories breaks, and both minds are flooded with them.

Both Nebula and Bloom see, hear, and feel everything all over again, but it was just barely worth it because the flood washes Nebula right out of Bloom's head.

All the anger, fear, and despair wash over Bloom, and the fairy finds herself on her hands and knees in a warehouse, holding the ring in a bone-crushing grip.

Everything in a ten-foot radius is charred, burned from a fiery explosion Bloom doesn't remember happening.

She breaks down crying, from remembered fear and grief, and throws her arms around Stella's neck when the fairy goes to comfort her.

They all think it's from having her mind invaded by another; it partly is, that happened enough times during her captivity at Valtor's hands.

But he would just knock her out, because she was always making an escape attempt.

Bloom remembers where she has heard the name Nebula before: it was one of the names of the Earth Fairies the Wizards imprisoned.

Bloom puts the ring in her hidden bag, cutting off the energy instantly.

* * *

When they go back to the Frutti Music Bar, after Bloom gets herself together, they find Erendor lecturing Sky.

Bloom winces in sympathy, Oritel tried to lecture her about acting more like a princess, and she responded by saying she would not act like a total airhead who knows nothing about real life and can only sit still and look pretty.

"When are you going to come to your senses Sky? The throne of Eraklyon needs is in need of its king, what will you choose to do? You've come to Earth, are serving these humans, and have engaged in some common skill contest? You are the king of Eraklyon, have you forgotten that?"

Bloom catches a look at Sky's face, which is set in a stubborn scowl - a look she knows well from Thor.

"You have many things to account for, but first I shall take your royal seal. You can reclaim it upon your return."

Bloom sees Sky's face change, and all the blood drains from her face.

"Uh, yeah. About the seal…"

"Are you trying to tell me something has happened to the royal seal? Was it stolen? Did you lose it? Did you sell it for immeasurable wealth?" S

ky grins despite himself. "Let's just say you're on the right track."

The guys take them all to the pawn shop, and Erendor tries to pay for it with a bag of gems.

While he does, and while Musa uses her Believix powers to convince the man to believe them, Bloom whispers to Sky "You know, if you guys needed money, you could have asked us."

He smiles, but says "Mrs. Faragonda said not to let you know we were here to help. she didn't want you thinking she didn't think you could handle it."

Bloom grins, and says "So, that show with the crown and the mini-cape was to throw us off? Or was that just for me?"

They both grin, and Sky knows Bloom figured him out.

They get the seal back, and Erendor offers Sky the bag of gems, because the shop owner gave them the seal.

Sky declines the offer, saying that they followed their girlfriends to Earth, so they will try to live by Earth's rules.

Erendor leaves, after telling Sky he is proud of the man his son has become, and that he will make a good king.

Bloom is proud as well; most people would have taken the jewels in an instant.

* * *

 **AN: You think Nebula's going to remember Bloom throwing her out of her head? I know I would - especially with the memories Bloom used to get her out. Keep reading to find out what happens next!**


	122. Connections

_**Connections**_

The next day, Bloom goes over to see Roxy, worried about how the Animal fairy is coping with Nebula's invasion of her mind.

The answer is not good, Roxy felt absolutely helpless to do anything against Nebula.

She was trapped in her own head and could only watch as Nebula used her magic and the White Circle to fight the Wizards.

And worse, she could feel the emotions of all the other trapped fairies; the fear, anger, despair, loneliness, she was drowning in them.

Bloom knows what that is like, she was trapped in her own head when Darkar turned her evil; and as for the emotions, her time under Cloud Tower gave her plenty experience with all of those.

"Roxy, if you want to talk about it, I'll listen to the end of time. But I'm not going to force you, sometimes that does more harm than good."

Roxy looks at Bloom, and sees sympathy but not pity.

Bloom never wanted to see pity in someone's eyes, not after Shadowhaunt - and certainly not after Cloudtower.

She could take sympathy, compassion, even scorn - though that one was a lot harder to deal with than most - but someone pitying her, like they could understand what it was like?

No, they could never understand, not unless they went though it themselves - and that would break them.

 _No, stop thinking about that. Focus on the present._

* * *

Roxy gets up and, after a minute, says she doesn't want to be a fairy; she wants to be a normal girl living her life.

Oh, does Bloom know that feeling - she would absolutely love to be a normal girl, even a normal fairy, nobody special or important; but that's not how things worked out, and it's not her call to make.

When Roxy is finished, she gets up and says "If you need us, you know where to find us Roxy. I know being special isn't all it's cracked up to be - believe me, I know. But we play the hand we're dealt. And sometimes the hands that look the best, are really the ones that suck the worst. Trust me, I've learned that lesson well enough."

Bloom told Roxy about the source of her powers, how it makes her basically all-powerful.

And about how she holds it back so total strangers who know nothing about her don't find out; case in point, the Wizards of the Black Circle.

She's certain they haven't figured out who they tried to kidnap from Alfea, even though they've been fighting for weeks now.

It seems a lot longer, but Alfea's school year has barely started - the day she was kidnapped by the Trix from Alfea has already passed, but not the day she woke up in that awful cell.

She doesn't know which day that is, but her body sure does, and so does her subconscious.

Last year, she got the worst flashback she'd had in a while, and the same thing happened the day Techna fell into Omega.

Roxy doesn't say anything else, so Bloom leaves, and walks back to the shop.

When she gets there, the rest of the Winx are working.

Bloom explains everything that Roxy said, none of it comes as much of a surprise to them.

She doesn't want to be a fairy, as Stella guessed.

They all decide to go help people in trouble to get belief in fairies going again, and since Bloom cancelled all the appointments except for the Pet's food delivery, they have the day off.

Bloom does a spell that makes Ember look like her, who is now around Artu's size with a longer tail.

When they go outside, with Techna holding a device that is tuned in to all emergency frequencies, Roxy says hello.

She decided she can't change the fact that she is a fairy, so if she has to face her destiny, she should probably be around other fairies.

Bloom is wearing the White Circle as a small ring on her finger, carefully guarding herself against its power - so nobody's getting possessed again any time soon.

She does it the same way she held Loki's spear back in New York: keeping tabs on her own magic and being aware of the spear's.

Musa has to go for her audition, and is meeting Riven outside Jason's studio.

* * *

Meanwhile, Riven is arguing with a cashier at the grocery store, trying to pay for their food with gems.

Nabu has him walk out, while Sky and the others sort out their money problem.

They haven't had a chance to trade the stones for earth money, so this will take a while.

* * *

Techna tries to solve a disagreement between two girls fighting over the same dress, and she does, but they don't believe in her.

* * *

Stella tries to get an over-bearing manager to relax a little. It works, but he doesn't believe in fairies either.

Roxy says they need to connect with people, after Flora heals a rosebush in front of a woman's apartment, and then tried to get her to believe in fairies and care more about nature.

The second part worked, but she didn't believe, no surprise there.

Roxy can't really explain what she means, but it's like what happens between her and animals.

Bloom has a good idea of what she means, she and Ember share the same kind of connection.

They communicate in emotions, feelings, and images through it; but how that can translate from person-animal to person-person is another matter entirely - because Bloom does not fancy having the entire population of Gardenia in her head.

Suddenly, Techna's gadget beeps, tuning in to the fire station's frequency.

There is a fire two blocks away, and a red truck comes racing through the street and turns a corner.

The Winx transform and teleport to the fire, which is like a beacon to Bloom.

* * *

 **AN: I'd say Roxy's reaction to being possessed by the White Circle is pretty much to be expected - she got possessed and was forced to fight the Wizards after all. At least she came to terms with the fact that she can't not be a fairy. Any guesses about what's going to happen in the fire?**


	123. Fire Trap!

_**Fire Trap!**_

They see a large apartment building burning, and dozens of people being held back by firefighters while others try to put the flames out.

The Winx fly in the building, shocking a lot of people into silence.

A bunch of people come stumbling down the stairs, and don't waste time staring at the five girls with wings.

One man says "There's a family trapped on the fifth floor!"

Bloom nods and says "Alright, Stella, you and Techna get these people out of here. Flora, Aisha, and I will get the family to safety."

They split up, and Bloom flies up as fast as she can without her Speedix wings.

* * *

At the fourth, she hears the family, screaming for someone to help.

The fire is messing with her sense of heat, it's like looking for a gray ball in a gray landscape - or a camouflaged person in the forest.

They find the family in less than a minute after, behind a burning door.

Aisha uses her Morphix to smother the fire, so all three can walk in, instead of just Bloom.

Flora makes a plant wall to give the family air to breathe, but burning debris falls over them.

They separate, the parents ending up on one side and their little girl, who is maybe five or six only, on the other.

Bloom immediately goes to the burning debris, and reaches out her hand to the girl.

"C'mon, you can make it."

The kid is shaking in the corner, so Bloom climbs over the debris, not even feeling the heat or flames.

The parents gasp, and immediately start choking on smoke - so Flora makes more vines so they can breathe.

Bloom pulls the kid to her, protecting her from the heat.

"It's alright, you won't get hurt. Strength of Life."

Her Believix powers activate, and Bloom connects with the scared kid.

She stops shaking, seeing bright blue butterflies and feeling completely safe.

When the kid opens her eyes, Bloom has teleported back over to her parents.

She hands the kid over, while the mother thanks her over and over; apparently trying to crush her in a massively grateful hug.

Firefighters take the family out, and when they are on the ground, the girl says "Mommy, it was magic. Suddenly there were lights and sparkles and the fire was gone. Those girls are fairies!"

Her mom laughs and hugs her, saying "I don't know about fairies, but they sure are special. No doubt about it."

* * *

Back in the building, Bloom can sense something wrong with the fire.

The ceiling starts to fall, so Aisha tries to strengthen it.

It doesn't work, and Bloom picks up a new sound: laughter.

Deep and familiar, with an accent she doesn't know; but she more than recognizes the voice and its owner.

"Ogron. I should have known."

The four wizards step out of the smoke, and the neon red-head replies "Did you like our little trap Bloom?"

"You put all these people in danger, and for what? To get to us?"

Bloom is mad, this is one of the few ways to really get her angry.

Orange leaks into her irises, as Ogron holds his hands maybe six inches apart and flames concentrate in them.

"We'll go to any lengths to get the White Circle. Now give it to us or prepare to meet your end!"

He shoots a massive ball of fire at the Winx, heading straight for Bloom.

She holds out her hand, like he does to absorb their attacks, and when the fire hits it enters her skin like blood flowing out in reverse - and they see orange leak into her blue irises even more.

"Yeah, yeah. You know how many times people have tried to 'end' us before?"

"What?" He tries again, this time making a massive gush of flames.

Almost as soon as it hits open air, Ogron's control of the attack is cut off cleanly.

The fire circles the Winx, and heads straight back to the Wizards, knocking them all into a wall.

* * *

Stella readies an attack, but Techna stops her, reminding her that Ogron can still absorb the energy from their attacks.

Bloom and Ogron walk forward, circling each other, waiting for a chance to strike.

Ogron looks for barely a second at the other Wizards, and Gantlos nods.

They all fly forward at the rest of the Winx, who fly up to meet them.

Bloom and Ogron circle around again, faster, and then Ogron tries to blast at Bloom, who flies behind him.

"Over here Ogron."

When he tries a swipe, she catches his wrist and judo-throws him to the wall.

"Catch me if you can."

Ogron smirks despite himself, Bloom's sarcasm would be really funny if it wasn't aimed at him - and if she hadn't just thrown him into the wall.

"Oh good, you play Hide and Seek to."

"I prefer Dragon and Prey if it's all the same to you."

Bloom's the one smirking now, and Ogron can clearly see the meaning behind her words.

She would definitely be funny if they were on the same side.

Stella and Techna fight Gantlos, while Flora and Aisha take on Duman.

Bloom is still fighting with Ogron, and winning easily, when she hears a man yelling for help.

She throws Ogron into a wall and runs to find the man, when Anagan gets in her path.

"And where do you think your going, fairy?"

Suddenly, Bloom is surrounded by all four Wizards.

"Alright you four. You wanna play with fire, you better be ready to be burned."

Ogron tries another burst of fire, but Bloom sidesteps and puts her hand in it.

When the fire is gone, a ball of it remains in her hand.

 _Uh-oh._

She throws it like a pitcher throwing a baseball, straight at Duman.

He dodges and mentally yells _When did she start doing that?_

They don't know, but they can sense Bloom's anger in the fire; along with the fact that it is not under their control anymore.

It rushes to Bloom, piling onto her like change to a magnet.

Anagan thinks _And why did we think setting a trap made of fire was a good idea with Bloom in the picture?_

Before any of them can respond, they see Bloom's figure.

It looks like she is made completely out of fire, and her eyes have turned from shining blue to burning orange.

If looks alone could hurt, her glare would set their hair on fire, without her magic doing that.

"Alright, enough! Supernova!"

She has clearly had it with the trap, and has turned it on them.

She kneels on the floor, slamming one burning fist down to the wood.

An orange and blue explosion happens, starting exactly where Bloom's fist landed.

The Wizards can either leave, or be blown through the walls; they leave.

* * *

The fire is out, having been absorbed by Bloom to fuel her massive explosion.

The explosion also knocked a massive hole in the wall, along with the ceiling.

When they find the man yelling for help, he is trapped under burning ceiling pieces.

Bloom lifts them up and throws them to the side.

She heals him, and then Bloom supports the man as they get out of the apartment before it has a chance to collapse.

A reporter starts asking questions, holding up a microphone to Stella.

"Did you see the explosion? Where is the family that was rescued? Do you have a statement?"

Before Stella can get going, Bloom puts a hand on her shoulder and says "Yes we saw the explosion, the family we helped is over there," she points to the parents and their daughter, who waves at her happily, making her smile "and as for a statement, we're fairies. Goodbye."

Bloom teleports away, taking the rest of the Winx with her, including Roxy.

When they leave, the whole crowd is stunned, and all of them believe in fairies now, believe in the Winx.

When the Winx get back to the pet shop, they start cleaning, because the pets still managed to make a mess of everything.

Musa comes back in when they are finishing up, sniffling and crying.

The audition went fantastic, but Riven was a total jerk.

Instead of supporting her, or even being happy for her, he was jealous and rude. Musa's made up her mind; she and Riven are through!

* * *

 **AN: Gee, they set a trap for the Winx using fire, and got beaten to a pup by Bloom for it. Why exactly would they try fire against her? Really, they might not have known she can control it at will, but they had to have known she draws strength from it - her spells are all fire based, Ogron had to have noticed her higher body temp. when he picked her up, etc. So really, why'd they think it was a smart move? PS. Bloom's sense of heat only works if she's not surrounded by a massive amount of it - then, it'd be like night vision goggles - they can't see in light, she can't sense people in a massive amount of heat that drowns out their heat signatures.**


	124. Nighttime Stalking

_**Nighttime Stalking**_

That night, the Wizards are tailing Roxy and Artu, to take the White Circle from her.

They've been going for twenty minutes, as the fairy takes the scenic route back to her place.

They followed her through Gardenia park, and could only watch amazed as she wove between trees easily, never once tripping.

It has to be her though, nobody else would talk to her dog so much - and nobody they know of can mimic accents or speech patterns perfectly.

Finally though, she walks through the gate to a tall building and closes it, humming all the while.

They go around back, and Gantlos doesn't sense anyone else in the building.

 _This will be too easy guys, she's all alone. Paranoid as Bloom is, even she couldn't have seen this coming._

Ogron replies _Good work, but let's save the celebrating until we get the Circle. I don't fancy getting beaten to a pulp again. I'm still sore from getting thrown into burning walls earlier today._

Anagan says "Let's get this over with, she's practically helpless after all."

"Calm down Anagan. Roxy's the last Earth Fairy, once we have her we can blackmail the Winx into giving us the White Circle."

Ogron uses a little magic to melt the door handle, and the door swings open.

'Roxy' hears and grins to herself, right along with 'Artu'.

She murmurs to nobody "Let the games begin."

* * *

The Wizards walk up the stairs, open a door with pawprints decorating it, to find a girl with pink hair using her arms for support and looking at the starry night sky on the balcony.

"Well, look who it is, Roxy. Seems your friends aren't here to protect you this time."

'Roxy' turns around, with a self-confident smirk on her face they have only ever seen on one person before: Bloom.

She crosses her arms and says "Wanna bet?"

Suddenly, the door shuts behind them, revealing Artu.

Duman thinks _Something's off guys._

"You really think I wouldn't see this ambush coming after the fire earlier today? Especially when you'll 'go to any lengths to get the White Circle'?"

The way Roxy is speaking isn't right, its someone else's voice that sounds like hers now, the inflections and accent slowly changing; and Ogron knows exactly who that someone is: Bloom.

Duman asks "What? How is this possible?"

The smirk on 'Roxy's' face gets bigger, and then orange runs over her, changing her from Roxy to Bloom as she drops the charade completely.

"You four idiots ever hear of an illusion?"

'Artu' growls, and then orange runs over him as well, revealing Ember.

Ogron thinks _Great. Not only can she beat us all to a pulp, she can do illusions at will. Fantastic, she could be anyone at any given time._

He yells "Get her, we can use her instead!"

Bloom's eyes flash orange, and she says "You'll have to get to me first!"

* * *

Suddenly, all of Roxy's things start shaking, and then everything is flying around the Wizards in a whirlwind of objects.

It's mostly clothes, she actually left the furniture on the floor.

Ogron gets hit in the face with a pawprint shirt, and rips it away angrily.

Duman transforms into his falcon form, and flies straight for Bloom.

She simply yanks a hand back and ducks; Duman loses control of his speed, and goes flying through the open window behind Bloom.

They all hear the thud his bird body makes, and he mentally groans to them.

 _Oh, that sucked. Watch out for her telekinesis, she's good at it._

They'd already figured that out from evil Bloom, and they can't really defend themselves from it.

But they don't have to, because Bloom teleports around them like a heat wave, hitting and kicking, making limbs go numb, and moving faster than they can react.

In quick succession, the other three Wizards are also thrown out the window, and land on one another before they can even get up.

They groan, and untangle themselves from one another.

They didn't even land a hit on her, but they are covered in more bruises, and sore enough to not try anything for a while.

Bloom walks out on Roxy's balcony, which she threw the Wizards over, and looks over the railing.

Ogron looks up first, and sees her grin.

She sarcastically calls out "Better luck next time, fellas!"

Ember is sitting on the railing, and makes a high-pitched thrumming sound; like she's _laughing_.

Bloom looks like she is holding back laughter of her own, and after a second she turns around and slams the door shut.

They can sense her using her magic again, but when Ogron flies up for a second, she is putting Roxy's stuff back, fixing things they were slammed into.

It's something so normal when not in detail, he could almost laugh if she weren't floating clothes back into Roxy's closet and magically restoring her furniture and walls.

 _Let's get out of here, before she decides to finish us off._

They teleport away, once again covered in bruises and beaten by one thin fairy with no muscle mass but a lot of mystery.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but I thought it was hilarious. Their first trap to get the Circle didn't work, so they tried to get Roxy - too bad for them Bloom saw that coming easily. Bloom can use illusions to change her voice as well as her appearance - think Mystique from the X-Men movies. And yes, Ember did pick up on that trick as well. You'd think they'd at least learn to never assume they know everything Bloom can do. Keep reading to find out if they'll ever get a plan that might get them the White Circle! And yes, they are creepy enough to do this, they actually tried in the cartoon - I just changed it up a little. Seriously, they look like four sketchy punks in desperate need of a hobby - they are more than capable of trailing a girl to her home and trying to take her hostage to get what they want.**


	125. Wizards' Plans

_**Wizards' Plans**_

A few days later, the Wizards are trying to figure out how to get any kind of leverage against the Winx to blackmail them into giving them the White Circle.

Bloom set up protection spells all around Roxy's house, making it impossible for them to even go near it.

Duman tried to cross one, and until he was pulled back it felt like fire was coursing up his legs and through his veins. It would almost have been pleasant if it didn't feel like he was being consumed by the fire.

The pain faded almost as soon as the other three pulled him back across.

In minutes, the burning was gone, but the protection magic is not. They throw a rock through it; nothing. They try a ball of magic; it bursts into flames.

* * *

They go back to their warehouse hideout, and Anagan says "Well, what now? We can't even get close to the weakest member of the Winx now, so what are we going to do?"

Ogron is pacing, something he does when he is thinking. "Hm, if we can't get to Roxy, we could try getting Bloom."

Duman asks _"What?_ Have you lost your mind, Ogron? She can and will beat us to four pulps on the ground in normal circumstances. If we try to kidnap her, she will likely break us in half - all four of us! I'm telling you, there's something really wrong with her!"

Ogron gets an idea, he can't believe he didn't think of this before. "Unless she is too weak to try."

Gantlos laughs without any humor, saying "Bloom? Weak? She climbed her dragon-turned-evil like a tree, she doesn't get weak. At least not from us, you saw that smirk on her face the last time she beat us up! All the times she's beat us up really! I seriously doubt she was really trying hard."

Ogron grins, and says "If we drug her, there's no way she could fight back - and what fairy, strong or not, could fight a drug and us at the same time?"

All three Wizards still, and then break out into grins to match Ogron's own; if they can drug Bloom with something strong enough, she'll be out for hours. That's assuming they can actually get the drug in her system though, she can move as fast as Anagan - if not faster.

They know enough to not turn her evil if they can actually get her, so they make a chain to put around her ankle; putting spells of magic suppression on them, specifically on the cuff.

The chain is strong enough to trap their magic, and the only way to unlock it is with a key - because there is a keyhole on the side of the cuff.

The chain is long enough to hit the floor and then some, giving Bloom a little room to move around, but only about a foot or so.

The warehouse they are in is made of wood, so it is no problem to put a ring in the wall and attach the chain to it.

The problem will be getting Bloom; they have more than figured out she is paranoid, but they have no idea how to use that against her. Paranoia usually keeps people from getting hurt a second time, not kidnapped by known enemies.

They have no idea how to get to Bloom, she seems to stay at the shop mostly, surrounded by their pets, Kiko, and Ember.

The times they used a location spell to see where she was, she was sitting on her stomach on a couch, flipping through pages of a spellbook with a bowl of cookie dough – or other food, usually fruit or sweets - beside her, along with Ember.

* * *

 ***Locator Spell***

Bloom flips through three more pages, while absently eating spoonfuls out of the massive bowl beside her, while Ember is going wild on the stuff.

She gets up, and gets more cookies out of the oven, not even using baking gloves.

She slides them onto a plate, and goes back to eating with Ember on the couch, absorbed once again in the book beside her.

The rest of the Winx are likely at the Frutti Music bar, but Bloom seems content in the shop, probably to guard the pets as much as read the books.

"Still nothing. When will I find this stupid curse?!" She disgustedly snaps the book closed, making it disappear.

Ember looks up and thrums, and Bloom says "Yeah, yeah, I know. I have to be patient, there are plenty of books left to look through. But I don't know how much longer I can keep looking before I go crazy Ember. I've looked through the entire Magical Dimension for this curse, it has to be somewhere!"

All the stuff on the couch except for her and the book she's holding flies off, and she sighs and summons it all back with a snap of her fingers.

Ember flies over to the carriers, and the pets come out as Bloom takes another spoonful of dough.

Anagan says "Curses? Really? I seriously doubt she's going through curses."

Kiko is sitting on Bloom's shoulder, but he joins in when all the pets start bumping into her on purpose.

Ember thrums, and Bloom laughs despite herself. "Oh it's on, Ember!" She jumps up from the couch, and starts chasing the pets all around the room.

It seems Ember knows how to play Bloom, how to get her out of a depression or prevent one.

The Wizards can't help but stare as Bloom bounds around the room, good-naturedly chasing their flying pets around. It's so at odds with the fairy they keep fighting that they almost can't believe it, right along with the slits in her pupils; that, they don't believe.

They still think it must be magical interference, because in the fire her eyes were orange but definitely had round pupils.

Duman says "Guys, if we're going to get her, we will need an amazing stroke of luck."

Gantlos nods, saying "Yeah, because their stupid pets could probably do some damage if they really try, Ember is there with her claws, and who knows what kind of spells Bloom has put in that shop."

Anagan says "Yeah, and her friends could be back at any time. The last thing we need is to fight them all just to get her."

* * *

 **AN: Like Bloom would've given them the opportunity to be waiting for Roxy when she got home or anything. Seriously, she's too smart for that and they have to know it by now. Also, Ogron was thinking in terms of strategy when he suggested getting Bloom - she'd be the one to sneak off and rescue Roxy if she were free. Any guesses on when they're going to figure out her pupils aren't due to any interference with their spell? Read to find out! PS. Finally figured out how to format the story correctly, going to be updating chapters slowly to correct the mistakes. Won't delete the story, but you'll find chapters getting spread out a lot. This chapter starts it - sorry, first story please go easy on me! Will make it up to you all with the Wizards getting pounded soon! Also, yes, she has a massive sweet tooth, mainly because Asgard doesn't really have much in the way of sweets. So the first time she had chocolate or a soda was interesting to say the least. Plus, it's supposed to hep a person gain any weight - it's not helping Bloom though, she literally burns through everything, food, drinks, etc. way too fast to actually gain any weight fast, even in the form of non-muscle.**


	126. Stroke of Luck

_**Stroke of Luck**_

They get a massive stroke of luck, one they can't believe was timed so perfectly.

They were doing the location spell again, a few hours after the rest of the Winx came back from the Frutti Music Bar.

Bloom said she felt like she was being watched, so they immediately shut the spell off.

Now, hours later, they see her asleep on a bed with Ember curled up next to her.

But it seems Bloom's dreams aren't exactly peaceful, she keeps turning on the bed and moaning - even transforming, her form flickering between human and various fairy outfits.

Suddenly, she wakes up with a gasp, sitting straight up, soaked in sweat, and taking in heaving breaths.

Ember looks up, making a low thrum, and Bloom responds with a growl of her own.

 _More interference, how much magic do they have in there?_

"Magix, it's tonight. Its tonight, its tonight."

They have no idea what Bloom's talking about, but Ember apparently does.

She thrums again, and Bloom _thrums back._

Anagan mutters "Alright, what is with this girl?"

Duman says "I told you guys there was something wrong with her. But no, she's just another fairy."

They stop talking when Bloom starts. "Great Dragon, I can't stay here tonight. Not even after Aisha's amazing news about Nabu. His forever girlfriend - those two are made for each other like a sword and sheathe. She's lucky, she doesn't have to worry about whether or not the love of her life will get hurt because she's with him or not."

Anagan says "A sword and sheathe? Really? Where did she hear that from? News about Aisha and her boyfriend aside, that doesn't tell us anything."

As they watch, she jumps off her bed, runs both hands through her hair, digs around in her closet, and ends up with faded jeans and a tank top.

She magically changes her clothes to the obvious workout outfit, and slips on socks and a pair of much-used sneakers.

She grabs her belt, looping it around her waist even though there are no belt loops on her faded pants.

They have no idea why, but they don't focus on that as Bloom starts whispering to herself.

"Believix will wake them up, Enchantix likely will to. But, Great Dragon, I can't stay inside tonight."

She looks over at Ember, who is still awake, watching her intently.

"Go back to sleep Ember, I'll be back eventually."

She goes over and massages behind Ember's head, making the young dragon thrum contentedly.

After a second, she curls back up into an orange ball, and in seconds she is breathing evenly.

Bloom mutters "If only I could sleep that easily. Not even a sleep spell will keep me asleep tonight."

She raises her hand to her giant window, and slowly raises it.

She whispers "Charmix." and in seconds, they get their first look of her Charmix form.

Cyan sparkly haler top, matching miniskirt, handless gloves, and ankle boots, gold tiara, hair like fire running down her back wildly, butterfly wings.

As the Wizards watch, she grabs a sketchbook, and tears out a page.

She grabs a pencil and starts writing something down.

When they get a look, it's the words 'really bad night, gone to clear my head' in perfect handwriting.

She puts it on her desk, and then lines herself up in front of the window.

After a second, she takes a running start, and goes right through the opening perfectly.

"I'm more relaxed in a fight with the Wizards than in a party and a dress, except for tonight. I'm a bundle of nerves tonight. Where to go…where to go…"

As they watch, she closes the window with magic, and then flies off into Gardenia city.

* * *

Gantlos asks "Did we seriously just get this lucky? Like we're ever going to get another chance like this to take Bloom."

Ogron is grinning, this is the perfect opportunity to get to Bloom - weird behavior and comments or not.

"Let's go find a fairy."

They hunted Bloom across a universe, one city is nothing.

But they have no idea where Bloom knows and where she doesn't, and they get the feeling she won't go to the Frutti Music Bar; crowds don't seem to be her thing - especially after that comment about being more comfortable in a fight than a party.

They have been keeping track of the news, and while Stella has been on nearly every channel there is, Bloom's only appearance was right after the fire they set.

Reporters found all the other members of the Winx at least once, Aisha at the gym, Techna at a computer store, Flora at a local flower shop - big surprise - Stella shopping, etc.

But they haven't found Bloom anywhere, either the girl goes around invisibly - not an unlikely possibility - or she doesn't go anywhere - also likely, she seems extremely paranoid.

So where would she go - somewhere with no crowds, somewhere she could fly to.

They split up, covering Gardenia City, because Bloom could fly to anywhere in the city.

With her teleporting, she could get anywhere, be anywhere - and with her illusions, she could be anyone.

 _Oh, this is not gonna be easy. We're looking for a fairy who can turn into anyone, could be anywhere by now, and is doing who-knows-what._

* * *

As it turns out, Duman finds her.

He is sitting on a telephone wire in his falcon form, resting his wings after two hours of searching.

Suddenly, the wire bounces under him, and when he looks over, she sees Bloom walking along, having just landed on the wire.

She sits down maybe a yard and a half from him, and he can't believe what just happened.

 _Guys, you are never going to believe this. Bloom just landed on the telephone wire I'm sitting on! Also, she's in her Charmix form, so she should be easier to capture._

Ogron replies _Good work Duman, stay with her until we can find you. Just don't tip her off, we may never get another chance like this._

She starts talking to herself, apparently unaware that the shapeshifter she's recently beat to a pulp multiple times over the past few weeks is sitting next to her.

"Why isn't this working? Flying always helps, why isn't it helping now? Now when I need it to so much?"

She gets up and walks a few steps, her back to Duman.

The shapeshifter is seriously confused, why would she need flying to help with something?

"Why? Why kidnap me and lock me away? Why put me through so much if you weren't going to kill me? _AARRRGGGGHHHHHH!_ "

She lets out a massive scream, more roar than yell and full of torment.

It scares Duman nearly out of his feathers, almost making him change back from the shock.

She jumps off the wire, lands with a roll, and changes back to her human form; then takes off running at a speed to give Anagan a literal run for his money.

Duman has to follow her, but even as a bird he can barely keep up with her from high in the air - which is the only reason he sees where she heads.

* * *

 **AN: Hey all, reformatting the story so it's the correct format for the site. Got an extremely helpful tip from a reader, so now the reformatting is on! Also, taking Kiko out of the story - he's too adorably and innocent to let him get into a battle and get killed - sorry, all Kiko lovers. I just love him too much to let him get picked up by the Trix or some enemy in a Thor movie and killed. So the story's going to change slightly, but not much. Ember's staying in for good, and she fits the image of a battle-trained girl's companion better than a cute little rabbit. Also, the Wizard's stroke of luck isn't turning out to be quite so lucky - starting with the fact that they only found her by pure chance, and she's a little off tonight. I'm betting you all know what this night is, but I won't spoil it for you. Keep reading to find out just how badly Bloom's going to beat these losers for screwing with her tonight of all nights they could've picked.**


	127. Fight in the Park

_**Fight in the Park**_

Bloom could easily sense them coming if they teleported, so it takes them over two hours to get to her and Duman.

He followed her when she got up, flew down to the street, and changed back into her human form.

She went to Gardenia park, and climbed over the locked fence like it was nothing.

The Wizards don't see how she did though, the fence has basically no handholds.

Eventually, they make it in, and Duman flies over to meet them.

When he changes back to a human, he immediately says "You guys are never going to believe this! She's acting more bizarre than usual tonight. Follow me, you've gotta see this for yourselves."

They follow him through trees and bushes, wondering where Bloom led them this time.

* * *

When they get to a clearing, they see Bloom beating a punching bag to a pulp.

There are several more in a few-feet radius.

Right now, she's hitting it so hard they can hear the blows from here and are sure they would break bones.

Duman whispers "She has a pair of headphones in her ears, there's no way she can hear us."

She finishes with the punching bag - hitting it so hard it flies six feet away and is spilling sand.

She makes another one, and immediately starts beating it as hard as the last – and using a fighting style that they're sure they've never come across before.

Anagan asks "You guys sure we should mess with her right now?"

Ogron answers "We might not have another chance to get her."

They walk out, careful to stay behind her - and when they get three feet away, she stops.

"I know you're there, you four. Trying to sneak up on me is futile. And by the way, I'm _not_ in the mood."

She turns around and takes one earbud out, and they can see she hasn't even broken a sweat.

She gives them a challenging look, daring them to fight her tonight.

Duman asks "How did you even know we were coming?"

In response, she opens one hand and a fireball forms in it, burning bright as her hair.

"Next time you four try sneaking up on a fairy, pick one that can't sense your body heat - or the magic that mixes with it. Now, for the last time, leave me alone tonight. You four want another fight? Fine, find me in the morning."

She abruptly turns around, puts the earphone back in, and starts hitting the bag again.

 _Did she just dismiss us?_

Ogron is getting annoyed, this is not a side of Bloom they have seen before.

Anagan thinks _Alright, I'll grab her. Get ready guys._

He rushes her, but instead of surprising Bloom, he somehow ends up with his face in the ground and Bloom's incredibly sharp elbow pressing upwards on one shoulder blade _._

 _How did she do that guys? I don't even know what happened._

"I am having a really bad night tonight, so you four are going to _leave. Me. ALONE!_ "

As Bloom clips off the last three words, she grabs Anagan's jacket with the hand elbowing him, grabs his collar with her free hand, and rolls off of him and throws him into Gantlos.

Duman changes into a falcon, but gets the heel of her sneaker in a spinning kick.

She mutters "Tonight, they had to pick tonight." and snaps her fingers, making the phone and headphones vanish in a puff of embers.

* * *

Somehow, after getting a few new bruises and their faces in the ground more than once, Gantlos grabs one of her wrists and Anagan manages to catch the other - but they nearly get her fists in their chests.

They use magic to keep their feet stuck to the ground, stopping Bloom from smashing them into each other.

She tries to twist out of their grips, but for once they have hold of her tightly enough that it would be impossible without her other arm; with is not happening because Gantlos is extremely strong.

Ogron presses the cloth soaked with the strongest drug they could find to her face, and she instantly starts struggling.

"Give in Bloom, you're not getting away."

In response, she sucks in such a deep breath they can't believe she doesn't blow up and float away - and a gush of fire bursts forward and turns the rag to ashes.

It's a really good thing Ogron's fast with a shield - she would have turned him to ashes as well.

Ogron jerks back to avoid the flames - which smell like a weird mixture of toothpaste and sulfur - and Duman scrambles back to avoid the stream of fire.

Anagan and Gantlos stare in shock, until Anagan gets her foot in his stomach and Gantlos gets another bruise and more dirt in his mouth.

Ogron manages to blast her in the stomach, smashing her into a tree.

A pair of sunglasses flies off her face, and Ogron summons them before she can grab them and jam them back on.

"Spelled sunglasses? I didn't think you were the type Bloom."

When Bloom glares up at him and lets out a snarl of rage, he instantly wishes he could stuff those words back in his mouth - her eyes are slitted, exactly like Ember's.

Duman asks "What the…?"

She yells "You want to drug me, you've got to do a lot better than that, bastards!"

Ogron has the entire bottle, but now he's thinking it might not be enough.

* * *

Gantlos tackles her and pins her arms to her sides, and Ogron tries forcing Bloom to drink the stuff straight from the bottle.

Her struggles get weaker for a moment, until her eyes turn orange and fire wraps around her and blows both Gantlos and him away from her.

"This is not happening again!"

Before they can wonder what she means by that, she takes out a sword that instantly catches fire and swings it.

It releases a wave of fire that hits them both in the stomach and knocks them down.

She stumbles for a moment - but then her body catches fire for a moment and burns through the drug.

Ogron gets up and says "Nice trick, but I doubt you know how to do anything else with that little toy, Bloom."

"Wanna bet?"

She teleports forward and nearly takes his head off right then, he barely has time to make his own sword.

Turns out he made one very bad mistake right then - she nearly kills him several times in the space of the fight, he never even comes close.

The only reason he stays alive in the first place is because he learned how to use a sword long ago – but she's using the same fighting style from before and it's nearly impossible to combat.

"You four picked the wrong night for this bullshit!"

Ogron tries to distract her, think of some way to beat her - because he's way out of his league in skill.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Like I'm telling you!"

She nearly takes his head off with a swipe, he barely manages to block it - he's only alive because the other Wizards keep coming into the fight and keep getting thrown out by Bloom.

Anagan suddenly tackles her, knocking her sword to the ground and pinning her to the ground – they hear a sickening pop in her shoulder, and hear her snarl of pain and rage.

Duman turns into a giant constrictor and slithers over to wrap around her.

He squeezes as hard as he can, she doesn't even wince and her glare increases a thousand-fold.

 _Ogron, she's trying to get something. I can feel her hand moving underneath me. Also, she's burning hot here and not cooling off._

Ogron tries to block her powers - but judging from the way her eyes stay orange, he doesn't think he succeeded.

"What kind of power do you have?"

"Go to Omega! The lot of you! I'm not telling you anything!"

They can hear her start growling, and Duman says "Guys, she's _pushing me apart here!_ Knock her out already!"

Ogron tries to make her drink some more of the drug, but she jerks her head back and the bottle goes flying onto the ground and smashes.

She lets out an ear-piercing whistle that makes all of them except for Duman wince and cover their ears - that rivaled a dog-whistle, but just in the range of human hearing!

 _Ouch, guys, I think I just went deaf._

 _Join the party Duman._

Her eyes are still orange, and now she's covered in a sheen of fire.

"You four are really pushing me tonight. I'm not getting kidnapped again. tonight of all nights!"

Duman coils as tightly as he can, making Bloom wince and growl as she breathes, but not pass out or even mumble an ouch.

They notice her fire has gone out though, she can't get even half a breath in.

"You four think…I'm giving in…so easily?"

Duman's far longer and larger than her physically - all her strength is useless when she can't get any leverage at the moment.

* * *

Ogron gets up and walks over to her, getting close enough that she can feel his breath on her face - way too close for her.

"Get out of my face…or I'll cook yours…extra crispy."

She takes in as big a breath as she can manage with Duman squeezing her so tightly - and he can see her throat heating up.

Ogron moves to the side fast, just as a large cloud of smoke and embers bursts out of her mouth.

He quickly knocks her out with a sleeping spell - touching the back of her neck and muttering the spell before she can do anything.

The fact that she nearly crushed his fingers by slamming her head back before he could do the spell is not at all comforting to anyone - exactly how much will she do to stay free?

They don't have an answer for that, so they take her back to their hideout, put the chain around her ankle and wait for her to wake up immediately after they get her back to the hideout.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, they got beaten up badly - they also only managed to win because Bloom's dealing with her own demons right now. I'd really hate to be any one of them when Bloom wakes up from that sleeping spell Ogron put on her - especially since she's going through a very bad night, has anyone guessed what that is? You'll find out eventually!**


	128. In Bloom's Head

_**In Bloom's Head**_

Eight hours later, and Bloom still hasn't woken up from the sleep spell Ogron put on her.

It should have worn off by now, he didn't use one _that_ strong.

Also, she's been talking in her sleep, mostly 'let me go' and 'you can't keep me in here forever.'

He decides to go into her dreams to figure out what she might be planning, because even in magic-suppressing chains she is still dangerous.

It takes him around five tries to get in when she's having a peaceful dream - all he gets when she's having nightmares are disorienting flashes of images and feelings that are all impossible to understand, and sometimes she mentally lashes out at the intruder, him.

Right now, she looks peaceful, so completely opposite of how they have always seen her that it's hard to fit the two versions of her together; of course, whenever they see her, a fight happens.

In the grip of a nightmare, she tosses and turns and makes things explode - and she's likely going to be in a bad mood.

* * *

 ***Bloom's Dream***

Ogron enters her mind, and finds himself in the Pet Shop – and 'Imaginary' by Evanesence is playing, how fitting.

He's on the second floor, but it's completely empty.

Behind him is a door with an image of the Black Circle on it.

When he goes down one hallway at random he finds a bunch of doors, some with images like a beautiful lake and a curled-up dragon - likely Ember.

But he sees only one light on - and Bloom's reading a book while lying on the bed inside.

The door creaks when he pushes it open, and Bloom instantly looks up.

The passive look on her face immediately changes to the ferocious one she had in the park and she asks "What do you think you're doing in my head?"

Ogron gapes, and asks "You know...?"

"That I'm stuck here in la-la land? Yeah, it's a little obvious when one's been fighting to not get drugged and kidnapped, and has been crushed by a giant snake, then is suddenly stuck redoing the worst memories of her life. Lucky me, I managed to force a break in them - but I have no idea how long it will last."

"How…?"

"I'm not stupid, whatever you might think of me. I know when I've been kidnapped, and I know what you want. You want the White Circle."

He doesn't even know how she already knows this - of course, it's kind of obvious when you think about it.

"I don't care why you're in here, get out - or I'll throw you out. You drug me, you trap me in here, you kidnap me and use me for leverage - why should I tell you anything?"

 _Ok, what can I say that she might actually respond to? Or at least stop going on like this?_

"Because I can do worse."

She looks up from the book she's reading and scoffs. "Oh yeah, I've been through worse. You've trapped me in reliving worse. Try again asshole."

"Because I can free you from this dream."

"No, you can't. I could free myself if my magic wasn't being blocked by the spells you likely put on me. My body is catching up on sleep - I've pulled a few all-nighters. No big deal, until someone tries to kidnap you and drug you, then puts a sleep spell on you."

She snaps the book shut, apparently tired of it - or of Ogron's presence in her head.

It floats over to a space in a row of books, and Bloom walks over to the window and opens it.

A balcony appears, and she closes the window before swinging herself off it.

When Ogron goes to look, he sees the Frutti Music Bar down below - and sees Bloom making her way to a table in the corner.

Sky puts a bright orange drink down, and she actually smiles at him before sitting and a new book appearing.

He sees an incredible array of people, from two women with hair as red, and nearly as red, as Bloom's - one with features like hers and the other in armor - to a guy with hair even lighter than Gantlos's dancing with a woman with brown hair.

This guy is also in armor, but the woman isn't.

He spots a man with long black hair, also in armor, leaning against the wall looking at the crowd, leaning against the wall nearest to Bloom.

* * *

When Ogron finally gets to the table, he sits down across from her. "I'm not leaving without some answers."

"Then you won't leave, and you'll be stuck in here forever when I finally wake up; stuck with me through all my nightmares and adventurous kidnappings and escapes."

She's glaring at him, giving him a look of total death - with slitted eyes.

She goes back to her book, and he finally gives up on talking to her and looks at what she's reading.

It's about dragons, all different species and types.

 _Dragons huh? That would explain the breath._

"I can hear you, you're in my head after all. And you finally got the hint about me, huh?"

She looks at him sarcastically, like she's spent every day since they first met wondering how he hasn't figured her out yet.

"Your part-dragon then? Duman said there was something off about you."

"Yeah, I'm part-dragon, moron. I'm also going to beat you four to a pulp for pulling this shit tonight of all nights."

"And what's tonight? You break up with Sky?"

She looks at him blankly, and then makes a sound that could be considered a snort.

"No, we haven't been actually dating for a year."

"Oh really? Judging from the looks you two give each other, I'd have thought you would be."

She deadpans "Bad stuff happens to me, worse happens to the people around me. I'm trying to protect him. Not like you would understand that though."

Sky walks past drawing Bloom's gaze until he disappears in the crowd.

When she looks back Ogron's smirking at her.

"What? Either wipe the smirk off your face or get out. I've had more than enough for one night."

"Yeah, right. You like him no matter what you say. We've been around long enough to notice something like that."

"Never said I didn't like Sky, I said I'm trying not to let something happen to him again because he's with me."

"Right. And, how's that working out?"

She crosses her arms and says "Well, he hasn't been spelled again, kidnapped to get to me, or anything else. So I guess it's an improvement."

She's getting really snappy, he'd better change the subject before she actually throws him out like she threatened before.

"Ok, moving on. Why are you part-dragon?"

"Please, you think this is the first time I've been kidnapped? I escaped one worse than anything you four can think up and went somewhere incredibly dangerous. I survived, I thrived, and I became part-dragon. Now, unless you want to give me a few answers - like what the hell you four are thinking, drugging and kidnapping me - _get out._ You're not allowed in here anyway."

Ogron actually laughs - it sounds ridiculous when she puts it that way.

"I'm not allowed? Since when?"

"Since you attacked me and tried to kidnap me from Alfea!"

She slams the book on the table, and continues.

"This is where I live, it's my _home._ Wherever my body is, I'm always here. Do I just barge into your head whenever I feel like it? Or send all my unpleasant memories over to you so you can live it with me?"

She looks really angry, he might have made a big mistake.

Deciding to call her bluff, he says "Well, do it then. Throw me out like you've been threatening."

He sits back smugly - until he senses something distinctly animalistic and sees Bloom's throat start glowing brightly.

He could swear he hears something like a massively deep roar, feels something like an earthquake rock the floor he's on - though that may be because of what Bloom's doing - and suddenly he's back in his head with a sharply pounding head and ringing ears, and a sore throat.

* * *

 ***Reality***

He's a few feet away from Bloom - who is still sleeping but thrashing while Gantlos and Anagan hold her down.

After a few moments, her struggling slows and finally stops - and Duman asks "What happened? Everything was fine and suddenly she let out this…it was like a roar…and you screamed like she did something to you."

"She did: she threw me out. She doesn't really appreciate uninvited guests in her head. Also, she's part-dragon - and I'm pretty sure she gave me a parting gift in the form of a very sharp mental stab."

Duman immediately says "I told you guys there is something wrong with her. But no, she's just a fairy - no reason to think she might not be any normal fairy!"

Anagan says "Alright. You were right Duman. She's weird, she's part-dragon. But she's also chained up and doesn't have her magic."

"Blocking her magic sure doesn't seem to do anything about her snarling and glowing throat!"

Ogron says "It won't, that's not her source of magic. It is her source of physical strength though, its why she could push Duman apart - its why she can beat us so badly every time we fight her."

Anagan asks "Yeah, but what was with her last night? I seriously doubt her dragon thing would be the cause of that."

They remember her beating the punching bags, her being part-dragon accounts for how she did it, but not why.

Ogron says "She wouldn't say. I barely got it out of her that she's part-dragon. Let's just say she wasn't in the mood to talk after the nightmares of whatever. In fact, she was in the mood to beat me to a pulp - she wants to beat us all to a pulp. We need to figure some way of keeping her helpless - because that chain won't do anything if she can reach us."

Gantlos says "Well, she won't be doing much with her arm like this. Strength of a dragon or no, she can't hit us if her arm is useless."

When Anagan tackled Bloom, and knocked her to the ground, he accidentally dislocated her arm - which couldn't have felt good in Duman's grip.

That was the sound they heard, and why she snarled when Duman had her in his grip.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, I know I haven't updated in a while, so here's a new chapter. Been reformatting the story, but it's a lot harder to do when you've got over a hundred chapters to go through. It's coming though, but I don't want anyone to lose hope on this story! If nobody's figured out what this night is, it's the night Bloom woke up in her cell in Cloudtower. She was knocked out by Valtor, and when she woke up she was trapped under a blanket of suppression magic.**


	129. Hurt Shoulder

_**Hurt Shoulder**_

When Ogron puts a hand on her arm to reset it, her other hand yanks it away in a grip like iron.

"Touch me again, and I'll break the hand that's on me!"

 _You've got to be kidding._

Duman sarcastically says "Oh look, the nightmare girl is awake."

She growls and snarls "I'll give you a few nightmares right now, you overgrown grass snake!"

She clearly doesn't want to talk about what she was seeing, so Duman transforms into a wolf and walks over to her.

"One more word out of you, and I'll-"

Bloom scoffs and asks "What? Rip my heart out? Bite through the giant artery in my neck? Go ahead, end my misery! Unless you really plan on going through with killing me, get out of my face or I'll singe every hair off yours."

To prove her point, she blows a cloud of jet-black smoke into Duman's face.

He transforms back and starts coughing, and Gantlos strides over and throws a punch at her.

He's really had it with her for a while - like this anyway.

She catches his fist with one hand and pulls him down. He really wasn't expecting that - so he is completely unprepared when Bloom does a complicated flip with him using his momentum and her legs and pins him on the ground with a hold on his head with her good arm.

"Any of you makes a move, and you'll find out how much I can really do without magic!"

They don't want to find that out - especially since her arm is hurt and she's in a chain.

* * *

Duman knows for a fact that a hurt animal is far more dangerous than one that's just been found and is fully functional - and he gets the feeling Bloom's been hurt for a long time, physically or otherwise.

Anagan and Duman back off, taking about ten steps backward.

Ogron stays kneeling beside her, he never actually left the position he was in when he was about to reset Bloom's arm.

He quietly says "Now let him go, Bloom."

He meets her burning - literally burning, he can see a fire in her pupils - glare evenly, and after a moment her arm unwraps from around Gantlos's neck.

He teleports from under her and she hits the ground with a thud.

She's breathing like she ran a marathon, the pain from her arm must be killing her by now.

Ogron fully believes what she said about breaking his hand though, and says "I can reset your arm, you know."

"So can I, I know how to take care of myself - chain with useless spell to contain my powers or not."

He ignores the comment about the chain, figuring it's just her trying to mess with his head again - and really trying not to think about all the crates she blew up while trapped in her nightmares.

"Uh-huh. And exactly how are you going to reset your arm yourself?"

Gantlos adds "I want to see you reset your own arm Bloom. You may be tough, but you're not that tough."

"I survived a planet full of dragons alone and with only the loose clothes on my back, moron. I'm a lot tougher than you think I am."

Bloom matches Gantlos's glare perfectly, and he says "Prove it."

She glares at him until they can see smoke escaping her lips and hear a growling rasp with every breath.

Gantlos is starting to regret calling her bluff that clearly isn't a bluff when she puts the chain in her bad hand - there's smoke coming from between her lips and the only thing missing to complete the moment is Bloom's canine teeth lengthening to as long as Ember's fangs.

As soon as she's holding the chain tightly, she grabs her arm and slides it back into place.

The resulting ripping sound is because her arm jerked and tore the piece of wood straight out of the wall.

All four men are staring at her in total shock and no small amount of amazement, and Bloom looks straight at Gantlos and says "Told you so. Who's tougher now?"

None of them have an answer for that, but they're pretty sure the scale is tipping towards Bloom.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Duman looks over boredly to see Bloom glowing orange dimly.

 _What the freak?!_

Everyone including Bloom looks at him and then they all look at her.

Anagan runs over and Gantlos teleports.

"What are you doing?"

He picks her up by the throat, and her good hand start clawing at his hand.

"It's called…healing magic…maybe you…should read…up on it."

She's either sarcastic or angry when she tells them anything, but they can tell she's calling on Pyros now.

The fact that she pulls Gantlos's thumb away from her neck a little is a giveaway.

Her other hand balls into a fist, and Ogron says "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

She decks Gantlos as hard as she can across the face, making him let her go instantly to hold his face.

He swears he can taste his own blood, but he's more than fed up with literally the weirdest fairy they've ever fought.

Anagan and Duman have to hold him back while Ogron risks his life to hold Bloom back from the blonde wizard - keeping her good arm as far behind her back as he can manage and halfway holding her bad arm.

Anagan says "Walk away Gantlos, before someone loses their life here - and I'm not so sure it would be Bloom. We need her alive, or the Winx will never give us the Circle."

"The Circle you won't get from them anyway?"

They all look at Bloom, who continues "You'll never get the White Circle from my friends."

Duman asks "And what makes you say that dragon-girl?"

"That's for me to know, and you four to be shocked and angry about when you find out."

She grins ferociously at him, making them all take a step back.

They would call the expression on her face demonic if they weren't positive they could call it 'dragonish' instead.

Instead of answering, her eyes flash orange and the cuff melts off her ankle and runs on the floor.

At their incredulous stares, she bitingly asks "What? Too used to prey that can't fight back? I'm not the Earth Fairies, and I'm not so easily controlled."

After a moment, she gives them a dazzling grin full of teeth and says "Oh, and Anagan?"

When he looks at her, she says "Stay away from my roommate, or I'll tear you in five pieces."

"And which of your friends is that?"

"The one that told me you were near-flirting with her. You go anywhere near Flora, I will break you."

Anagan takes a step back, but bluffs and asks "And exactly how do you plan on doing that?"

"You really want me to tell you how I plan on ripping your limbs from your body?"

When Anagan thinks about it, he really doesn't want to know how she plans on doing that.

* * *

While Gantlos is nearly dragged away by Duman and a now-worried Anagan, Ogron forces her to the ground beside the wall and picks up the chain.

"How did you do that? Melt the chain?"

"How can you absorb our energy attacks? Magic."

"You didn't say any kind of spell though."

"Don't need to, I can do a lot of things at will - superheating my body, or specific parts of it, is hardly the hardest thing I've ever done. And I've done it all under containment spells plenty stronger than the one on that useless piece of metal _."_

 _Meaning there's no point in putting it back on her, great._

"Alright, who are you Bloom?"

He drops to one knee to stare at her directly in the face, and he can tell she's trying to find any kind of sarcasm or lack of seriousness - she doesn't find any.

"I'm Jean Grey from the X-Men. Figure it out from there, you four have been on Earth long enough."

She lays back down on her back and turns away from them all, faking going to sleep.

She hears Gantlos say they should put the sleep spell on her, but it never comes.

If she heard them coming, she would have sprung up and attacked again.

Luckily for all of them, they leave her alone.

Duman sarcastically says they should poke her with a six-foot stick, Anagan says she would likely get him over near her somehow and nearly kill him - he's not wrong there.

Just to get on their nerves, she starts playing songs by illusion, starting with 'Awake and Alive' and going from there - mostly Evanescence, but with 'Back to December' when her thoughts wander to Sky.

It works, Gantlos nearly tears up the warehouse looking for what's playing the music.

* * *

 **AN: No, Bloom wasn't being completely sarcastic when she said she's Jean Grey - she just wasn't going to outright tell them she's all-powerful. And yes, she will deliberately annoy her captors - you didn't seriously think she was going to sit around and play the good little fairy, did you? Also, she has spent so much time playing with illusions while growing up that she can make you think your hearing things when your not - just another illusion to her, they aren't going crazy.**


	130. Escape Planning

_**Escape Planning**_

After an hour, she hasn't done a thing - not even shifted from her curled-up position.

When Ogron checks her pulse though - really carefully putting two fingers to her neck because he doesn't want her to break his fingers - her heart is beating strongly, she's apparently just sleeping some more.

She isn't though, she separated her mind from her body.

She never thought she'd have to do this again, but it's coming in really useful right now.

She makes sure they don't suspect a thing, mainly by absolutely nothing for a while besides entertaining herself with music and driving Gantlos nuts with it.

* * *

Now, she's floating around the warehouse, trying to find out exactly where she is.

She's still in Gardenia, she figured that out from the smell of salt in the air - and the feeling of her friends' magic.

She must be by the ocean, she can hear the waves easily.

Suddenly, she senses Ember heading towards the warehouse.

 _Ember, no. Wait until they leave, we'll get out of here and help beat them then._

She's careful to shield this from the Wizards - she can hear their voices in her head now.

Thanks to Ogron, she's tuned into their frequency you might say.

Problem is, she can't un-tune herself; and having four male voices in her head is going to be interesting to say the least.

Duman keeps saying he knew there was something wrong with her since the day they first found her, Anagan can't wait for this horrible idea to be over with, Gantlos keeps saying he'll knock her out for a change if she makes one more sarcastic comment, and Ogron's trying to plan out their next move.

At least she can't feel her arm more than a ghost-sensation now, the pain was really getting bad by now.

She would heal herself fully, except that might give them a reason to simply take her powers for her strength and be done with her.

It's the same reason she's never gone all-out on them: they don't know about the Dragon Flame and she isn't going to put a target on her back for them without one very good reason.

Right now, she needs to figure out what to do - she has only the most basic idea of what they want: the White Circle.

They obviously want to destroy it, but she doesn't know why - or how they could pull that off.

She also doesn't want them going anywhere near Roxy - she said she would protect the fairy, and she fully plans on keeping that promise.

* * *

Finally, she guesses it's time for them to leave - the fact that they all walk out and lock the warehouse behind them is a big tip-off.

They use about a dozen spells as well, trying to lock the place down so tight not even a speck of dust or sparkle of magic could escape.

They don't realize she can dismantle every single spell they cast in about a twentieth of the time it took them to do it all.

It took them a few hours to set it all up, she'll be out in twenty minutes tops.

They also don't realize she knows where they're hiding her sword now, it's on a stack of crates along with her belt.

They were probably trying to figure out the enchantments she put on it - she locked them from any and all tampering by anyone but her.

They only activate at her magic essence, just in case someone got a hold of a piece of the Dragon Flame again and got her belt or jacket.

She did put in one fail-safe though, it's a password of sorts; if she says it, she can access the enchantments temporarily.

It only works one time though, if she had multiple things she had to get she would have to re-say the code-word.

Also, the word is in dragon – so she's literally the only person who could make it work.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, sorry I haven't updated in a bit - reformatting this story is taking a lot longer than you'd think, what with classes and a homework overload thanks to the hurricane. Anyway, yes, she's not staying in here for long. Any guesses about why the Wizards won't get the White Circle from Bloom's friends? Find out soon!**


	131. Escape

_**Escape**_

As soon as Bloom's sure they're gone, she goes back into her body.

She immediately stretches the stiffness from her muscles, working out a kink in her back and doing a few cartwheels.

After about twenty minutes, she's sure they aren't coming back.

So, she grabs her belt and sword and calls Ember in.

A fireball appears in the air, and Ember flies through immediately.

They put a spell on her so she couldn't leave the warehouse, she breaks it in less than a minute with a little bit of focusing.

She might as well be the next Houdini, some famous escape artist she saw a movie commercial for and looked up.

He died years ago - and he also never got into the kind of traps she gets into on a regular basis.

She quickly breaks the spells, and gets her sword back out to put it in her belt.

 _Thank you Grizelda, and your self-defense class in year 1. Enversio Cinosmab, wonderful trick. And, I've gotten incredibly good at it ever since Cloudtower._

Turns out Grizelda's self-defense class, which was mandatory for first-year students, came in incredibly handy.

She used the Enversio spell on the stone she used to escape from her cell in Cloudtower, and got very good at it after two months.

* * *

After checking that all her stuff she took is still there, she takes out her spelled hairpin and picks the lock on the door.

Honestly, that's the easiest thing she's done all day, aside from going full blast with her healing powers on her arm.

That was literally the easiest magic she's done all day - of course, it really does help when you've got some motivation to do such things.

As soon as she walks out the door, she goes up higher. That's always been where she likes, ever since she can remember.

That's normal for fairies, but becoming part-dragon only increased that instinct.

You might say she likes to have a dragon's eye view of things.

She can instantly sense where all of them are, they're on the docks still, not even a mile away.

 _Shame, I was hoping for a good run._

 **Too bad, oh well. Let's tear them apart.**

 _No Ember, that would be a waste anyway. A waste of time and energy._

They start jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and finally stop at the edge.

She can perfectly hear what they are all saying, all the Winx and the Specialists are there, along with Roxy and Artu she thinks.

She can hear all of them talking, and has to grin when Sky demands her release.

When Ogron loses his cool, that's when she decides not to go too easy on them - despite the unintended consequence.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I've finally revealed how Bloom can break spells so easily - the Dragon Flame's power combined with a technique that's made to cancel spells, and yes that's actually the name in the cartoon, had to look it up to be sure. Also, any ideas about what the unintended consequence of ogron's attack is? Read and find out! P.S. Sorry about the two short chapters in a row, but the next one is longer.**


	132. Bargaining

_**Bargaining**_

The Wizards are at the edge of the docks, where the message they left for the Winx said to meet.

They are hoping the fairies are too concerned for their leader's safety to remember Bloom can take care of herself and then some.

They are just glad to get away from Bloom and her never-ending train of surprises.

Honestly, if the Winx don't give them the White Circle like Bloom predicted, they might go crazy having to deal with Bloom.

The spells won't hold forever, before the night is up she will likely be free again - free to come after the rest of them and beat them to a bunch of pulps.

Ogron wonders how a nineteen-year-old girl could be like Bloom; paranoid, resourceful, preparing for every possible outcome.

* * *

He is pulled out of his thoughts, when Anagan nudges him.

"They're almost here, let's do this and get the ring already."

He nods, and maybe a minute later, the Winx and their boyfriends come walking up.

Sky looks like he wants to take a cue from Bloom and deck Ogron to make him tell him where Bloom is, but the Wizard can beat him in a fight with his magic easily; and he knows it - of course, Bloom can beat Ogron in a fight even easier.

 _Oh yeah, they like each other._

Ogron doesn't have time to think about their love lives though, so he steps forward.

"Do you have the White Circle?"

Techna asks "How do we even know you have Bloom? For all we know, it could be another trick. Even you four know Bloom can fight well - and judging by the new bruises on your faces, she didn't go down easily."

Ogron smirks, he was expecting that.

He tosses Bloom's spelled pair of sunglasses to her, and Techna's eyes get huge when she catches them; right along with the rest of the Winx and the Specialists.

"How did you get these? Bloom never takes them off."

 _So, they know. Shouldn't have expected she would keep anything from her friends._

"Not important. Now give us the Circle or you'll never see Bloom again."

Sky looks like he could kill all four Wizards right then, but Brandon grabs his shoulder.

The Winx all look at one another, then at the Wizards again, noticing the bruises they all have, along with a black eye on Duman and the burn marks on Gantlos's hand and all over Ogron - soot and ash, but definitely from Bloom.

They almost look nervous, but not from the threat.

Stella says "Uh, yeah. Small problem with that. We can't give it to you."

Ogron asks "What? What do you mean you can't give it to us?"

She hesitates for a second, and then says "Because we don't have it."

* * *

All four Wizards stare at them, and then Ogron remembers Bloom telling him they would never get the Circle from the Winx.

 _Shit, she did know something! She must have it!_

Before they can leave, they suddenly feel their spells on the warehouse break off cleanly.

Ogron says "Well, since you can't give us the ring, it seems we are finished here."

Sky steps forward, challenging as Bloom, and says "Not until you give us Bloom."

"Hmm, I'm afraid that's not happening at the moment."

Stella's eyes light up at that, and she says "Because you can't, can you? Bloom's escaped, hasn't she?"

Ogron's annoyed glare is all the answer the Winx need, they start cheering.

Sky has the nerve to grin almost as sarcastically as his not-girlfriend.

"So how long did it take to finally beat Bloom? Those scorch marks would suggest you finally figured out the cause of the rest of those bruises."

Ogron loses his temper for a minute, and blasts at them all.

Artu jumps up and takes the hit, flying back and making Roxy scream in horror.

"Artu no!"

This time Brandon doesn't stop Sky as he marches over.

"Where is Bloom? Tell me or I swear I'm going to-"

Ogron smirks and says "If you must know, she's in one of the warehouses, good luck trying to find her."

Before anyone can do anything, they hear a whistle that could shatter glass, and a familiar voice rings out "Actually, she's not!"

* * *

When they all look up, they see her standing on the nearest rooftop outlined in fire.

Sky grins hugely, Ogron scowls and could almost growl.

"How did you escape?"

"Call me Houdini, I've gotten really good at this sort of thing."

She does a double-flip, landing perfectly on the ground.

When Ogron throws a blast at her, she simply holds up a hand and it stops and explodes in fire.

"Hmm, sorry. Now I'm really mad, you're going to have to try a bit harder than that."

Ogron thinks _Oh, great. Now she can do that. What else can she do?_

As if in response, she takes her sword back out and does a complicated spin that sends fire into his stomach and nobody else's.

He has a burnt taste in his mouth, about the same as he imagines Bloom must have all the time now.

 _I had to ask._

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom escaped almost immediately after they left. What do you think will happen because Ogron hit Artu? read next chapter to find out!**


	133. Fight for the Circle

_**Fight for the Circle**_

Bloom doesn't hesitate to walk up to Ogron as he stands up.

She decks him hard enough to likely give him a good nosebleed and send him back on the ground.

Sky can't help the sputtering laugh that escapes his lips, and then Bloom throws her hand to the side, slamming Ogron into Anagan.

Anagan and Ogron get thrown into Gantlos, and then Duman.

By then, they're a big tangle of limbs and clothes - they aren't getting up right away.

Then she teleports over and gets pulled into a massive group hug from her friends.

Techna says "You know Bloom, next time you get one of your nightmares, go to the Frutti Music Bar for a while. Then Sky can call us if something happens."

They all start laughing, at something the Wizards don't get, some shared memory between the fairies.

* * *

It's a stand-off now, between seven - wait, _seven?_ \- transformed fairies, and their boyfriends on one side, and the four Wizards on the other.

It would be fairly one-sided, except only one of the Specialists uses magic, they can absorb most of the Winx's attacks even now, and Roxy is still the weakest despite finally getting her transformation.

Bloom whisper-asks Roxy "How did you transform? I first did it when I saved one of my brothers."

More info that is useless without more info, but maybe something that they can use against Bloom; assuming he even lives in Gardenia, or that they would recognize him.

"Ogron hit Artu, and I got so angry this happened. How do I even use these wings anyway?"

Bloom laughs to herself, remembering thinking the same thing that day so long ago in New Mexico.

"I'll show you when we get a minute Roxy. As for Artu…"

She kneels down, and the brown dog licks her hand.

"Hey Bloom, guess what? Roxy made me talk earlier today."

Bloom grins, thinking of talking, flying pets.

"Why am I not surprised? How about a ride on Ember?"

"She doesn't eat animals, right?"

"Nope, strictly vegetarian dragon. Ember?"

They young dragon thrums, and lowers herself closer to the ground.

Bloom floats the injured dog onto her back, and Ember stands up.

Artu's paws rise about an inch off the ground, but Ember can't fly now - Artu's lying on top of her wings.

Bloom gets the feeling of a heavy weight on her shoulders from Ember, her way of saying Artu is no feather weight.

* * *

The Winx get between the Wizards and Roxy, Ember and Artu, and the Specialists get between the Wizards and the Winx.

"Hand over the White Circle, I won't ask nicely again."

Bloom takes the ring off her finger and holds it up, to Ogron's shock and anger.

"What, you mean this? I don't know, it goes great with my gloves."

She says it off-handedly, her causal tone both denying Ogron and challenging him to try and take it as she slips it back on her finger.

It makes the rest of the Winx snicker behind her, and makes it harder for him to not blast her right then.

She pushes it back down, and once it is over her joint the ring disappears when he isn't looking.

Sky says "Winx, protect Roxy, get her out of here. We'll handle these weirdos."

Duman transforms into a wolf and jumps Timmy, landing on top of him with a satisfying thud; something they will never be able to do with Bloom - she'd turn the fall into a way to get him off her without so much as a scratch.

Anagan knocks the holographic weapons out of Riven and Brandon's grips, and then Gantlos hits them from behind.

Nabu and Helia try to attack, but all four Wizards know how to fight fairly well, despite being beaten again and again by Bloom.

Sky goes for Ogron, but the red-head magically summons Brandon's great sword and fights back.

Bloom has had it, she teleports over to Duman and pulls him off Timmy by wrapping her arm around his middle, throws him into Gantlos, and then goes to help Sky with her own sword.

"How about a tie-breaker, fellas?"

She joins the fight and almost immediately disarms Ogron, flicking her blade too fast to follow and making Brandon's sword fly up into the air.

The point of her sword - which looks incredibly sharp - is pointed at his face, and he sees the blade fall behind Bloom's back; straight into her waiting hand where it goes to point at his forehead.

Instead of killing him, Bloom jerks her chin up, making Ogron go flying backwards.

"Hey Brandon, heads up!" She tosses the brunette his blade, and then Riven his.

Sky turns her toward him, saying "Bloom, get Roxy out of here, we'll hold them off."

"We can't just leave you guys here Sky."

"Get Roxy somewhere safe, we'll find you. I'll find you Bloom."

Bloom looks at Sky for a second, and then nods.

Ogron watched the whole conversation, and tries to think where Bloom would take Roxy.

Likely somewhere in Gardenia, but who knows where she has been?

She might just take the Animal fairy to the Magical Dimension, and the Wizards would likely never get the chance to get her again.

Bloom teleports over to the rest of the Winx, who were wondering how they could help - because Bloom's help took maybe a minute.

"Let's go Winx, Zoomix!"

Before anyone can react, the Winx's wings get much thinner, and they all teleport away in a purple flash of light, taking Roxy and the two animals with them.

"No, no, no!"

He yells to the other Wizards "Get me Bloom, and the White Circle. All the others are disposable!"

 _Oh great, another wild goose chase for Bloom._

Sky grins, asking "You really thought you could keep Bloom anywhere she doesn't want to be? She's become something of an expert at escaping captivity by now."

The Wizards all split up, trying to think where all the Winx know; _that_ list goes on for a while, Bloom was the only one who stayed inside most of the time from what they can tell.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, they're going to have a tougher time of this than they think. Magic Trails or not, teleporting means no tracks, no scent to follow, and they could be halfway around the world by now - not likely, with the guys going to look for them, but still possible.**


	134. Fight Through the City

_**Fight Through the City**_

The Winx, Roxy, Artu and Ember arrive at a train station, coming out of nowhere and shocking the four other people there.

They should be safe for now, so the rest of the Winx fly off to find and fight the Wizards, leaving Bloom, Ember, Artu, and Roxy at the train station.

Bloom doesn't bother transforming back into her human form, knowing she'll need to fight later.

She picks up Artu off Ember, and lays him on the bench.

Roxy comes running over, saying "Oh, Artu."

Bloom takes one of Roxy's hands and places it on Artu's head. "

Roxy, you can heal him. You're the Fairy of Animals, just focus. Remember running around with Artu, him jumping up to catch Frisbees, knocking you down to lick your face. He's your dog, just call up your power and send it to him."

Roxy closes her eyes, and starts glowing bright green like her dress.

The dress is open at the stomach, and has a miniskirt attached, and her wings are long ovals, like a dragonfly's.

After a minute, Artu sighs, and looks up like 'keep going, this feels great' which makes Bloom smile.

He tries to sit up, but Roxy puts a little more pressure on him to hold still.

Ember sniffs him, then licks the side of his head, her way of saying she's glad he's alright.

* * *

Meanwhile, Timmy and Helia are tracking Anagan, Timmy threw a tracking device on Anagan's jacket as he was running to find the Winx.

They are in the forest, and Timmy's using his localizer to follow the signal.

Suddenly, Anagan is in a tree in front of the two Specialists - he knew about the tracker.

Flora finds them, and picks up Anagan by the ankles with some vines.

He breaks them, and Flora pulls a Bloom and taunts him.

"Hey there, Anagan."

When he tries to rush her, she flies up and a few feet behind him.

"What, can't you catch me? Ooh, this is fun, your turn."

 _Did you learn that from Bloom or the other way around? Either way, it's really annoying after Bloom._

When he runs forward, she snaps her fingers and a mass of vines wrap around his arms, chest and legs.

"Summer Thunder!"

She hits him with the spell, and he is trapped in a cocoon of vines.

He can feel the magic flowing through the vines, all through the forest.

 _Fighting the fairy of nature in the forest. Bad idea._

He sends out an explosion, freeing himself from the vines, and blasts Flora from behind.

Helia tries to trap him with his ropes, but Anagan catches the attack, and throws Helia into the trees.

He runs off, not caring about Timmy and calling him a coward.

Timmy takes out his hover-shield, and a rope-gun. He shoots the rope at Anagan, and it wraps around his ankle as he speeds away.

Timmy is taken on the worst ride of his life, and it stops when Anagan runs _up the side of a building_ and rips the rope when he gets to the roof.

"Time flies when you're having fun!"

Timmy is falling to his death, but Techna saves him with a laser cage.

She tries to fight Anagan with her spell, Technoshock, but ends up exhausting herself in the explosion.

Anagan walks over her groaning form, and jumps off the edge of the roof.

* * *

Brandon and Riven are chasing Duman, who is in his falcon form.

He turns a corner, and they lose sight of him, but find Gantlos instead.

Musa hits him with a Stereo Crash, pushing him back, and then Stella uses Universe of Light to blind him.

He falls to his knees trying to get any sight back, and Stella sarcastically says to ditch the hat.

Brandon comes over, and Stella, Riven, and Musa nearly take him to Bloom and Roxy, except another Brandon stops them saying it's really Duman!

The two swordfight, and it's impossible to tell which is which.

Brandon is on his own - and one wins, but Stella stops him from finishing the fight.

Even now, she can't tell which is which, but she can't choose wrong.

The Brandon that won tells her stuff only the real Brandon could know: the mirror he gave her at the princess ball, the biker outfit she still has in her closet he made for her so she could save her father, how they went to Pyros to find Bloom.

The Brandon that was beaten says to follow her heart, and then jumps five feet in the air to dodge a Solar storm.

He transforms back into Duman, and then has to duck to avoid getting hit with another - and his hair nearly gets fried from the blast that passes through it.

Stella says the real Brandon doesn't have so many split ends - and when Duman turns around, Brandon is there and punches him square in the face, slamming him into a wall.

Gantlos reappears, and knocks Riven into a pile of construction rubble when he tries to solo the Wizard.

Stella and Brandon try to attack, but are thrown back as well, while Musa tries to see if Riven is alright.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aisha, Sky and Nabu are fighting Ogron on top of a train.

He almost expected Bloom to be there, but she is likely protecting Roxy.

Ogron pulls Nabu's staff to his hand, and breaks it over his knee in front of Aisha.

He throws one half down, using it to trip Sky.

Aisha attacks, but ends up knocking Nabu off instead.

She catches him, and Ogron is alone on top of the train - until Sky's hand grabs his ankle.

 _He's as annoying as Bloom. Just not nearly as deadly._

"This is your stop, time to get off."

"Well, I hate to travel alone."

Sky tightens his grip on Ogron's ankle, and lets his body fall down, pulling Ogron with him.

Ogron has no choice but to swing the blonde back onto the top of the train.

 _He's as smart as her though, this is getting old._

They enter a tunnel, and Sky says "A king only travels first class."

"End of the line your majesty."

They leave the tunnel, and come out in front of a train station.

Ogron can sense Bloom there, along with Roxy using her magic, likely healing her dog.

The train slows just before they get to the station, giving him a good look around.

Bloom isn't hard to spot, with the mane of fire she calls hair and her wings.

He throws Sky off the train, and Bloom catches him with magic easily, and the king-in-training lands gently on the ground instead of possibly breaking something - he figured she'd just stop his fall for a minute than let him hit the ground hard.

* * *

 **AN: Ogron's found Bloom and Roxy once again - but how will it go? Read to find out next chapter!**


	135. Believe

_**Believe**_

When Bloom sees Sky get tossed off the top of the train, she immediately catches him with a Dragon Wing.

She glares up at Ogron's smirk, and he says "Leaving town Bloom? Without even saying goodbye?"

Before he can react, she yells "Sayonara, sucker!" and hits him in the stomach with a fireball like a pitcher.

Ogron goes flying off the train, and feels like Bloom just tried to cook his stomach.

 _I had to say it. Great job, Ogron._

Bloom helps Sky up, and then runs over to Roxy, Ember and Artu.

"Get ready Roxy."

Ogron teleports back up onto the train, and Bloom tries to hit him with a Dragon Heart.

He ducks, but the attack goes back around.

He catches it, ignoring the burning suddenly consuming his hand, and turns the magic back at Bloom - but barely.

She dodges, and he sends another after her.

She makes a wide turn, letting the attacks follow her, and flies up right in front of Ogron, making them hit him.

He hits her with a ray of magic though, making her fall to the ground.

* * *

Ogron's spell is about to make her pass out, but she takes off the White Circle and tries to give it to Roxy.

The Animal fairy doesn't want to be controlled by it again, but if Ogron gets it, it'll be the end of everything.

The ring falls out of Bloom's hand, rolling on the ground in front of Roxy.

"Oh no, Bloom!"

She whirls around, but doesn't go to the fiery-haired fairy because Ogron walks over and is standing over her.

"Hm, I have that effect on woman. Bloom's gone, I'm still here, and _your_ all alone."

Ember jumps forward, snarling threateningly.

She is clearly denying that, filling in for Bloom at the moment.

Ogron tries to ignore the dragon crouching between him and Roxy like she is going to pounce on him.

"It's over Roxy, come with me. Give me the White Circle."

Roxy kneels down for a second, and picks up the ring.

Ogron lowers his voice, thinking he has Roxy.

She looks doubtful, like she doesn't know what to do.

Artu limps over, saying "Roxy, don't do it."

"Give me the Circle, and I'll spare your dog's life, along with everyone you care about, I promise."

Ember roars again, almost like she is screaming 'Liar!' at him.

"Unless of course, you want me to destroy everything and everyone you've ever cared about?" Ogron loses the soothing tone, switching to threatening.

He raises his arms, and the sky goes from clear to black and storming in seconds.

Lightning is everywhere, and people are panicking and running wildly.

* * *

The rest of the Wizards get the signal, and go find Ogron, but not before Duman tries to trick Musa by looking like Riven.

She knew it was him though, he said they should get back to the group; something the real Riven would never say, he hates working in groups.

Ogron is still trying to convince Roxy to give him the Circle, but suddenly she gets a vision.

He can see she isn't listening to him, she is staring right through him.

Roxy sees a woman with long black hair and big leaf-like wings.

Her lips never move, but Roxy can hear her voice in her head.

She tells Roxy she is the Fairy of Animals, and that they are who the choose to be.

She also says the White Circle is a powerful weapon and to use it.

She places the ring on Roxy's middle finger, telling her not to give up.

Roxy opens her eyes, almost looking surprised.

Ogron says "No, you wouldn't dare!"

In response, Roxy shoots a beam of magic at him.

He absorbs it easily, then hits her with a spray of his own magic.

"Silly little girl, you just condemned Gardenia to destruction!"

Roxy hears the woman's voice in her head again, saying _Get up and fight Roxy. The energy of Earth is inside you, use it properly._

Roxy feels the energy running through the planet, like a massive power source she can draw off of.

She feels a rush of power flow through her body, and hits Ogron with a ball of magic, making him go flying onto the train track.

He hears Bloom groan and turn over on the concrete, muttering something about her head pounding.

 _Oh great, just great._

Roxy looks at the white ring on her finger, then turns her open hand into a fist.

Ogron looks over, at the sound of a train horn, and sees one speeding right for him.

He throws one arm up futilely to protect himself, but Gantlos lands out of nowhere in front of Ogron and destroys the train, releasing seismic waves that wreck the train station as well.

* * *

People are panicking, running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Bloom gets up, not wanting to get trampled, and uses her Believix powers to calm everyone.

Next thing the Wizards know, everything is quiet at the train station, and they are feeling weaker than they have in years.

Ogron leans on the edge of the ground, asking himself "Why do I feel so weak?"

Gantlos pulls him up out of the railing, and he continues "This doesn't make sense."

Anagan and Duman come over, with Anagan asking "Ogron, what's up with us? I'm weak, where's my strength?"

Duman adds "I can't find the power to transform!"

They look over, and see Bloom and Sky standing there, along with Roxy, Artu, Ember - and a crowd of people speaking up, saying they believe in fairies now.

Unlike them, Bloom is practically glowing - stronger than ever; they have no shot at beating her, especially now.

"That's the power of Believix! People believe in the fairies magic again, which is our strength! Dragon Heart!"

The crowd cheers her on as fire wraps around her arms, converging into a ball of fire that hits them hard.

They can't even make a shield to absorb some of the heat, and are beaten fast.

They vanish, and Bloom and Sky hug, happy for this whole thing to finally be over.

* * *

Later, at the Frutti Music Bar, Musa is singing a song she wrote and called Heart of Stone, and she and Riven lock eyes.

Then he looks over at Jason Queen, and Musa follows his gaze.

When she looks back, he is running through the crowd outside to the beach.

Bloom and Sky have a few smoothies together, while Flora and Helia share some, Nabu and Aisha take pictures, and Stella and Brandon sit together on the beach.

Techna and Timmy are recording Musa singing, and end up kissing when they get close enough together to watch Musa through the screen.

* * *

 **AN: Is anyone ever going to review again? I know I pulled a shocker on you all when I brought Dark Bloom back for a bit, but it was only temporary and I figured I had to add an effect to Bloom since she and Ember are connected. But please, keep reading the story - you all said it was good before! As for this part of the story, seems Ogron and the other Wizards got their butts handed to them yet again! How long do you think it'll be before they either give up or get too weak to keep trying uselessly - also, interesting fact, Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By that definition, the Wizards are insane - they keep fighting Bloom and keep thinking they can beat her!**


	136. Tiger Cub!

_**Tiger Cub?**_

The next day, Musa is wondering if she should go with shorter hair, and Stella says long hair is where it's at.

Techna sarcastically thanks her, and Stella backtracks by saying Techna rocks the pixie cut better than anyone.

Musa says Jason like short hair, and he might like her more with short hair.

Bloom can tell Musa has a crush on Jason, likely because he has supported her from the beginning, where Riven was jealous and ended up pushing her away.

She points out the fact that Jason is crazy for her voice, and that's what matters, and Musa replies "Your right, Bloom. Jason has appreciated my talent from the beginning."

Roxy thinks _They're fairies, but they live like normal girls. I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that._

Bloom is holding Ember in her arms, and the young dragon is stretched out like a housecat.

For all the dragon's snarling at the Wizards, with the Winx, the Specialists, even the pets and Artu, she is a total sweetheart – a lot like Bloom, when you get past her armor and paranoia.

Bloom sees Roxy's doubts, and tries to reassure her that doubts are normal. She certainly didn't have the easiest time when she found out she was a fairy.

She doesn't add the part about discovering her wings right before destroying a massive robot from Asgard and then losing any kind of control and destroying the Bifrost.

Mrs. Faragonda calls, and tells them they need to keep working if the Wizards are going to be stopped for good.

They need for everyone to believe in them, and Mrs. Faragonda asks to keep the White Circle at Alfea to study, so Bloom takes it off and sets it on the table in front of the screen.

Mrs. Faragonda's hands glow blue for a second, and the ring disappears from the table and is suddenly in her hand.

Roxy is amazed, and Mrs. Faragonda says hello to her.

She says hello back, but Mrs. Faragonda assumes the Winx have already told her about Alfea, and its classes.

Roxy doesn't say anything, until Mrs. Faragonda mentions the part about it taking three years to complete.

Roxy explodes at that, saying she is not leaving her whole life to spend three years in another universe.

She storms out, and tells Aisha and Flora, who just walked in, not to try and change her mind, leaving them extremely confused.

Mrs. Faragonda tells them to follow her and protect her in case the Wizards attack again.

They transform and look for Roxy from the sky, but find a bunch of people staring up at them in wonder instead.

When they look up, they see a helicopter with a news reporter and cameraman filming them live.

A strong gust of wind rocks the copter, throwing the cameraman out.

Bloom catches him by the wrist, and carries him back up to the copter.

After she sets him down, the reporter asks if she could do that again while she holds the camera.

Bloom gives her a strange look, thinking 'what is wrong with you today?' and then flies away with her friends.

When they land, they get ambushed by more reporters, who practically pelt them with questions.

It's like Magix City all over again, except these questions don't bring up any bad memories.

Flora nearly gives away their mission, but Bloom stops her just before she can, reminding they all have to watch what they say.

The Wizards are still in Gardenia, and they are watching the Winx close, so any mention of their mission could blow it completely.

She says "Sorry, but we have to fly. Places to go, things to do, you know how it is."

They are about to fly away, but one of the reporters says "Just a few more questions, please."

Bloom inwardly sighs, a few more questions leads to more and more; and if they let the reporters keep going, they will be there all day.

* * *

The guys are working away, and Riven is trying to figure out how to win Musa back, Nabu tells him he needs to actually listen to what Musa is saying, show her he supports her, and change his attitude; basically, he needs to do exactly the opposite of what he has been doing.

Sky looks up, just in time to see the Winx on the news!

They are surrounded by reporters and microphones, and Bloom is looking slightly like she wants to fly away.

It reminds him so much of all the times he and Bloom would be at a café somewhere, and suddenly reporters would be everywhere.

There must be at least five news stations there, and Riven thinks he should give up right then.

* * *

Suddenly, Bloom turns away from the cameras, sensing something, and she isn't the only one.

"You feel that Winx? It's coming from the docks, it must be Roxy! Alright, show-time's over, back to business."

They fly away, and one reporter asks to get their names at least.

Stella hangs back a second and says "We're the Winx. Catchy, isn't it?" before flying off with the rest.

They head to the docks, but Roxy is nowhere to be found.

They use their Traceix wings, and see Roxy running after an animal, it looks a little like a striped kitten, but much bigger than any kitten they have seen on Earth before.

Suddenly, Bloom realizes what it is: a white tiger cub!

They find Roxy maybe a minute later, with the cub rubbing against her ankle.

She regrets how she acted before, especially in front of Mrs. Faragonda, and found the cub here at the docks.

The cub was brought into Gardenia by animal smugglers, and there are a bunch more on a ship.

They decide to wait until night, and meanwhile they take the cub back to the pet shop.

* * *

Most of the pets are afraid, but Ember sniffs his head and then licks him behind the ears.

They all relax around him a little more after that.

Bloom and Roxy feed all the pets, while the rest of the Winx go to the Frutti Music Bar.

They get smoothies, and about five minutes later, Roxy and Bloom come by with the tiger cub.

Rick figures it out fast, but since its only for the night - and since he and the cub are already friends - he offers to take the cub for a walk.

Andy invites Musa up to stage, and she starts singing.

Riven walks in, and she stops suddenly, while he looks down.

Suddenly, Bloom is behind him, and says "Riven, if you want Musa back, support her. Don't act like you're losing her every time she gets up and does what she loves."

He jumps, he had no idea she was there.

"You just read my aura, didn't you?"

"Don't need to Riven. Its written all over your face."

He just stares at her, so she spins him around by the shoulders and pushes him from behind with her shoulder.

He and Musa talk, and it get intense, as usual.

Jason interrupts, and gives her a white envelope, but Riven leaves.

Before they can react, Rick runs back in, _without the cub._ "Roxy, the cub! He's gone!"

* * *

 **AN: How the heck can you lose a tiger cub? Either way, bad news. As for Riven and Musa, they've seriously got to wake up! They've had problems since the start, but really? Riven's jealous of Jason - who's just trying to get Musa's singing career started - and now it's gotten between them.**


	137. Smugglers

_**Smugglers**_

The Winx all run outside, transform, and head back to the docks they have to be really careful and keep a low profile, now that they are Gardenia's 'media darlings'.

Roxy does a spell that reveals where he walked, and they find him on top of some boxes, _tied to a metal rail._

Suddenly, two men show up and grab him, tying a rope around his neck.

One is really fat and wearing sunglasses, the other is thin and in a trench coat like Anagan's.

They think the Winx are girls in costumes, until Bloom teleports behind them and picks them up by the collars.

"Really fellas? Care to explain this then?"

The thin guy sprays her in the face with some gas, and the other shoots a net at the rest of the Winx when Bloom goes to her knees coughing.

They spray the rest of the Winx, but it takes three doses of the gas for Bloom to pass out.

* * *

When they finally wake up, they all have a nasty taste in their mouths, and their wrists are tied to bars behind them.

It takes maybe three seconds for Bloom to focus, and burn through the ropes.

She sets to work on freeing everyone, and then the tiger cub comes back.

When they look around, there are elephants, giraffes, panthers, and more in cages like the one they are in, it looks like these guys just came back from South America!

Bloom quickly burns through all the ropes tying her friends up, and then melts the metal bars in a large doorway for everyone; she will _never_ be stuck in a cage again.

Suddenly, she hears something: two sets of footsteps echoing on the metal floor.

The animals get even more afraid then they already are, it's definitely the two guys.

When they go inside, the Winx are waiting for them, and Musa uses her Believix powers to get them to respect animals more.

They immediately open all the cages, releasing the animals they were going to sell on the black market.

The thin guy tries to give one elephant some peanuts, but gets thrown into a wall for it.

* * *

Later that day, there are exotic animals all over Gardenia, and people explain it away as the magic of one of Gardenia's guardian fairies; and they aren't far off!

Stella says "Well, I'm glad we finally have a good reputation around here."

She yawns, and everyone else does as well.

None of them notice, but the Wizards are watching them, as Roxy flies off to be with Rick.

Flora says "I could sleep for two days!"

The rest of the Winx agree, but Bloom says "I promised Ember we'd go flying, we'll be back by noon, Winx."

Stella says "Enjoy your fairy-dragon bonding time Bloom!"

"Oh Stella!"

They all laugh, and then the rest of the Winx fly off.

The Wizards heard it all, and as they watch, Bloom opens a hole in space and Ember comes flying out.

She gives Bloom a whole new kind of flying tackle, making the fairy spin around three times before quickly casting a spell so the humans won't see them.

"You ready?"

After receiving an answering thrum filled with delight, Bloom launches Ember and they go speeding up into the clouds.

The Wizards curiously follow her, keeping so far back that they can barely keep the two in sight.

It's a wild flight over the city, landing and rolling to her feet on rooftops of skyscrapers and sky-diving off the edges.

When its apparent there's no reason for it beyond a love of flying and running the Wizards exhaustedly stop following the pair.

* * *

True to her word, Bloom is back by noon, and Musa is crying.

The envelope Jason gave her was an invitation, an invitation to his wedding.

He wants Musa to sing for the newly-weds on their special day; but as big an honor as that is, Musa had a crush on Jason.

He was supportive and kind, when Riven was jealous and cold and acted like a jerk.

Musa only had a crush because Riven's being a jerk, but it still hurts now that she knows it was hopeless.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like Musa's rocky relationship with Riven has just come back to bite her hard. Oops, nobody saw that coming.**


	138. Loved Fairies

_**Loved Fairies**_

In just two weeks, the Winx have gone from new celebrities, to superstars.

There are game shows of them, kid-sized costumes, even news reports gossiping about sightings of the fairies in public.

The media did an hour-long story on Stella being seen with a football star, but the news channels nearly exploded when someone saw Bloom coming out of a bookstore with a really big bag.

Given the fact that there is almost nothing known about her, this caused a massive rush.

She was ambushed, and after about ten minutes gave them the slip by saying she had to get groceries.

To the reporters' shock/amazement, she teleports away in a puff of ember-colored sparkles, taking her bag of books with her.

After that, she takes to going around with her jacket zipped and her hood up.

* * *

Duman is checking the televisions one day, and five channels in a row have something on that is all about the Winx.

He even sees the interview where Bloom was ambushed coming out of a bookstore, and unlike the reporters he could see the annoyance in her eyes - her round eyes, Techna gave the glasses back during the group hug.

Now that he knows about her dragon-side, it's easier to see where it bleeds through Bloom's act - she can carry that massive bag full of books easily, even though it looks like it weighs a ton and has dozens of sharp corners poking out of it, and she doesn't dance around questions.

Another shows Aisha saving a kid from a car, and another shows Techna and Musa having a contest on a dance floor game.

He has had enough of seeing the Winx get more and more popular, so he destroys the shop window, making a massive explosion of fire shoot from the window like a sideways volcano.

He then goes to an alleyway, and after making sure nobody's around, he turns his body to a slime-substance, and drains through the holes of the manhole cover he is standing on.

It takes a minute for him to return to his human form, because he is so much weaker than usual.

He has to focus on his arm before it solidifies into his hand, and then walks on the sidewalk to their new hideout - because Bloom likely knew where their old one was, she likely knew seconds after opening her eyes they were still in Gardenia.

The other Wizards are sitting on top of some pipes, and Ogron wants to know if he found anything useful.

"I've got terrible news Ogron, the Winx are getting really popular. The people love them, they feel protected by them. Every day there's a new kid who believes in them."

Ogron almost growls, and says "That makes their power on Earth even greater!"

He jumps down, trying to think of some way to reverse the situation.

Gantlos joins him, saying "At this rate, Roxy's not gonna be the only fairy on the planet."

Anagan adds "Yeah, and our powers are just gonna get weaker and weaker."

Ogron suddenly has an idea, one that might not put them in the path of the Winx - specifically Bloom.

He starts laughing, walking around Duman, who asks "You think this is funny?"

"What if people started hating fairies?"

The other Wizards see where he is going with this, and start grinning as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stella is finally getting to the shop, after spending forever at the mall.

There is a massive line at the door though, stretching for blocks.

The girls actually had to close the doors to deal with less people at a time, but after a second everyone waiting outside recognizes Stella.

She gets through the door, secretly wishing she could pick up Bloom's teleporting trick.

When she gets in though, she finds more people inside than outside.

She gets to her spot, and starts washing away, after saying hi to the rest of the Winx.

Today, Ember is upstairs in Bloom's bedroom, napping heavily.

She's growing again, every few weeks she gets another growth spurt and gets inches longer overnight.

It really hurts, she sheds her top layer of scales overnight to make room for the new layer, eats _everything_ put in front of her, and then sleeps for hours and is really cranky to everyone but Bloom.

Of course, anyone would be short-tempered if they were going to get inches to a foot longer in one night, so Bloom always makes some tea for Ember from one of the herbs from Pyros, the one that acts as the strongest painkiller she knows.

Ember drank three cups and a large bowl of it, and is now racked out on her pillow.

Suddenly, Mitzi and her friends barge in, cutting everyone waiting their turn in line and go up to the counter.

Bloom says "Sorry Mitzi but the shop is closed. If you want an appointment, wait at the back of the line like everyone else."

Mitzi snorts, and says "We're not customers, Bloom."

"Then please leave, because in case you haven't noticed, we're busy."

"I was actually looking for you Bloom. Can we talk?"

Bloom keeps her cool, knowing this is about Sky, and starts working the computer, typing in stuff like she is pulling up an appointment schedule.

After a minute, she says "Sorry, but I just can't squeeze you in today. How about some time in two weeks?"

The Winx have to fight not to laugh, and Mitzi scowls at the obvious dismissal.

"Yeah, Bloom. No problem." She storms out, right along with her friends.

* * *

Mitzi rants for five minutes straight, before ending up in a back alley.

"Who does she think she is? 'I'm sorry, but I just can't squeeze you in today. How about some time in two weeks?' Ugh!"

Ogron and the Wizards are watching, and nearly burst out laughing right then, Bloom's sarcasm is _really_ funny when it's not aimed at you.

Ogron gets his laughter under control, and says "I think we just found the perfect person to help us."

The rest of the Wizards finally stop laughing, long enough to get a good look at the scowl on Mitzi's face.

"She wants to bring down the Winx almost as much as we do."

They teleport over to Mitzi and her friends, showing them a little of what their power can do in the process.

The alley turns pitch black for a second, the sun being blocked from sight by the Wizards' magic.

Then, Ogron, Duman, and Gantlos appear out of nowhere behind the three girls, and Ogron offers them the chance to beat the Winx.

The three humans follow Ogron, Gantlos, and Duman through a dark portal, to their underground hideout.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I know, only half an episode - the next half will be coming soon! PS. What's with everybody slowly leaving? I've been putting out updates regularly - yet nobody's even telling me why your leaving! Please give me some feedback, getting confused about why people are suddenly not reading...**


	139. Dark Training

_**Dark Training**_

When Mitzi and her friends get through the portal, they end up in the Wizards' sewer hideout, and Mitzi says the place looks good.

Gantlos says "At first, our hideout was in a warehouse in the suburbs, but being underground is turning out to be a lot more useful."

"Useful? For what?"

Duman says "Well, for one, fairies don't really like to go underground. They love open air and clouds they can fly through; and since we've seen Bloom flying around for the fun of it, it's better to be out of sight."

Mitzi's friends start having second thoughts, but Mitzi says "Quiet! Don't be scaredy-cats!"

Anagan steps forward, and makes an image of the Winx transformed.

"Do you want to be like them?"

Mitzi says "Sure." but her friends says nothing.

Ogron asks "Do you want to be _more_ than them?"

They all say yes, and the Wizards grin.

They converge their powers onto the three girls, granting them dark powers for a time.

When the purple glow fades, they are in new outfits, and have small purple wings.

Ogron grins, they actually remind him a little of Dark Bloom; except these three won't beat them to a pulp and enjoy causing them pain.

"You'll need to learn how to use your powers, but we'll help you with that."

* * *

They practice underground for a few hours, until night falls.

Then, they check to see where the Winx are, because Mitzi and her friends aren't ready to fight them yet.

Most of the Winx are at the Frutti Music Bar, and they watch Roxy say they are heading to the park - but they also watch Sky ask where Bloom is.

Duman mutters "Oh crud, where is she? If we go anywhere, I want to know where she is so we can go the opposite way."

Mitzi asks "You four are seriously worried about that skin-and-bones-and-smart-mouthed runt?"

Ogron replies "That 'skin-and-bones-and-smart-mouthed runt' has given us more bruises and problems trying to fight her since the day we met her than anyone else we've fought. She can take an extraordinary amount of pain, and she's a lot more dangerous than she lets on."

Gantlos adds "Also, she may be slow to get angry, but once she gets there she is extremely strong."

"Oh, well, she must have some weakness. She's only human you know."

Duman snorts and says "Wanna bet?"

Ogron says "That's what we're trying to find out - her weakness. If we watch her long enough, eventually we have to see a weakness somewhere."

 _Because using her nightmares is a terrible idea, it'll make her break us in half._

He switches the locater spell to Bloom, and they see her locking up the shop with her jacket on.

As they watch, she zips it up, as Mitzi comments "What? She so thin, she needs a jacket everywhere she goes?"

Bloom pulls the hood up and the spell abruptly ends, winking out like they never did it.

Anagan mutters "Well, that explains all the times it just wouldn't work."

Mitzi asks "What? What are you talking about? Where'd Bloom go?"

Ogron says "She must have enchanted the jacket so nobody could track her. The last few times the locater spell actually worked, she was wearing that thing, but the hood was down."

They go to an abandoned parking lot, full of cars, and Mitzi and her friends practice destroying stuff.

They quickly get good at levitating, developing a trick of motion-controlled magic similar to Bloom's telekinesis.

Mitzi is bored after a while, while her friends enjoy being able to park wherever they want to.

They smash the cars down, making a hubcap roll to Ogron.

He stops it with one foot, smiling evilly.

They go to an old factory, and Mitzi and her friends fly in and blow it up in seconds.

They get thrown out by the shockwave, but dust themselves off and Mitzi says "I think we're getting good at this. Sorry about the mess!"

They all start laughing, and then after another locator spell, which shows all the Winx at the park, Mitzi and her friends go after them.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry about the short chapter everyone. I know I said the rest of this episode would be here, but that's not how it worked out. Mitzi and her friends will face the Winx next chapter, promise, and we'll find out just how three fake-fairies with less than a day of having powers can fare against six who've had theirs and been using them for years. Also, yes, they finally figured out that Bloom likes to make stuff more than it first seems - anybody think they'll ever figure out she's got more stuff than it seems on her at any given time? Keep reading to find out! PS. Please don't give up on the story!**


	140. Fairies Vs Fakes

_**Fairies Vs. Fakes**_

While Mitzi and her friends were practicing in the sewers with the Wizards of the Black Circle, the Winx were working away.

When the day is finally over, Aisha goes and flips the sign to 'closed' right before Roxy shows up.

The Animal Fairy wants to take them to the park, because it is a beautiful night outside.

Everyone agrees, but Bloom says "I'll meet you there, girls. I have to make sure Ember will be alright first."

She runs upstairs, while everyone else runs out the door. Ember is still asleep, which means this is going to be one of her bigger spurts.

She slept through the whole work day, and ate all the fruit in the fridge drawer earlier. _O_

 _h jeez Ember, this is gonna suck tonight._

She leaves a quart of tea made from the herb from Pyros in a large bowl in front of Ember, and the pets stay with her.

All this takes about fifteen minutes, and she grabs her jacket and locks up the shop.

As she does, she feels like someone is watching her, so she zips up her jacket and puts her hood up.

If it was Thor or Loki, they would have said hello immediately, so she plays it safe and activates the magic she wove into the hooded jacket.

As soon as she does, the feeling vanishes, like it was never there.

She makes her way to the park, actually beating her friends there.

She makes a huge brown blanket appear, and smooths it out while she waits.

Five minutes later, the rest of the Winx get there, and Stella and Aisha immediately jump on the blanket, acting like the are making snow angels.

Bloom shows Roxy how to levitate stuff, by floating a manhole cover into place right before a guy reading the newspaper can fall in.

Roxy sees a guy pushing a heavy cart of ice cream up a steep hill and floats it.

Flora shows Roxy how to use Nature's energy, and turns some drooping rose vines healthy.

Roxy calls a bunch of birds to her they fly around her making a beautiful song.

Then, the Winx make something of an obstacle course with their bodies, as Aisha tells Roxy that magic isn't just about power, you have to be in control of it at all times.

Oh, does Bloom know that, ever since she found out about the Dragon Flame she has worked to control its power and keep it from accidentally destroying everything.

Roxy flies between the other fairies, making Techna's pixie cut blow back from the breeze she makes.

* * *

Minutes later, they are sitting on the blanket laughing, when suddenly they hear an explosion nearby.

People start running, and Bloom can hear familiar laughter; _female laughter._

Another explosion happens, and the Winx look through some bushes to see three dark fairies that look like Mitzi and her friends attacking people.

"Oh, what's the matter, you don't like magic all of a sudden?"

The Winx transform, and Bloom yanks her hand back hard, making Mitzi and her friends fly back like a rope pulled them back four feet and land on the ground hard.

"Not the kind of magic your using Mitzi!"

One of the crowd shouts "Hey, it's the Winx! They'll stop these three!"

Bloom yells "Get to cover, this is gonna get hot real fast."

Mitzi tries to backtrack, saying "Well hello, fairy friends."

"You're not fooling anyone Mitzi, your just a spoiled girl who learned a few tricks."

Mitzi and her friends fight, but its easily apparent the Winx are kicking their fake-fairy butts.

She gets the idea to hit the crowd, as the Winx's weakness.

She shoots a ball of magic at the people, but Bloom teleports over and blocks it with a Fire Armor.

"You want a fight, you've got one Mitzi. Leave these people out of it!"

Her friends start attacking another group, and herd them into a large gathering.

Flora and Techna make a shield, protecting them from their blasts.

Mitzi starts going after the guy with the newspaper from before, but Bloom grabs her wrist, yelling "That is enough!"

Mitzi is thrown to the ground, hard, and realizes Ogron was right about Bloom being more dangerous than she looks.

"You can't protect everyone Bloom!"

In response, her two friends are thrown into her, even harder.

The message is clear: I can sure try.

Mitzi mutters "Ok, maybe she can…"

Louder, she yells "Let me know when you're ready for more Bloom!"

Bloom teleports closer and says "Now's good."

She throws a fireball at the three fakers pitcher-style, sending them into a tree.

 _Oh, bad idea. Really bad idea, Mitzi._

The rest of the Winx get ready to attack again, but Bloom reminds them that they need to get the people out of here.

She, Stella, and Aisha keep fighting Mitzi and her friends, while Flora, Techna, Musa and Roxy get everyone out of the park.

When Mitzi and her friends combine their exhausted powers to block a Dragon Heart, it hits the ground, starting a fire.

Flora makes a tunnel through a hedge, while Bloom calls the fire to her and absorbs it.

She, Aisha, and Musa combine their healing powers and win back the people's hearts, and Mitzi and her friends lose their magic.

Something like light purple lightning appears on their bodies, and their wings stop working, sending them falling through the air.

Bloom catches them with a Dragon Wing, and they change back; conveniently having no memory of what happened or anything in the minutes before.

* * *

The Wizards were watching, and expected the Winx to win after Mitzi said Bloom couldn't protect everyone.

They saw her friends getting thrown into her coming as soon as the words left her mouth, Bloom always tries to protect everyone around her.

* * *

The Winx go to the wedding, with dresses Stella picked out just for the occasion.

For Bloom, she picked out a new cyan tube top, that is not super tight and is comfortable enough that she doesn't feel like her breathing is restricted; unlike most dresses in Magix.

Musa nearly leaves, she feels ridiculous after getting a crush on the groom.

He convinces her to stay, asking that a misunderstanding not ruin her chance to be everything she's dreamed of since she was a kid.

She accepts, and sings up on stage, while everyone else dances, including Bloom and Sky.

It's just two friends dancing, but Bloom's entire body is hypersensitive to his hand in hers.

She doesn't even remember what the words to the song Musa sang were, too busy trying to talk herself down from kissing Sky right then.

She manages, but barely, and has to call up every reason she isn't still dating him to mind to make herself let go when the dance is over.

* * *

 **AN: Ok, we got a massive beat-down on Mitzi at last for her spoiled attitude! Honestly, she's had that coming for a while now! And Musa cleared up the mix-up with Jason and can keep her dream going! Any ideas about what'll happen next? Read and find out...**


	141. Rock Band

_**Rock Band**_

The next day, after going grocery shopping and buying a massive amount of food, mostly fruit - especially strawberries - the Winx do a spell on the White Circle to get answers about it.

Mrs. Faragonda couldn't find its secrets, but with their Traceix wings, they can.

They learn Tir Nan Og Isle is the Fairies' Realm; a place on Earth, but not quite the same.

The actual island is off the coast of Ireland, but the magic home of the fairies is nonexistent unless you use a gate.

The gates vanished though, because the Wizards destroyed them.

The White Circle is the last, and the only hope for the imprisoned fairies, trapped in their own home.

The spell ends, leaving the Winx wondering just how they are going to free the Earth Fairies.

They do research for a while, Bloom looking through the Book of Fairies for anything and everything she can find.

Stella quickly grows bored though, and suggests they have some fun.

Musa suggests the form a rock band, and everyone agrees, even Bloom when they all look at her pleadingly.

Ember comes over, still a little sore from her massive growth spurt the night before.

She must be the size of a small pony now, and if Bloom is sitting down she can simply put her head on Bloom's lap.

Bloom puts the White Circle on, after accidentally leaving it on her laptop - and some of the rings energy enters it.

It shouldn't be a problem though, because nobody in their right minds would look in a computer for a ring; and that's assuming they get in the building and survive Ember.

They all go to the Frutti Music bar, and Musa volunteers to get Andy and his band to lend them some instruments.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Wizards are sitting on the ground in the sewers, ironically in the same place Roxy once hid from them.

They can feel the magic vibration in the air that means the White Circle was activated.

They have to get it and destroy it before the Winx can use it to free the other Earth Fairies they captured.

They do a locator spell, and find all the Winx at the Frutti Music Bar.

 _Oh good, that means we don't need to worry about getting beaten to a pulp by Bloom._

They teleport away, to the shop they should probably stay as far away from as physically possible if they want to keep their bones intact.

* * *

At the Frutti Music Bar, Musa is setting up equipment with Andy and his band, while the rest of the Winx tell the guys they are a rock band now.

They all agree it's a fabulous idea, but Riven is cleaning glasses and isn't really in the mood to celebrate.

He misses Musa, he wants her back.

Problem is, she left him because he was being a jealous idiot and never even once congratulated her or acted happy for her when she got the recording deal - he acted like a gigantic jerk and completely dismissed it all as nothing important.

Nabu and Helia give him advice, which condenses into poems, presents and flowers.

They are finally speaking English again, and he can do presents and flowers, but not poetry.

Helia takes care of that, but it kind of backfires.

Helia and Nabu send him out to get a big bunch of flowers from a nearby flower shop, but Rio is allergic to pollen and Musa gets annoyed.

The Winx finish rehearsing and perform their first song, 'Kingdom and a Child', but by the time they get done, the chocolates Riven bought Musa are melted.

Riven is done with trying to go the extra mile, and Musa has had enough as well; except she doesn't realize what he is trying to do.

Helia explains, and Musa goes to apologize, making Riven feel better a thousand-fold.

Suddenly, Bloom and Roxy come running over, looking worried.

If Bloom _looks_ worried, it means she is really concerned, translation: something is happening.

"Guys, Roxy and I have a really bad feeling, something's happening to the pets!"

Everyone practically screams _"What?"_ and after telling Rick, they head over to the Love and Pet shop, with Bloom getting really worried about Ember.

She isn't answering her, which means she could be dead.

If Ember's dead, whoever is in there will be extremely sorry, and then they will be dead; _nobody_ is going to hurt Ember and get away with it.

* * *

 **AN: Uh-oh, looks like the Wizards should have stayed away. What do you think they did? Find out next chapter!**


	142. Entering and Searching

_**Entering and Searching**_

While the Winx are at the Frutti Music Bar, the Wizards teleport into their store.

They search everywhere in the bottom floor, but only find a bunch of shampoos, pet food made by Flora, dance routines and obstacle courses, sheet music and tiny instruments, and a computer full of appointment times.

Duman can smell which fairy is where most of the time, and they all crack up when he reminds them of Mitzi's rant of what Bloom said; how she couldn't squeeze Mitzi in but might have a time in two weeks from then.

It's made even funnier with this context, but they don't have time to laugh about their enemy's sarcasm.

Ogron says "C'mon, the Winx could be back any minute. Let's find the White Circle and get out of here."

They get to the second floor, and start searching, feeling the residual magic from the White Circle.

But the pets attack, swarming Anagan. "Agh, little monsters! Get away!"

Duman transforms into a creature that resembles a sabretooth tiger, and roars - and then they hear an answering roar and suddenly Ember is jumping onto his back.

Ogron hits Ember with his strongest sleep spell as the two creatures struggle – with Duman losing badly - knocking her out almost instantly.

Gantlos makes a ring around the huddled flying pets, trapping them while they keep looking.

Duman transforms back into a human, covered in wide gashes and bleeding a lot.

"Wasn't that thing _smaller?_ What has Bloom been feeding her, Miracle Grow?"

They agree, she's almost a foot longer, and at least twice as much taller than the last time they saw her with Bloom using a locater spell.

Anagan asks "How big is this thing going to get?"

They don't know, but it's a miracle they still have all their fingers and toes - and that Duman is still alive right now.

Anagan goes down to Flora's station, but all her stuff is medicine for their flying pets.

Ogron and Gantlos look around the second floor, while Anagan speeds around looking for something to use as a bandage or ten; Bloom can just heal them, and they never have to worry about Ember attacking them.

Eventually, they just have to use most of their magic to heal him, and keep looking through the Winx's living space without magic.

The ring isn't in the living room, so they search all their rooms; and find their fridge is full of more desserts they have seen at one time than ever before, along with a fruit pizza of all things - Bloom's been busy.

Ironically, there are loads of vegetables and fruits as well, but not one piece of meat, it seems Ember is a vegetarian.

* * *

It's obvious which room is who's, Techna's has a bunch of half-built gadgets, Musa's has instruments all over the walls and recording equipment taking up half the room, Aisha's has workout equipment made from Morphix, Stella's is full of clothes, the biggest piece of furniture aside from her bed is a massive wardrobe that goes on forever on the inside; a never-ending space spell.

She also has a vanity, filled to overflowing with makeup; no surprise for them.

Flora's is filled with so many plants they can't count them all, and most of them are not from Earth; because one starts screaming at them.

The last one is Bloom's they recognize the window they saw her jump through in her Charmix form.

It is as organized as Techna's, and has a small herb garden, along with a large Dragonfire Bloom and a Thornbush filled with flowers with berries in the centers.

Duman picks one, and eats it, and can barely swallow the thing from the strong taste – also, his hand gets attacked by the vines, and he has to pick out twenty thorns.

Her desk has books on it, a lot of Rick Riordan and Brian Jacques, and a massive sketchbook.

When they look through her giant sketchbook, there are hand-drawn pictures, in amazing detail.

A picture of the Frutti Music Bar, with her friends there, along with Rick and a bunch of strangers.

Another picture of all her friends and her in a group.

One of Sky, with phrases from songs on the back.

One of the flower in the pot, with the title 'Dragonfire Bloom' underneath the picture itself.

The last one they look at is nowhere they have ever seen before, it's in a forest, there is a cave at one side, and she is there with Ember, smaller than they have ever seen the young dragon, kneeling by a river that is fed from a waterfall.

Duman mutters "Jeez, we knew she was good, but she could sell these and make millions!"

She's in a top and skirt they never see her wear, and its torn and looks faded even without color.

They know its Bloom though, none of the other Winx are that thin - or would hold a baby dragon so carefully.

Ogron feels like there's something he's missing, but he doesn't know what – not the fact that she's part dragon, but why she became part-dragon.

He slams the book closed, trying to not think about the mystery that keeps getting deeper when it comes to Bloom.

They look through her whole room, even checking the books to see if they are really what the jackets say; they wouldn't put it past Bloom to disguise spellbooks with Earth titles.

No, they are what the titles say, Percy Jackson, Redwall, the Kane Chronicles, Harry Potter, etc.

Most of the time when they watched her stay here while her friends went out, they saw her reading books, but they are sure it wasn't these.

Her garbage can is full of orange scales, likely from Ember's growth leap - forget spurt.

* * *

Finally, they are finished, but there is no sign of the ring.

One other thing that is conspicuously missing from her room is makeup, or anything remotely girly; they didn't expect a whole drawer full of the stuff with her, unlike Stella, but they would have thought she owned some lip gloss or Chapstick even.

Instead, they barely find a hairbrush in her room, and her closet is full of practical clothing such as jeans and t-shirts, with a few skirts and belly-showing tops mixed in; which they all get the feeling weren't really Bloom's choice - along with the one or two dresses that look like she hasn't ever worn them.

Ogron glances at the computer curiously, and opens it - that seems more like what Bloom would use, they've seen her using it.

On the desktop, they find a bunch of folders, one with the title 'WotBC' at the bottom.

When Ogron opens it with magic, they see four more, each with their name on it.

Inside is a list of everything about them, their fighting style, spells they've done before, and at the top is a document that is titled 'How to Fight'.

It's pretty basic compared to everything else, but it's clearly been updated.

With Ogron, it says to channel Pyros and fight hand-to-hand, whatever that means.

With Gantlos, dodge his attacks, prevent him from making them, with Anagan, use his momentum against him.

With Duman, it differs according to what animal he is.

With a bear, ride him, with a wolf, challenge him, etc.

When she put all this together is a mystery to them though, but it explains how Bloom seemed to know stuff about them, she looked them up and learned everything about them!

They stuff Ember into one of the pet carriers, and tie her up the same way Gantlos tied up their fairy pets.

Ogron goes through more files on Bloom's laptop, finding most of the folders on her desktop are heavily encrypted.

 _Techna must have taught her some stuff._

He forgets about the folders though, when he pulls up the webpage Bloom was on, and it turns out to be a site in the Magical Dimension on ancient curses.

Duman mutters "What is she doing looking through curses? You think we finally made her angry enough to try and curse us?"

Ogron replies "No, Bloom's not the type to curse someone. But this can't be good, whatever it is."

He gets off the page, and opens her simulation program, and it is a forest greener than any they have seen before.

They have a hunch, and use the spell to look for the Circle's energy – the compute starts glowing.

Anagan says "Well, Bloom would be the type to hide something in a place nobody would think to look for it."

Ogron says "Duman, you stay here and guard those little beasts - especially the not-so-little beast. Let's go for a walk in Bloom's virtual forest."

When the Wizards enter Bloom's computer, it crackles and sparks with orange energy, Bloom must have poured a lot of time into it.

What they don't know, is that the Winx are already on the way back with the Specialists…

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Ember wasn't answering because she's sleeping - not dead! Bloom doesn't know that though, any guesses about her reaction? PS. A Dragonfire Bloom is a kind of flower; fiery orange and very pretty, Bloom's favorite flower - I know, something not magical or battle-oriented. as for looking through Bloom's room, they tore it apart looking for the Circle - as in, they went through everything in the room. Even Ember's nest - good thing they put her to sleep already, because now it smells like the Wizard who looked all through it. Read to find out Bloom's reaction!**


	143. Wake Up!

_**Wake Up!**_

While the Winx and the Specialists get into the shop, the pets are wriggling their way out of the bonds around them.

But Duman surprises them, saying "Nobody can escape my animal senses, I can hear a fly buzzing a mile away."

He makes more bindings, trapping the pets again - but is startled by a female cough.

"If you animal senses are so good Duman, then how did we get up here without you knowing?"

When he turns around, its Bloom, and the Winx, along with their boyfriends.

"Fire bonds!"

Bloom throws her hand out and shouts the old spell, tying Duman up in burning orange bindings and freeing the pets.

She throws her hand to the side, and Duman goes flying onto the couch.

 _"Ember! Where are you? Answer me!"_

She starts going through the shop, searching while mentally calling out desperately.

Duman can almost hear it, like a radio station he can't tune in to, and he notices an odd accent in her voice brought out from worry.

it's not one they've ever heard before, and they've heard just about every accent on Earth by now - making him wonder all the more just where the heck Bloom's from and what else they don't know about her.

After a solid minute of Bloom searching, with the other fairies searching as well, he says "We're older and wiser than you fairies, and we know more tricks. You don't stand a chance against us."

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Bloom stops her frantic search and strides over, anger replacing her worry for the moment.

"If your so _wise,_ you'll tell me where Ember is and what you did to her."

Duman scoffs "Or what? You'll make me? I'd like to see you try."

* * *

Instead of wasting breath responding, Bloom picks Duman up by the neck, with a grip that's now like iron, holds him up while moving forward, and slams him into the wall hard enough to rattle the pictures on it.

 _Oh crap, Ogron, Bloom's really mad._

She whips out her knife, and puts it under Duman's chin, forcing him to tilt his head back.

Even still, he can feel the tip of the knife drawing a bead of blood, the deadly sharp point breaking the skin without any real pressure from Bloom.

Her voice has a growl underneath her words now, and he can sense her becoming less human and more dragon with each passing second - along with the anger activating her magic, making her hand heat up not-so-slowly.

"Tell me where Ember is, or I swear I will-"

"What? Use that? You don't have the guts."

It's a total bluff, Duman is hoping she will put the knife away; instead, in a lightning fast move even Anagan couldn't have matched, the knife leaves his throat and her arm whips towards his head.

His entire life flashes before his eyes, amazingly fast considering how long he has been alive.

The next thing he registers is the fact that his ear is being burned, and then he realizes he can feel that and he is still alive.

She didn't stab him, just put the knife directly beside his head.

A millimeter closer, and he would have lost his ear.

"Next time it goes between your eyes Duman. Now, _where is Ember?_ "

"The pet carrier! We stuffed her into the pet carrier after Ogron put a sleep spell on her!"

He gets thrown back onto the sofa hard, his head smacking the arm.

She starts opening the pet carriers fast, and finally gets to the one they stuffed her dragon in at random.

She uses the knife to cut the bonds, relieved to see smoke coming out of Ember's nostrils regularly.

But she won't wake up, no matter what Bloom tries; fairy dust, magic spells, nothing.

Bloom looks at Duman with fire in her eyes, just daring him to say one word.

"Ember doesn't wake up, you die Duman."

He gulps, knowing Bloom means this.

Sky goes over to her, trying to help.

 _Ogron, how long will that sleep spell you put on Ember last?_

 _I don't know, a while. Why?_

 _Bloom wants Ember to wake up now, and I'm pretty sure our lives hinge on it._

* * *

While Duman was talking with Ogron, Bloom was ignoring it.

She was trying to get her dragon to wake up, burning herbs from Pyros, trying to communicate mentally - after about five minutes though, she starts to get hysterical.

 _She's crying over her dragon. How pathetic._

"That's it Duman! Say goodbye to planet Earth!"

He doesn't know she heard him, and freezes when she whips her knife back out.

If Sky hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist and picked her up, he would be dead in about a second.

"Hey, hey, calm down Bloom, you'll think of something. Now give me that for a sec."

Apparently they all know about Bloom's anger stored inside her blade, it can turn her deadly in a bad situation.

Duman remembers when she whipped her sword out and instantly went from slightly drugged to furious in the park.

Now, she goes from murderously angry to upset and near tears again when Sky gently pulls the knife hilt from her hand.

 _Ogron, I figure I've got thirty seconds to live. The only reason I'm still alive is because Sky just talked Bloom down and got her to let go of her knife somehow. Give me an idea to blurt out to them for how to wake up that dragon, or we're all gonna die before the sun comes up. What do people usually use to wake someone who's unconscious?_

 _I don't know, smelling salts, I think, except they don't have-_

Duman doesn't listen anymore, because Bloom suddenly teleported away and he can hear her down stairs.

She's at Flora's station, grabbing one of everything.

She teleports back upstairs, with armfuls of bottles.

She goes to the kitchen, and grabs a large bowl and pours the contents of all the bottles in hastily, the rapid pouring mixing the liquids together.

She then yells "Flora, I'm gonna need to borrow a few leaves!" before teleporting away, likely to Flora's room.

They sense her teleport again into her room, and then back out to the kitchen.

She has handfuls of different leaves, and crushes them all together.

She puts the remains into the bowl, then boils it in her hand.

The resulting mixture is absolutely awful smelling, and Techna asks "Um, Bloom, what is that?"

"The most powerful smelling salt imaginable. I'm not trying for potion-accuracy, I'm trying to wake Ember up."

They get the point, that stuff could likely wake the dead, and even Bloom has her head turned away from the bowl.

Bloom teleports over to Ember, trying not to breath in the fumes, and holds the bowl close to Ember's face.

It takes a second, but Ember twitches, then lets out a coughing roar and a fireball at the bowl of foul-smelling liquid.

Bloom gasps, not caring about the smell anymore, then drops the bowl and hugs Ember gratefully.

"Oh Great Dragon, Ember, don't ever scare me like that again."

It seems Duman has narrowly avoided dying, and Stella asks "Ok, now that that crisis is over, where are the other Wizards?"

Musa adds "Stella's right. They wouldn't just leave Duman to attack us here unless they're still in the building somewhere."

Bloom looks up and says "Yeah, I know where they are. But first, you girls are gonna want to check your rooms. I could smell all four of them in my room, along with Flora's, and Anagan all downstairs."

 _Oh crap, get out of there guys! Bloom knows where you are!_

 _"WHAT?"_ all the fairies scream, none louder than Stella though.

They all race back to their rooms, but find almost nothing touched.

The Wizards barely stepped inside their rooms, only looking through Techna's drawings they didn't understand, walking through Flora's plants, etc.

But Bloom can smell them everywhere in her room, which they practically tore apart to find the ring; forgetting that she would likely have it on her.

Bloom's room is a disaster, like a tornado came through, but she just grabs her open laptop and teleports back out with the headphones.

Stella asks "They're in your laptop?"

"Yeah, they nearly fried it to. Must've used magic on it."

She calls her magic to her hand, and the computer speeds up again, Bloom's magic getting rid of Ogron's.

When they look, they see Bloom's simulation of Pyros, which she goes into to relax when she really needs to.

* * *

 **AN: Lesson learned, never make Bloom think Ember might be dead - it's like trying to separate a momma bear from her cub, _it won't end well._ Bloom was trained since she was young to get information from enemies, part of Asgardian training, and she's not squeamish at all. For her, if it comes down to getting info from an enemy or someone she cares about potentially being dead, she'll get the info alright. She wouldn't have killed him though, probably, but put a truth spell on him - going all out if she had to. Read to find out just how badly the rest of the Wizards get beaten and scared next chapter!**


	144. Virtual Battleground

_**Virtual Battleground**_

Bloom waves her hand at the bowl, and it disappears, the bowl itself ending up in the sink empty.

She puts the headphones on, while Duman tries to stall for time.

"They've likely already got the circle, your too late Winx!"

"What? You mean this?"

Bloom takes the ring off her hand, to Duman's shocked eyes.

"What? But...we saw…the spell..."

"You used a sight spell to see the circle's power, didn't you?"

Duman shuts up at that, not knowing how she knew they used a spell to figure out where she hid the Circle.

"Your computer lit up like a beacon."

"I put the Circle on my computer for a minute. The flaw with searching for the Circle's energy, is anything that was touched by its power would be a beacon to you four."

 _Shit, Ogron she's got the Circle, and the laptop, get out!_

Bloom puts the headphones on, lowers the microphone in front of her mouth, and starts typing a few commands in.

Suddenly, the scene shifts from where the Wizards entered, which happens to be the same as the picture they were looking at before, to show three men in black struggling through overgrowth.

They didn't go in the cave, figuring Bloom would have hidden it somewhere high up, but now they are having second thoughts.

It would almost be funny watching them trip and stumble every two seconds, except Bloom is not in the mood for humor right now.

"Enjoying the scenery, fellas?"

All three Wizards look around, wondering where Bloom's voice is coming from.

"Get out of there, or I'll make you."

Ogron yells "Come and try it Bloom, we'll be waiting!"

"Fine. But I say we switch it up a little first."

All three look at each other, and Roxy asks "Um, Bloom? Exactly how are you going to 'switch it up'? You nearly killed Duman before, after all."

The Wizard mutters "And you all just stood there and would have let her…"

Stella retorts "You four earned it, after everything you've pulled. Ember's off limits in Bloom's book."

Bloom puts in a few more commands, and the simulation controller pops up.

"There's two settings on this Roxy, 'Relaxation' and 'Training'. The one they're currently in is for relaxing. I'm going to give them a new setting."

She selects 'Training', and then the setting is changed to the island of Manhattan, in New York.

Stark Tower is the tallest building there, and it looks like chaos in the streets.

There are flying bikes and figures fighting - alien-like creatures, definitely not from Earth.

"I'm going in. They went too far this time."

She pushes a button on the side of her headphones, and an earpiece ejects from it.

"If you want to talk to me, use the microphone. I'll hear you with the earpiece, they won't. If I need to, I'll complete the simulation and do a hard reset. They'll be sent to whatever rock they've been hiding under, and I'll end up back here."

Techna says "Ok, Timmy and I will monitor from here."

Sky grabs Bloom's arm, and says "Good luck Bloom, be careful."

She smiles and says "Always. But they're the ones who're gonna need luck now."

She has her jacket, her belt, and her fighting staff in on her - she's all set.

She disappears in a puff of orange embers, and Techna sits down and puts the headphones on.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Wizards are trying to get their bearings, the forest they were trudging through suddenly changed a minute after Bloom said she would switch things up.

Now, they are in the middle of what looks like a warzone, with creatures even they have never seen before shooting guns at them.

They fight their way through, and hide out for a minute in an abandoned building.

Anagan says "Jeez, this isn't funny, why would she have _this_ on her computer?"

They don't hear any gunfire, so after a minute they creep out cautiously.

They aren't out a minute when suddenly a wall of fire blocks their way forward.

When they turn around Bloom is standing there, looking really ticked off.

"I'm giving you three one last chance to get out of here before I throw you out."

Ogron tries to cover his nervousness, and asks "Well, what's a goody-two-wings like you doing looking through ancient curses? Really Bloom, I wouldn't have pegged you for that type."

Bloom's face darkens with fury, and she yells "None of your damn business!"

She is about to attack, when suddenly they hear the sound of gunfire.

All four look over, and see about five aliens coming toward them with raised weapons.

The Wizards get back inside the abandoned building, while Bloom takes cover behind an overturned car.

Anagan says "Oh great, caught between a rock in a hot place, literally."

Suddenly they hear more gunfire but different from the aliens' guns, hotter and more explosive.

When they look out, they freeze in horror; Bloom is holding a smaller gun over the top of the car, and in place of the creatures is five piles of ash.

More of them come around a corner, so she turns a knob on the gun and it lets out a concentrated beam of her magic, killing the creatures with a pile of bricks dumped on them from the corner of the building they were standing next to.

 _Oh, shit._

Where she got _that_ thing from is a mystery, one they really don't want the answer to.

She looks over, and jams the gun into one of her jacket pockets, and they can't even see a corner of the weapon.

 _Oh great, another hiding spot. We're dead._

"Fine, we'll do this the fun way."

Before they can wonder what she means by that, she makes a pink and blue motorcycle-like bike, one with no wheels.

She makes a helmet out of thin air, and puts it on, then revs the engine and flies off.

Ogron mutters "Oh great, another thing she can do. Where is she going anyway?"

 _Ogron, you have to get to the big white tower. She said she can complete the simulation and do a hard reset, and I'm guessing all she needs to do is close the portal on top of Stark Tower._

They thank Duman for the hint, and then make their way through the battle.

Halfway through, they figure out its supposed to be the alien invasion that happened here a few years ago; what they don't know is how she knows so much about it, another mystery for another time.

They follow Bloom, Anagan running up the tower while Ogron and Gantlos hijack bikes from the aliens to try and catch up with her.

When they get there, Bloom is standing in front of a machine with a bright blue cube shooting a beam of light out to the sky.

When they look up, they can see a ship, right along with weird armored worm-creatures coming through the portal; and many more alien soldiers.

Her eyes are literally blazing with anger, telling them in no uncertain terms they went way too far this time.

Before they can say anything, Bloom says "I see you four again, I will beat you to a pulp, no holding back. You try anything, I will fight you until you can't fight anymore. And if you go after Ember or the pets, I swear you will find out every trick I know, every weapon I have, and just how well I can use them. You'll find out just how different Dark Bloom and I aren't when really pushed, and you won't like it."

That's the last thing they want to find out, Dark Bloom didn't stop when they were down and she enjoyed hurting them; they don't want to find out just how far regular Bloom will go if they push her over the edge.

Before they can answer, Bloom stabs the spear into the machine generating the portal, cutting off the supply to the hole in space.

As soon as the hole closes, the simulation resets, and they find themselves thrown out of Bloom's computer.

* * *

Bloom ends up back in the living room, and when she looks over at the couch, Duman is gone.

He must have escaped while everyone was looking at her laptop screen, because the ropes Helia tied around him to replace the magical bindings Bloom made are lying cut on the sofa.

He's probably back with the other Wizards, who hopefully took her threat seriously; because she meant it.

They want to fight them, fine; but nobody goes after their pets to get to them.

Roxy suggests they free the Earth Fairies trapped in Tir Nan Og, and they all agree.

* * *

 **AN: 13000 views, Alright! Keep reading, more chapters are on the way! PS. Think the Wizards are ever going to show their faces again? Bloom was really mad about them making her think Ember was dead, but she'll cool off eventually - right? Either way, they've been beaten to a pulp enough times that the message should have a clear path to their brains. Wondering what they'll do next? Find out next chapter!**


	145. Leaving

_**Leaving**_

Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman really took Bloom's threat seriously; she nearly killed them!

Ogron says "Alright, forget the Circle, forget the Winx and their boyfriends. Let's get out of here. If we never see those fairies again, it'll be too soon - right along with the end of us."

Duman adds "Bloom is insane, right along with way too free with that knife of hers."

He rubs one hand on his neck for the hundredth time, as if he wants to make sure it is still there and intact.

Anagan adds "She meant every word, and there is no way I'm dying to some half-starved looking fairy with attachment issues."

Gantlos agrees, and then asks "And why exactly would she have a gun, of all things? And what the heck did she do to it? First it shot blasts of her magic, then a beam of it - a beam that can cut through anything! Why hasn't she pulled that thing on us before?"

Ogron says "I don't know, and I don't really care. Let's get out of this town, and wait for them to leave Earth forever."

They all agree, and start looking on a map for somewhere they agree on.

It may be running away, but Bloom told them she would show no mercy if they ever tried anything again and they believe her.

They don't really feel like dying any time soon, so off they go somewhere the Winx aren't, somewhere they won't get beaten to four pulps regularly.

If they never have to even hear the word fairies for a few centuries again, they will be thoroughly happy.

Even with the Winx on TV all across the country now, they can just not watch TV or keep track of the news.

Anything is better than fighting Bloom and possibly getting killed by her.

They teleport to a nearby town, so they won't get found by Bloom by chance and beaten up on pure bad luck.

It's around forty miles away from Gardenia, more than enough distance from the Winx to figure out a place to lay low for a while - at least they hope it is.

They go underground again, so even if Bloom is angry enough to search for them, they won't be found right away.

They don't want to know what else she might have on her, where she would have gotten her weapons, or what the heck she might have done to them.

They can tell by now she has been tinkering with her knife and sword at the very least, possibly that gun of hers as well.

They don't know, and they _really_ don't want to know.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but more action is coming soon! Looks like they finally got it through their heads that Bloom is not an enemy you want to have - it's about time! Most people would've figured it out after the first few fights - it took a threat on their lives to learn the lesson that Bloom is not an enemy that can be defeated. Read and find out what the Winx do next! Will Bloom go on a hunt for the hunters? Will she cool off and focus on their new band? Find out next chapter!**


	146. Tir Nan Og Isle

_**Tir Nan Og Isle**_

The next morning, two kids come to the shop even though its closed.

They are clearly brother and sister, with blonde-brown hair and green eyes.

The girl has a squirrel with a very bad hair day, its fur is all frizzy and poofed out - she gave her a bath.

The boy has a purple dog with a stomach ache, he gave it chocolate.

Bloom opens the door, and the two kids say "Hello Ms. Bloom."

"Good morning to you to."

The girl says "My brother gave him chocolate."

"She gave her a bath again."

"Calm down. I'm sorry, but the shop is closed."

The two kids pout, pulling on Bloom's heartstrings.

"Oh, alright, but just for you two. Let me take a look."

They eagerly hand her their pets, and she goes inside and places them on the counter.

"Hm, upset stomach huh?" she asks the dog, who groans in response.

"And what about you?"

The squirrel squeaks, and Bloom says "Easy. This is for your stomach ache," she makes a small bottle appear over her hand and gives it to him "and this is to make you feel better." she uses a little magic and the frizzy-haired squirrel returns to normal.

"Just remember, magic isn't the solution to everything."

The two agree, or at least they make agreement-sounding noises, and Bloom picks them up and take them back out to the kids.

"Ok, here they are, good as new."

Both kids ask at the same time "But, how did you do that?"

Bloom smiles and says "My little secret. Just remember, your pets love you. So your gonna have to take good care of them, ok?"

They immediately agree, and then say goodbye and happily walk back home.

* * *

Bloom goes back upstairs and see the rest of the Winx and Roxy waiting for her.

Belle greets Bloom, and Aisha says "Bloom, finally." Flora adds "You were taking so long, what happened?"

Stella answers the question by saying "Don't tell us, I bet it's another fascinating story about some customers who you just couldn't say no to, right?"

Bloom laughs and says "Right as usual Stella."

Musa says "We'll get the whole story later, right now we need to figure out the secrets of the White Circle."

She and Bloom walk over to Techna's computer, where Mrs. Faragonda's digital face is waiting.

Bloom apologizes for keeping them waiting, but their headmistress reminds them that they should be worried about the Earth Fairies trapped in Tir Nan Og.

Techna reads out what Bloom already read from the Fairy book, about where the island is physically located, how the Earth Fairies are trapped in the realm; meaning they are trapped together in their own home.

Bloom can't imagine being stuck in Domino for so long.

 _At least they all have each other, along with all the comforts of home._

The thought passes through her head, exactly like when she figured the fact out.

Its automatic, a comparison of what they are going through to what she went through.

Her experience was better in only one way: it was so much shorter.

They have someone to comfort them, and they probably aren't stuck in their basement; of course, assuming the Earth Fairies had a basement in their castle, it would likely be huge enough to give them all plenty of room to move - and they wouldn't get magically electrocuted every time they touched the door!

Bloom is pulled out of her thoughts when Roxy exclaims "All of this has to end!"

She picks up the White Circle, and it grows in her hands, responding to her magic.

She remembers being controlled by the Circle, but Mrs. Faragonda says "Your power has grown Roxy, and so has your confidence. You'll be able to control the Circle now, instead of it controlling you."

She says they will need her magic to go to Tir Nan Og Isle, and asks Roxy if she is ready for this.

The fairy answers yes, it's her destiny and she is ready to free the other Earth Fairies.

Before they can do anything though, Stella interrupts, saying "Wait! You'll need my magic to."

She concentrates, and suddenly all the Winx are in hiking outfits and have on heavy backpacks.

Bloom goes over to Ember, and says "I'm leaving you in charge, because you're the oldest. Can I count on you?" Ember trills yes, then licks Bloom's cheek and sends her a feeling of worry and caution.

 **Stay safe, come back.**

"I will, promise Ember."

Roxy focuses on Tir Nan Og, and a sphere of magic encircles them.

* * *

They teleport away, and the next thing any of them knows, they are on a deserted beach with a forest nearby and mountains in the distance.

Bloom takes out the drawing of the circle with the three oval-shapes on it.

It looks like a map to her, but the vaguest map ever.

There are no symbols or scribbles, no clues at all as to where they are supposed to go.

Techna scans the drawing, and her computer digitally connects the three spots in the middle.

The ovals are apparently the mountains, so the obvious choice is to start there.

Bloom notices Roxy isn't with them, and when they look back, she is standing there, staring at nothing.

Suddenly, she collapses, falling to the ground like she just managed to separate her mind from her body.

Bloom teleports over and catches her right before she can hit the ground hard.

After a second, she starts mumbling about how it's too hard, obviously having a conversation with someone; and Bloom has a pretty good idea of who it is.

When Roxy wakes up, she immediately says she needs to free the Earth Fairies, but she doesn't know how.

The look on her face right then is a mirror for the desperation Bloom used to feel whenever she thought about freeing Domino, and the desperation she still feels when she talks to Daphne in her dreams.

They set up tents on the beach, and Bloom puts a sleep spell on Roxy so she will get some rest.

She is likely feeling everything the trapped Earth Fairies are feeling, which would explain why she collapsed.

Bloom offers to guard Roxy, and the others agree.

Bloom is the most powerful out of all of them, so she is the one who can best defend Roxy is something happens.

* * *

They split up in two groups, Stella, Techna and Aisha going to the reefs, and Musa and Flora heading to the northwest mountain.

Bloom warns them not to use magic, so they won't attract any attention, and they are off.

Roxy has a dream full of bubbles, and the woman from her dreams before comes to her.

"Roxy, my little Roxy."

"I'm here, and, I'm ready to help you now."

The woman smiles, and says "You are brave, and you have accepted your destiny. But be careful, the ancient threat of the Wizards is very real."

"I'm not scared anymore, and I'm going to free you."

"You are so close to the truth that you can't see it."

Suddenly, giant green hands come out of nowhere and grab the woman, pulling her away.

"But do not fly to reach it, you must not look upwards!"

That's the last thing Roxy hears before jerking awake in a tent.

"I need to warn the Winx now."

She scrambles out of the sleeping bag, and runs out of the tent; only to find Bloom facing a giant black smoke-snake!

She doesn't have a weapon out, except for a fireball for each hand.

Her hands are completely consumed by the fire, but they are fine when she throws them out at the snake.

"Roxy, run!"

Roxy blurts out "Bloom, we must not look up for the fairies."

Before Bloom can ask where she heard that, the snake takes advantage of her momentary distraction, and pounces on her, and then on Roxy a moment later.

* * *

Meanwhile Flora and Musa are walking along a path, when Flora asks if Musa thinks they can use a first-level spell.

Before Musa can answer, a vine comes down and wraps Flora up and takes her away.

* * *

Aisha, Stella, and Techna are walking along the bottom of a cliff, when Stella suggests they fly because its faster.

Techna points out the fact that they will be noticed for sure, and Aisha starts climbing.

She sees some mermaids in the water, and does a perfect dive, swimming out to them when they call her name.

When she asks how they knew her name, they pounce on her, and transform into a black smoke-snake.

Techna says they have to help her, but finds Stella is missing.

When she goes after her, she finds her in the tree-line, staring at a guy with blonde hair and a beard.

When Techna asks who he is, Stella seems to snap out of a trance, as he comes out from behind a bush; revealing he is a centaur!

He transforms into the same smoke-snake that attacked Aisha, and takes both fairies as well.

* * *

Musa gets attacked by the smoke-snake as well, searching for Flora. It comes out of nowhere and takes her completely by surprise.

Now all the Winx are taken; but to where, only the Great Dragon knows.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, that happened. Mystery creatures come out and attacked them all. Think it's over for the fairies? Find out next chapter!**


	147. Freeing the Fairies

_**Freeing the Fairies**_

When the Winx all wake up at once, they are in a small stone cell.

It's a few steps bigger than Bloom's cell in Cloudtower, and she can see sunlight streaming down from an opening in the ceiling; which is why she stays calm when she looks around and realizes she is back in a cell.

Thankfully, she is with her friends, who are waking up as well.

She doesn't sense any protection magic on the walls, so whoever has them must be extremely confident.

They all transform after comparing stories on how they all got in here, and blast their way out of the cell in an explosive combination of magic.

They fly out, and find themselves in a curving corridor.

* * *

Roxy suddenly puts a hand to her head, and lands on the floor.

She can hear all the Earth Fairies voices, knows that they were imprisoned here by the creature that attacked them, the Dark Guardian.

The Wizards of the Black Circle created it to guard the island from anyone trying to free the imprisoned fairies, and trap them with the others.

They were locked up in the cell in a magical sleep until the Wizards could take their powers and lock them away, and its only because of their magic they escaped.

She knows exactly where they have to go, but suddenly the Guardian is there!

It wants Roxy, first and foremost - as the last Fairy on Earth, she is the one who holds the key to destroying it.

They fight the creature, and it makes copies of the creatures that lured them in the first time, this time colored dark now that their true nature is revealed.

The mermaids sing a song that gets straight into their heads, and the centaur attacks them.

Bloom protects Roxy, while the rest of the Winx fight back.

Roxy knows where they need to go, so Bloom uses her Speedix wings and takes Roxy to one of the rooms.

Inside, is a panel with a carving of the White Circle, and an indentation where it could go.

Bloom gets it, the White Circle is the key, the only key.

Without the Circle, they would be simply stuck on the island with no way to go forward; but with it, they can free the fairies _right now._

Roxy places the Circle in the indentation, and it's an exact fit.

* * *

The rest of the Winx beat the Dark Guardian's creations, Stella and Techna trapping the centaur in a shield while Musa made a sonic disruption to the mermaids' song.

Flora hit one with a Winter Rose, and Aisha trapped the other in a Plasma barrier, and then the Dark Guardian reforms and chases after the two fairies.

It gets to the doorway a second too late.

Roxy puts the White Circle in the pedestal which has veins covered in symbols spreading out from behind it.

The instant the Circle is in, they all feel an overwhelming rush of magic, and the veins, which remind Bloom of electric cables in Gardenia, light up, the magic flowing through them.

The Dark Guardian is destroyed by the positive magic, which fills the corridor and erupts from the ground in a massive circle, opening the Earth Fairies' realm to the human world once again.

* * *

The next thing any of them knows, they are in front of a beautiful castle.

The large double doors open and Morgana, Queen of the Earth Fairies walks out.

"I'm free, finally free."

Bloom knows the feeling, on Pyros she basically got drunk on the fresh air and the sunlight on her face - and the feeling of being in paradise after being trapped in living hell for two months.

Roxy steps forward and says "The queen of fairies, Morgana. She's the fairy from my dreams!"

A line of fairies comes out of the castle, and spreads out behind their queen.

"Warrior fairies, on your knees. Kneel before the last Earth fairy, she has given us our freedom back."

"Well," Roxy grins sheepishly "I should be the one thanking you, for helping me to believe in myself."

Morgana smiles, and turns to the Winx.

"Believix fairies, so young and so powerful, I am so honored to meet you."

Bloom steps forward and says "The honor is ours your highness. Allow us to introduce ourselves, we are the Winx."

They all curtsy, and one fairy with short blue-black hair steps forward.

Roxy gasps, recognizing the approaching fairy.

"She-she's the one who used me! She possessed me through the White Circle and forced me to fight the Wizards of the Black Circle!"

Morgana replies "Yes Roxy. Nebula is one of the Major Fairies, and one of the most powerful."

Bloom steps forward, in front of Roxy, subtly putting herself between Roxy and the fairy that tried to possess her as well.

"The fairy of Peace, right? I read a few things about you in the Book of Fairies."

Nebula's eyes show recognition, and anger; she might still be a little ticked that Bloom threw her out of her head.

Morgana invites the Winx to join her court, and become Warrior fairies.

* * *

Before they can answer, she goes on to say the reign of vengeance begins now, and that they will be hunting the Wizards of the Black Circle, who imprisoned them for so long.

Bloom can understand why; but before she can try to talk them down a little, Morgana says their revenge will also strike the humans, who stopped believing in magic and weakened them.

Bloom interrupts, saying "No, this is wrong!"

She has tact, but only up to a point, and has never been afraid to say what's on her mind if it's important.

Morgana asks "How dare you?"

Bloom rushes on before she can really get angry, saying "I mean no disrespect, but humans know nothing about magic. They live their lives as best as they know how to, they are completely innocent in your imprisonment."

Nebula stalks forward, and gets in Bloom's face.

"Is it innocent people who devastate nature and ruin the Earth they live on?"

The rest of the Winx gasp, they don't have an answer for that one.

Bloom tries again, putting as much humbleness and respect in her voice as she can summon up, except she usually never feels all that humble - though Morgana's vengeful-looking aura gives plenty of motivation.

"Morgana, your highness, please, I beg of you to reconsider. Give up your revenge, it's not worth it. Most Earth people are good, don't punish them all because of a small few."

She is getting really tired of Nebula being in her face, ever since Pyros she has really not tolerated anyone but her friends in her personal space; especially not this close.

Morgana turns away, and says she wants them to be on the same side.

She offers once again for them to join her as Warrior fairies, but all the Winx look down.

"So you refuse. I should ban you as renegade fairies, but I won't. I'll let you go. Consider our debt of gratitude paid in full. If we meet again, do not get in our way, or you will be treated as enemies."

All the fairies are walking back in the castle, leaving seven shocked fairies outside staring as the doors close.

* * *

Later, on the beach, Bloom and Roxy are talking.

"I can't believe I freed fairies who are out for revenge!"

"It's alright Roxy, we'll figure something out."

"In my dreams, she was so sweet, she was nothing like that."

 _I bet I know why she was in your dreams._ "She'll be sweet again Roxy, I'm sure of it."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I have a hunch. And it has something to do with why she was in your dreams."

"Why? What's your hunch?"

Bloom takes a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start.

"Well, the only way I know for someone to be in your dreams like that is if they have an emotional bond with you, but they'd have to have known you and care deeply about you for that to happen."

"Like you and Ember, right?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking more about my sister, Daphne. She comes to me in my dreams sometimes, we talk, she makes sure I'm alright. You know, big sister stuff."

"Okay, but why would this have to do with Morgana being in my head?"

"You never knew your mother Roxy, but Morgana was in those hand-drawn pictures, remember?"

"Yeah…YEAH! That was her, but, why was she with my father and I, and why don't I remember her being there?"

"I think the Wizards have something to do with the second part, but as for the first…"

She gets out her drawing of Morgana, and her drawing of Roxy and puts them side by side.

Neither of them can deny the resemblance, they share the same bone structure, and Roxy's face is close enough to Morgana's to suggest a family tie.

"You think…I'm related to Morgana?"

"I think Morgana's your mother Roxy."

"But…how?"

Roxy looks confused, how could a woman who had been trapped in another realm be her mother?

"The Book of Fairies says Morgana was one of the last fairies to actually be captured, and she disappeared before that happened. If I'm right, she met Rick, fell in love, and you came along. The line of thought started when I saw Morgana in the pictures and you didn't remember her. I drew her, not expecting to find anything, but then I saw her picture in the Book. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Pink hair with yellow tips is something a kid would dream up, and a parent with magic could make it a reality. Royal life is not all it's cracked up to be, so maybe Morgana wanted to see what life without magic would be like - or maybe she was hiding from the Wizards and met Rick. The more random thoughts I had, the more it made sense; and since you were too young to show your powers, the Wizards missed you."

"But how could they miss Morgana having a _daughter?_ "

Bloom shrugs, having thought the same thing at first.

"It was almost the end of their hunt, they were too powerful for even Morgana to beat, you hadn't shown any sign of your powers. You know how cocky those four can be, they likely took her without checking to see if she was really the last."

They both look out at the ocean, thinking of how four guys' egos let one fairy slip through their fingers.

Of course, those same four egos have been bruised, figuratively and literally, by another fairy who they have underestimated countless times.

"So, how are we going to get my mother to stop her revenge?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I'm not real good with the whole 'parent-reconciliation' thing. If I was, my birth-father and I wouldn't fight so much maybe."

* * *

 **AN: Oops, they really didn't think this through all the way. Bloom had a hunch the fairies would be bit ticked off about the Wizards imprisoning them and all, but going after the humans as well? Keep reading to find out how they stop this mess!**


	148. Nature's Attack

_**Nature's Attack**_

Two days later, it's raining in Gardenia, which perfectly matches Roxy's mood.

She still blames herself for releasing the Earth fairies and finding out they are after revenge.

Bloom points out the fact that she couldn't have known, but it doesn't do anything for Roxy's guilt.

Morgana was so different in her dreams from the way she talked in front of the castle, it's almost impossible to fit the two versions of her together.

It would be impossible, except they all heard her kindly invite them to be Warrior Fairies, and then say they would be going for revenge against the Wizards and the humans - and they have practice after seeing Bloom's two sides.

The rest of the Winx, minus Musa who is upstairs, all say they will figure this out together, and Coco flies into Roxy's arms.

Musa comes downstairs a second later, with her phone in hand and a grin on her face.

"Hey, why the long faces? I have some great news. I just got off the phone with Jason Queen."

Stella says "Well, start the party."

"That's not the news Stella. He was at the Frutti Music Bar, and he saw us perform."

Flora says "Oh, that's embarrassing!"

"Are you kidding? He thought we were great, and wants to see more. We have a gig ladies, isn't that awesome?"

They all agree, and Stella starts daydreaming of being a Rockstar on the red carpet with the rest of her friends.

Musa says "Don't get ahead of yourself Stella, Jason just wants us to perform in his Battle of the Bands."

Roxy says "I've seen that! It's a contest we host at the Frutti Music Bar every year, Dad loves it because we get so many drinks ordered."

Techna adds "Well, it won't be easy to win. After all, we aren't bad, but we're all just amateur musicians, except for Musa of course."

Roxy suggests they go to the Frutti Music Bar and perform, saying they sound amazing and have the contest in the bag.

Stella makes them all get new outfits first, and insists on picking them out.

For Bloom, it's a dark blue top and skirt with pink leggings and white sandals and white sandals; for her, it's an orange jacket with dark blue, almost black, jeans striped with orange and knee-high orange boots to match; for Musa it's a pink top and skirt with dark blue shorts and boots the same color; for Flora, a gray shirt, pink jacket without a hood, a skirt to match the jacket, and black knee-high boots; for Techna, a black and purple top-skirt set, with matching knee-boots; and for Aisha, a neon tank top with a black star and jeans that are strategically ripped in spots, and ankle boots the same color as her shirt.

* * *

When they finally get to the Frutti Music Bar, it's a slow day for the guys; until their girlfriends come and melt their brains in their new rock band outfits.

Sky _really_ wishes he could get the nerve up to kiss Bloom, but he heard what happened to the last guy who tried that when she didn't want them to.

Supposedly, she attacked him for no reason, Bloom's side: he kissed her, taking her by surprise.

She floored him in a second, the next thing that weasel of a prince knew, he was kissing the ground.

She would never hurt him, at least not on purpose; but he doesn't want to scare her, or hurt her by accident.

Also, she has been having weird mood swings lately, ever since the Warrior fairies were released.

She doesn't know what's up, but her magic has also been harder to control – the Winx all say its hard for her to control when she's around him - and Brandon's pointed out the fact that she spent most of their visit that night staring after him.

When he called her that night, she tried to play it off as nothing, except she got nervous and cagey, and then said she had to go and hung up.

She doesn't know what's happening, he doesn't know what's happening, and she doesn't want him to get hurt.

All thoughts of Bloom aside, the rest of the guys don't look like they have many brains left in their heads either; Timmy was filling up a glass for himself and keeps on filling when its full.

Sky tries to form a coherent sentence, but Andy beats him to it, saying they all look fantastic.

They go to set up, and Sky is getting twitchy about Andy and Bloom.

Nabu points out the fact that he is being paranoid, and that if Andy and his friends want to help their girlfriends out, there's nothing wrong with that.

Then he reminds Sky that Bloom is really paranoid, keeps stealing glances at Sky even while she and Andy are talking, and they technically aren't dating; and the fact that Bloom hates it when he plays the jealous boyfriend when he isn't her boyfriend at the moment.

Riven has the same problem, and when Rio whisper-tells Musa she is doing great, he drops the glass he was holding.

They start playing, sounding amazing from the start.

Everyone is dancing, until suddenly a bright light starts glowing from across the bar.

* * *

It's a tanned woman with long red-brown hair - and big green wings.

Everyone stares, and Stella whispers "A Warrior fairy? Here?"

Bloom replies "Whatever the case, it can't be good."

The woman waves her hand, and a green fog spreads across the bar, knocking out all the people, and the pets, but leaving Roxy and the Winx awake and alert.

The guys would be out as well, except they held their breath, really wishing they had Bloom's lung capacity right then.

Vines have wrapped around the whole building, and it looks like the jungle came to the Frutti Music bar for a drink.

"Ah, much better. My business is strictly fairies only."

Roxy angrily steps forward, and says "Tell me, what did you do to my father?"

"Oh, he's simply sleeping. Our queen Morgana wants to get to know you a little better Roxy. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Diana, Warrior Fairy of Nature."

Bloom teleports in front of Roxy, holding out her arms as a barrier.

She doesn't need to read her aura to know she wants revenge against humans and the Wizards alike.

"If Morgana wants to get to know Roxy better, she can come get a drink here; but Roxy's not joining you simply because you all say to."

"The last Earth Fairy will join the fight against the Wizards and the humans, it is her destiny."

Bloom asks "I know that you're mad, by why are you so angry at humans? They aren't the ones who imprisoned you, the fairy hunters did."

Diana glares, and asks "Why do you defend the humans? They have been destroying this planet with hatred, wars, and environmental catastrophe for centuries, _and now it is time for them to pay!_ "

A giant vine sprouts from the ground beneath her, and more and more grow with it.

The Winx are trapped by the vines, and all but Bloom quickly slip into unconsciousness.

Bloom struggles, calling on Pyros to keep fighting.

She squirms in the vines, as Roxy screams at Diana to stop.

She jerks her chin back, and Diana goes flying, though not nearly as far as she would have if the vines weren't draining all of Bloom's magic.

"What? How is this possible? You should be unconscious from lack of energy."

"Hate to burst your flower-filled bubble, but I'm not just a fairy."

She grins demonically, the only thing missing is the real view of her throat - which she can feel heating up quickly.

Diana squeezes her hand together in a fist, and the vines around Bloom tighten in response.

She screams in pain, and then finally slips into nothingness after a full minute.

"You have a choice Roxy: join us, or stay with the humans and suffer along with them!"

Diana disappears, and the guys come through the curtain of vines a second later.

* * *

Sky heard Bloom's screams, it was all the others could do to keep him from blowing their advantage.

Now, he goes over to her, and finds her chin is resting on the vines.

He lifts her head with both hands, and it takes everything he has not to kiss her senseless right then.

"Ngh, Sky?"

"You alright Bloom?"

He brushes a piece of her hair away from her eye, and she rubs her head back and forth in his hand.

The other Specialists go to their girlfriends, trying to free them.

Flora tries to free herself, while Helia encourages her, but the vines tighten even more when it fails.

"Aaah, I can't. Diana has complete control over Nature!"

Nabu gets the idea to try loosening the vines with his magic.

It may not be enough to free them completely, but it might get the Winx's magical energy back enough for them to free themselves.

It works, the Winx have a little wiggle-room in their vine wrappings.

They transform, and the vines explode from around them.

Bloom teleports the pets back to the shop, so Ember can guard them from anything else happening.

They fly out, after reassuring Roxy that the people there will be fine.

* * *

When they get outside though, it seems Diana didn't just bring the jungle for a quick smoothie, she set it up to live in Gardenia!

The place gives the expression 'Urban Jungle' a whole new meaning, it's like Nature reclaimed what humans took from it.

They have to split up and find Diana, but the guys want to stay with their girlfriends.

Bloom doesn't answer, just stares at Sky then looks down, her face turning redder than her hair.

Eventually, they settle on the Winx going one direction, and the Specialists going another.

They all say goodbye, with Bloom promising Sky she'll be careful.

She can't seem to make herself let go of his hand though, and Aisha has to pull her away.

"C'mon Bloom, we need to find Diana, let's go already!"

Musa whispers to Flora and Stella "Why are we the ones pulling Bloom away?"

Flora giggles and Stella says "I may be wrong, but I think Bloom is finally going to get back together with Sky."

Flora adds "You know how I can sense emotions? Well, Bloom's are getting really intense, even more so than normal."

All three grin, and look back at Aisha, who is pulling Bloom by the wrist because she is staring after Sky again.

Between the weird mood swings she is having, the way she is constantly staring at Sky, and the way her emotions are so close to the surface, it's getting kind of bizarre.

She's usually completely collected and calm, but with her emotions getting harder to keep in check, her magic is starting to escape her control.

* * *

 **AN: What do you think is happening to Bloom? Is she finally losing it because she's been emotionally torturing herself by trying to keep Sky safe from the crazy things that tend to happen to people close to her? Or is it something else entirely? Read on to find out more!**


	149. Boyfriends Kidnapped!

_**Boyfriends Kidnapped!**_

The Winx don't find Diana, but they do find a giant spider her magic turned into a monster.

They try to fight it, but the thing is fast and seems invincible.

It shoots extremely strong webs, fast enough to break concrete, and can spray poison from its mandibles.

Roxy tries to connect with it, but it keeps attacking.

Suddenly, they hear a voice screaming for someone to help them.

When they get there though, its Mitzi, and her car is being held up by giant vines.

Bloom smirks, and asks "Parking trouble Mitzi?"

"Oh, Bloom, it's you. No, no. False alarm, go along and play with your little fairy friends. Go on."

Bloom is not in the mood to play Mitzi's little games, but says "If you say so, bye."

Her wings start up, and Mitzi immediately says "Wait, just, get it down."

Bloom smirks and says "Ok, here you go." while aiming none to carefully at the vines with her index finger to mess with Mitzi.

The vines catch fire and then the SUV drops like the ton of bricks it probably weighs more than.

It crashes to the ground, ruined.

"Oh no, my SUV! Bloom, your gonna pay for that!"

She looks behind the Winx's wings, and then shrieks in terror; the spider is back!

Bloom yells "Hey Mitzi, I hope your insurance covers spider attacks," Mitzi looks at Bloom confused, as she holds her hands out and the car starts floating "cuz you really need it!"

She throws both hands to the side, like she is throwing a cloth to the side; the car goes flying straight into the spider, stunning it for the moment.

Mitzi falls to the ground, crying over her now totaled car.

Techna gets the idea to take the spider out of town, which will hopefully end the spell Diana put on it.

They use their Zoomix wings, and teleport the giant spider out of the city, leaving Mitzi confused and speechless.

* * *

 ***Forest***

It takes a minute, but after the spider is out of the city, it shrinks back down to a normal sized spider; one that is completely harmless!

It crawls away into a bush, and the Winx all breathe sighs of relief, but now they have to find the guys and Diana!

Bloom closes her eyes, and she can suddenly sense the spot where Diana's magic is concentrated the strongest: Gardenia Park.

Stella asks "Ok, where to now?"

"Gardenia Park, Diana's there, I can sense her."

Suddenly, she senses Nabu's and Diana's magics surging.

"Oh no, the guys are fighting her, we have to get moving!"

They take off immediately, flying as fast as they can to get to their boyfriends.

But when they get there, the only person they find is Nabu, who is using his staff to stand.

Aisha goes over and puts one of his arms around her shoulders, while the rest of the Winx ask what happened.

"Where's everyone else?"

"She was so strong! I tried to stop her, but…"

Aisha asks "Are, are they alright?"

"It seems the Warrior Fairies are too strong for most people. She beat the Specialists so easily, and then she had her followers take them with her, back to their realm."

The Winx all gasp, and he goes on.

"They disappeared right in front of me, there wasn't anything I could possibly do!"

They all say they have to get the guys back, and Musa starts crying, nearly taking Bloom with her.

She and Riven have been arguing so much lately, but she doesn't want to lose him.

As for Bloom, she is barely holding back her own tears, trying to be strong for Musa.

Inside though, she is breaking; it feels like her heart is being squeezed into juice.

* * *

Later, at the shop, Mrs. Faragonda tells them Diana's realm is in the Amazon Rain Forest, the one place where humans haven't completely taken over yet.

Bloom privately thinks she should invite Diana to stay on Pyros, maybe be a friend to Maia - though only if she gives them back their boyfriends.

In truth, Diana would probably love it there, a place with _no_ people, only dragons and other natural wildlife.

Ember is resting her head on Bloom's lap, trying to comfort her, but it's not working, especially when Mr. Faragonda says their powers are not enough against the Warrior fairies.

 _Maybe I should show them just how much of a warrior this fairy is._

She is pulled out of her thoughts of battling Diana with her weapons when Mrs. Faragonda says they need to discover the Gifts of Destiny.

Mrs. Faragonda doesn't explain, because the Winx have some guests arriving any second now.

The computer screen blinks off, just as a bright blue glow starts in the room.

Two fairies materialize out of thin air, and they look like no beings any of them have ever seen.

They have extremely pointed faces, and they are deep blue and bright green, and they are made of pure energy.

"We are the Ethereal Fairies, from beyond the beginning of time. It is your destiny to defend the Earth, and our destiny to help you. We can enhance your magical energy with new powers: the Gifts of Destiny. These gifts are an evolution of the Believix power, giving you strength against the superior might of the Warrior Fairies. There will be one gift for each mission you face, this one is the Gift of Wisdom, its name is Sophix."

A blue-white flower floats above the hand of the blue fairy, and then floats to the center of the room, surrounded by a green glow.

"You will need the gift of Sophix for your mission in the Amazon, and it will take a different form in each of you. Bloom, you will have the gift of Eternal Flame."

The flower separates into six different flowers, and one glowing deep blue floats into Bloom's chest.

"For Flora, the Gift of Second Nature. Stella, Guiding Light. Musa, Pure Harmony. Techna, Higher Order. And Aisha, Vital Beat."

The Winx are all glowing now, their magic now has a new strength.

For Bloom, the Sophix power is doing something more, she felt it almost fit into a slot in her Believix, like another drive in a car transmission, but it's also mixing with the power of Pyros somehow, enhancing it.

She doesn't understand how, but she can guess the effects, at least some of them: in a normal jungle, she will be in tune with Nature, like Flora is already - but on Pyros, it will be on a much deeper level than even Diana can imagine.

If she uses Sophix on Pyros, she will practically be a goddess, able to call on Pyros's energy in a whole new way.

And the connection with Pyros seems to almost enhance the Sophix power as well, she doesn't know how that happened, but she isn't complaining.

The Ethereal Fairies leave, and Bloom mentally thanks them for their help.

Roxy offers to go with them, but Bloom shakes her head.

"No Roxy. I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous for a fairy with no Believix powers."

"I guess you're right, and I've got my own dangerous mission: saving this place from total destruction by a horde of ravenous pets!"

They all laugh at that, and then the Winx transform and use their Zoomix wings to teleport to the Amazon. Nabu goes with, holding Aisha's hand.

* * *

 **AN: maybe Bloom should just teleport all of the Warrior Fairies to Pyros and then blast it out there - they wouldn't be able to touch her there! Yes, I know I changed the whole thing with the Ethereal Fairies, leaving one out and all - but there's a reason to it, promise. And since Bloom's so in tune with Pyros, I thought it wouldn't make sense to have Sophix do nothing to that connection. Keep reading to find out how they get their boyfriends back! Will Bloom finally date Sky again? Find out soon!**


	150. Amazon Forest

_**Amazon Forest**_

They get to the jungle, and start flying.

They stay close to the ground, and Stella comments that even though there isn't a day spa or fashion boutique for miles, it's not that bad.

A snake comes over to Bloom, and she uses the language of dragons to ask if it has seen any other fairies around.

She doesn't really expect an answer, but to her surprise it does, although it's like the snake has an accent.

It answers yes, and slithers in the right direction.

"C'mon, Diana went this way!"

They follow the snake for a bit, but Stella asks if they can pick up the pace, because the locals don't seem to friendly.

She accidentally steps on an alligator's tail, and flies up to a high branch, and sees what looks like a temple.

It must be Diana's place, who else would have a temple in the middle of nowhere in the rain forest?

* * *

Suddenly some Warrior Fairies fly out, and they all have to hide or be discovered.

Nabu has the Winx cover him, while he sneaks into the temple, just as the Warrior Fairies find them!

The Winx fly away from the temple, giving Nabu the chance he needs to get inside.

The Warrior Fairies are far stronger than the Winx, even with Bloom's magic stronger from her increasingly unstable emotions, so they use that to their advantage and transform back into their human forms.

Their magic trails become so weak they can't be tracked, and the Warrior Fairies fly away in search of them.

Bloom asks if everyone's alright, and Stella says she thinks the forest has it in for her.

Then she gets out of the vines and sees a swath of destruction, and says "Or maybe, someone has it in for the forest."

The Winx come to look, and Flora collapses from all the pain of the destroyed plants.

Bloom heals her, to the shock of a group of humans watching from behind a bush.

They come out, and try to chase the Winx away, who transform into their Sophix forms.

The Warrior Fairies immediately come back, sensing the fairies they were looking for, and find them facing off against a group of humans.

They attack the humans, and the Winx use their new Sophix powers to stop the Warrior Fairies and heal the forest.

By the time the Winx are done, the humans are acting sorry for all the destruction, and the Warrior Fairies are tied up in vines, and wondering just how the Winx are completely in tune with Nature.

* * *

They split up, Bloom, Techna, and Stella looking for the source of Diana's power, and Musa, Flora, and Aisha heading to Diana's temple.

They get in easily, and find the guys locked behind a set of large double-doors.

Musa breaks the chain and lock, but the room is so dark they can't see anything, until they get within arm's reach of the figures.

It's the guys, chained up by the ankles and sitting on the ground, trying to figure a way out.

Aisha breaks the chains, and the guys immediately hug their girlfriends hard.

Sky asks "Where's Bloom? Where are the others?"

Flora says "They're fine Sky, we split up to search for you and the source of Diana's power."

Aisha adds "Also, a little hint: after this is over, get back together with Bloom. She was nearly in tears when we heard you guys were taken by Diana. I think she's going crazy wanting you but wanting to protect you."

Sky nods, and then Aisha asks if they have seen Nabu, he was looking for them.

A new voice cuts in, saying "And I have been looking for all of you!"

The Winx go flying into the walls, and chains hanging there snap shut around their ankles and wrists.

A new Warrior Fairy is floating there, and she waves her hand, creating a green pollen that knocks the guys out instantly.

And then Nabu is dragged forward, unconscious and unmoving.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stella, Techna, and Bloom are flying through the forest, their Sophix guiding them.

Their Sophix outfits are almost the same as their Believix outfits, just nature-based.

Techna is leading the other two fairies, and Stella comments that the forest itself is guiding them.

Bloom says "Yes, our melding with Nature is complete, and it feels so good."

They arrive at a waterfall, and they can sense pure energy coming from the base of it.

In the pool is a familiar blue-white flower, it's the source of all Nature!

It's what Diana draws power from, right along with Flora and, now, the rest of the Winx.

Some natives come carrying javelins and spears, and Stella says they should be careful.

But when they throw everything down, Bloom relaxes and lands in front of them.

She puts her hands together and bows, as the natives do the same.

They thank them for restoring the forest, and tells them about the flower.

It's called the Sacred Bud, and inside it beats the Heart of the Forest.

Bloom touches it, and for a split second she can feel all of Nature on Earth.

If Flora touched it, she would likely get such a power boost from it she would be on Bloom's level.

"We won't destroy it, it's too precious. We'll protect it, and find another way to beat Diana."

The leader of the natives says "You are a wise fairy, for destroying that flower would mean destroying all of Nature itself."

"If we use violence, then we are just as bad as Diana. Let's go, we have some friends to find."

Stella looks up and says "I'm guessing they want us to go as well, look!"

They all look up, to see a group of Warrior Fairies coming for them.

The three fly away, wanting to protect the natives, and Bloom yells "Split up and head to Diana's temple!"

* * *

They all veer in different directions, and Stella and Techna are caught.

Bloom transformed back into a human though, and managed to hide.

 _C'mon, I need to hide, but I also need wings. What can I do? Wait…PYROS!_

She has never tried this before, never even attempted something like it, but Whiz-Giz does it all the time.

She focuses on what she knows of dragons, specifically a small breed of dragon that can change its scale color like a chameleon.

She can feel her skin scaling up, her teeth sharpening, her body changing; and the next thing she knows, she is on four limbs, has a new center of gravity, and wings a lot more solid and muscular than those of her transformations.

She hears something, and lays low to the ground, instinctively changing color to match her surroundings.

The Warrior Fairies are overhead, looking for a fire-haired fairy full to bursting with magic to match theirs; not one very hidden dragon with a fairy's mind whose talent is hiding in plain sight.

She follows them, never letting the Warrior Fairies see the small, nearly-invisible dragon behind them.

* * *

 ***Diana's Temple***

When Stella and Techna wake up, they are chained to a stone wall in a nearly pitch-black room, with their boyfriends and the rest of the Winx, minus Bloom.

Diana is standing there, and says "Your missing friend won't be far behind. She should be easy enough to find, once she decides to come for you all."

Stella actually manages a laugh, and says "You know nothing about Bloom. You think you can catch her? You'll have an easier time catching air with your hands. She's gotten in and out of worse than this!"

Diana snorts and walks away, leaving them all chained up – and they hear a loud click that can only be a lock being closed.

After the door closes, they have nothing to do but wait and watch Aisha try to reach Nabu, who is still out cold.

After about an hour, Stella says "Now I know how Bloom feels when she gets taken, no wonder she doesn't wait around for rescue."

Musa says "Yeah, but what can we do? These chains block all our magic, we're basically humans in them."

Suddenly, Flora laughs, sounding somewhat hysterical, and says "I just thought of something really funny! You all remember that TV show Bloom got into, about that Vampire Slayer girl who was in high school?"

When they all say yes, Flora goes on, and says "Get this, the first rule of Slaying: don't die. The first rule of rescuing someone: don't get caught."

She suddenly starts sobbing, thinking they are never going to get out - understanding for the first time why Bloom never talks about her time under Cloudtower.

They've been there maybe an hour, she was under there for two months.

Helia tries to distract Flora, saying "Flora, look at me, we're going to get out of here. Bloom will find us, work her escaping magic, and we'll get out. We're going to be fine, I promise. Just take a breath, it's going to be alright."

Suddenly, they hear something splat on the ground outside the door, and Sky asks "Oh no, what was that?"

The door opens slightly, and they see something move inside before it shuts again.

They can't see it in the dim light, but it looks like an animal of some kind - a really small one.

They see it stop in the middle of the floor, and then grow huger than any harmless animal.

They all start struggling, thinking Diana unleashed some monster on them.

Then, they hear an all-too familiar voice and freeze in shock.

"Ugh, that sucked. Note to self: never do that again."

Ten voices shout "BLOOM!"

She stands up, and makes a fireball for them to see her.

"Hey guys, your stealing my role!"

They couldn't be more relieved to hear her joking about something this serious, and they finally get why she jokes about it all: it's better than panicking about it.

She's not in her Sophix form, which is probably why she wasn't found.

She goes over to Stella, and looks for the keyhole.

She finds one, and in seconds Stella is free.

In under a minute, they are all free, with the Winx hugging their boyfriends hard.

Aisha lays Nabu on his back and Bloom heals him, and he opens his eyes a second later.

Aisha hugs him hard enough to keep him from breathing, and he says "I'm alright Aisha, it's okay."

"Oh Nabu, don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Bloom is looking at the ground, at the door, anywhere but at Sky, she can't afford to glance at him and lose her brains.

But she is hyperaware of him, and when he comes up behind her, it's all she can do to keep it together.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom snuck in and saved them all - she didn't use illusions on the off chance that they'd be detected. Also, the sound of something splattering on the ground was a giant lock that was on the door - Bloom melted it in moments.**


	151. Saving the Forest

_**Saving the Forest**_

Suddenly, they hear Diana's voice, saying "It seems I underestimated you, Bloom!"

Bloom gets into a fighting stance, ready to fight Diana with everything she has.

Suddenly, Diana falls to her knees, and so does Flora.

The rest of the Winx can sense the problem, but aren't nearly as affected because their powers don't draw from the same source as Diana and Flora: Nature.

The forest is being destroyed again, and each plant destroyed weakens the two Nature fairies more and more.

"Aah, they're still destroying. Each tree that falls drains my power even more, and drains life from the forest! Go, stop them!"

Bloom cuts in, before any of them can leave. "No! Enough with the vengeance, we should focus on protecting the forest, the Sacred Bud, and your own life!"

One of Diana's followers puts her spear in front of Bloom's face, saying "Silence! How dare you speak to our lady?"

Bloom knocks the spear away with the back of her hand, saying "Because I'm not the type to dance around an issue and it has to be said! If we work together, we can save the forest, it's that simple. Now, are you going to waste time fighting, or are you going to let us help?"

Diana looks shocked, nobody has spoken to her like that in a very long time.

Bloom isn't arrogant, just matter-of-fact and straight to the point - a jarring change of pace from her followers.

Diana calls some guards to watch the Winx, and leaves with most of her followers to stop the humans.

Unfortunately for them, Bloom transforms again, and the Winx do a convergence that knocks them all out.

Sky looks like Bloom just melted his brains, but he gets himself together after a second.

Riven congratulates Musa, and then throws one of the Fairies' spears at the door, making it explode.

* * *

Diana and her Warrior Fairies fly to stop the humans from destroying the forest, but when they get there, they are too weak to fight back.

They are tied up, and then the Winx arrive with the Specialists.

Flora can hardly stand, and magic is out of the question for her.

The guys fight the humans, while the Winx free Diana and her followers and heal the forest.

Diana tries to act tough, even though she's tied up, and Bloom can see right through the act.

It's the same thing she does when she is in trouble like this, try to force a blow instead of making friends; but normally she is doing the act for enemies who tied her up, not someone trying to help her.

The Warrior Fairy's aura is weak, it says she's in pain but too proud to admit it.

"Diana, we're trying to help you. Let me heal you, if we don't do something now who knows what will happen? To you and to the forest?"

"So what?"

"So life and freedom are the most precious things of all!"

Diana looks shocked at the simple statement said with pure conviction from the fairy in front of her.

"Don't think for a minute this changes anything between us."

Bloom inwardly grins, it's what she would think in her situation, has thought in different circumstances.

"Yeah, nice try Diana. I know that trick - I've used that trick - and we don't have time for it right now."

Bloom heals Diana using Eternal Flame, and the magic spreads to the surrounding forest as well.

When she is done healing Diana, Bloom looks over her shoulder and sees the Specialists have already beaten the humans.

Her eyes find Sky and her brain shuts down again, listening to her body instead of the other way around.

Techna gets her attention, saying "Bloom! The Sacred Bud! We have to save it."

Bloom turns to Diana, her brain working again.

"We'll handle this. The Bud will live, I promise." The Winx fly off to the Bud, hoping to get there in time.

* * *

When they get there, the Bud is wilted and nearly dead.

They all land, and Diana does as well, maybe a second later.

"It's too late, the Bud is lost. As are we…"

Bloom interrupts, saying "No! It's never too late! We can bring the Bud back to life!"

As Diana watches, the Winx join hands around the Bud, concentrating all their magic on it.

Bloom starts the convergence with Eternal Flame, releasing an orange dragon from her body and it flies into the ground, sending a rush of warmth and magic through all the plants.

Stella's next, with Guiding Light.

And then Musa, then Aisha, Techna, and Flora.

When they are finished, the forest looks even better than before, and the Sacred Bud is restored.

The Winx come closer, making a big hole for Diana to see the restored Bud.

"You…you could have destroyed it."

Stella says "But, we didn't."

"I felt your power, and your bond with Nature, and at that moment it felt like we were allies!"

Bloom says "That's what we've been trying to tell you all along!"

Flora adds "We weren't fighting against you, it was to preserve life."

Bloom says "I think you can see it now, that we have to let go of anger, and work together, to save all this!"

She throws her arms up, feeling right at home in the jungle, it reminds her so much of Pyros it almost hurts.

Suddenly, they hear a familiar, but unwelcome voice. "Get outta my forest, I'm warning you!"

It's the deforester, the one who was in charge of the other men.

He runs out from the trees, and tries to hit Diana with a shovel, but the leader of the natives from before blocks him with his spear.

He disarms him easily, sending the shovel into the sand on the shore.

"I-I meant your forest." he backs away from all the natives suddenly there, surrounding him.

Diana says "I guess not all humans are evil after all."

Bloom takes her hand and says "Most people are good underneath, and they care about the same things you do."

The natives' leader explains how their village was destroyed by the deforesters, and Diana says "Thanks, now I know what to do."

She walks over to the natives and turns back around.

"I'll talk to Morgana, and try to convince her to give up her revenge."

She turns to the natives, and says "Lead me to your village, and I'll see to it that it is stronger and more beautiful than before."

The leader bows, and says "It is an honor to receive help from the Fairy of Nature. Thank you."

"No, it is I who should thank you, from now on my fairies and I will protect you, and the forest, just like it was before. We'll make sure we are never in danger again."

Bloom asks "Um, what about Gardenia? Last time I saw it, it looked more like a jungle than a city."

Diana concentrates, and starts glowing green, saying "Plants, roots, vines, brambles and briars, retreat, dissolve."

Bloom has no doubt all the vines in Gardenia are gone now, turned to magic and heading back to Diana.

The Nature Fairy says "Bloom, I sincerely hope Morgana opens her heart like I did."

The native leader says "We'll hand him over to the local authorities."

The deforester says "C'mon, I said I was sorry."

The guys take the Winx back to the other humans, who are tied up on the ground.

They free them, after making it absolutely clear they will be very sorry if they ever try destroying the forest again.

* * *

They are all walking through the forest, when the Ethereal Fairies show up.

None of the guys except for Nabu know what's going on, and he promises to explain once they get back to Gardenia.

The Ethereal Fairies give the Winx the Gift of the Heart, which is an ice-white crystal-looking heart.

It separates just like the Sophix flower, and floats into their chests.

They each feel a pleasant coolness spread through their bodies before fading, and once again Bloom is affected in another way, but not because of Pyros this time.

She has no idea how it affects her, but it does - she just has to figure out how.

When they get back to the Shop, its super clean, and the pets seem really anxious to keep them downstairs.

Roxy says they cleaned the shop, then went for a walk around Gardenia, they were great, more or less.

Bloom hasn't gotten out of as much trouble as she has by not seeing what's not said though, and she smells a secret.

"Roxy, what aren't you telling us?"

Roxy rubs the back of her head and says "Well, the pets kind of threw a surprise party without me knowing!"

Stella loves parties, and thinks it was a fabulous idea, especially when Roxy says it got wild.

She quickly changes her mind though, when she hears the party was in her closet.

Bloom assures Roxy it's a great excuse for Stella to go shopping, and tries to calm the fairy down by pointing out the fact that she can just fix all the outfits if she really wants to, and they're just pieces of cloth with stiches in them.

Stella says Bloom doesn't understand, and she privately agrees; after being kidnapped for two months then spending another two months on Pyros she will never understand why people obsess over something as stupid and replaceable as clothes; not unless they are useful for something other than looking a certain way.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, they got the guys back and convinced Diana to stop her revenge! Wondering what's going on with Bloom? All will be revealed in later chapters! Think Bloom and Sky are finally going to get back together? Keep reading and find out!**


	152. Back Together

_**Back Together**_

At the Futti Music Bar, Brandon tries to comfort Stella, but he to apparently doesn't understand why her clothes are so important.

Riven and Musa are doing better, as Flora points out after Riven hands her a smoothie.

Later, they are all on the beach, Brandon is exhausted and Stella says maybe it's from spending so much time in Nature, and he jokes that maybe he fought one too many Warrior Fairies.

Aisha is wondering about the next mission, and Nabu couldn't be prouder of her; most people would be ready for a two-month nap!

Flora and Helia are sitting together, and Flora says she is happy Musa and Riven worked things out between them.

Meanwhile, Riven is telling Musa that he was afraid she was going to become a huge success and forget about him. When he asks if she can forgive him for how he acted, she jumps on his back from behind and says its already forgotten.

* * *

While all of this is going on, Sky is looking for Bloom, who is walking along the surf.

She's crying now, the tears she held back for Musa's sake finally coming.

Sky comes up behind her and hugs her, and it's all she can do to hold back another round of sobs.

"Bloom, what's wrong?" She turns around and buries her face in his shirt while wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm right here Bloom, I'm not going anywhere. There's no need to crush the air from me."

She doesn't get the hint, and keeps her arms tightly around Sky's chest, saying "I thought-I thought that…"

"That you were never going to see me again? It's the same thing I think every time you get taken Bloom."

He buries his fingers in her hair and starts rubbing her neck - making her thrum, almost purr really, in bliss despite her tears.

She asks "What do you do?"

"When you get taken by some enemy? First, I remind myself that you can more than take care of yourself, which never works even a little. Then, when we find you, or you find us, I have to fight the urge to kiss you senseless on sight. Then, I settle for texting and calling you all night, with the thought that if you didn't pick up I'd rush over to find you and tie you to me."

Bloom sniffles, and he runs his other hand along her back, making her shiver.

Sky takes a breath, and starts into the speech he made up the whole time they were waiting in Diana's temple.

"Bloom, there's something I need to say, and I need to say it now before I lose my nerve. When I first met you, you were the most real person I'd ever seen, you didn't try to hide what you were thinking or feeling. I fell in love with you the instant I saw you. You're brave, and loyal, and drop-dead gorgeous, and I can't imagine doing anything without you. When I got back to Alfea after the whole mess Diaspro made, and heard you'd been kidnapped, I thought for sure I'd lost any hope of being with the most incredible girl in the whole Magical Dimension. And when we learned that you might be free, lying low somewhere until you could come back, I got the first spark of hope I'd had in a long time. When you said you needed time to figure yourself out, I wanted to go over there and kiss you until neither of us could think - because maybe that could have convinced you to stay with me. I love you Bloom, since the first time I saw you and every moment after. I know you've been trying to protect me all this time, trying to keep something like what Diaspro did from happening again; but I don't care what could happen Bloom. I care about you, about seeing you smile, about making you laugh…"

Bloom takes her face from his shirt, and he wipes one of her cheeks.

"I love you, Bloom."

He kisses her deeply, with one arm around her waist and the other still on her cheek.

He took Bloom by surprise, so at first she does nothing.

Then, after a split second where Sky thinks he just literally royally screwed up, she starts kissing him back.

Sky's as good a kisser as Bloom remembers, and Sky swears Bloom has gotten better.

When she deepens the kiss, it seems to set off something in her, and she grabs his shirt desperately.

It's like a dam has been unleashed, flooding Bloom past her control or even comprehension.

She doesn't care though as her mouth attacks Sky's, passionately kissing him.

Suddenly, everything under her shoulders turns to jelly, and Sky grabs her around the waist to keep her from hitting the ground.

She just holds on tighter to his shirt, kissing him even harder than before.

Neither of them notice, but she is on fire and the sand under her feet is turning black from it.

She's losing control, of her magic and herself.

All she can think about is Sky, his lips, her hands gripping his shirt.

Sky runs his hands up to her shoulders and pushes her back maybe an inch.

"Does that mean we're back together?"

"Uh-huh." Bloom can't really speak, her mind turned to mush so her body is in control.

She goes for his mouth again, pulling him closer to her.

* * *

He pulls back after a minute, and keeps his hands on Bloom's shoulders.

"Bloom, stop for a second. This isn't like you."

She tries to push her body forward, but he keeps her a few inches away.

"Bloom, what's happening?"

Something is definitely happening, she doesn't just lose control like this.

When she doesn't answer, just tries to put her mouth to his again, he tries again.

"Bloom, think, how long has this been happening?"

She manages a word, regaining a little control over her body, which is going a million miles an hour.

"What?"

"Bloom, you don't usually lose control like that, and you never did when we were dating before."

She hugs him, trying to make herself stop the hormones raging through her whole system.

She doesn't know what brought the total loss of control on her part, but it took her completely off-guard.

She says into his shirt "Sorry. If-if you don't want-"

"Don't even think that Bloom, of course I want to date you."

He kisses her again, slowly this time, but breaks it when Bloom starts getting out of control again.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happening Sky! Every time I look at you, I can't look away, every time you touch me, it lights up my whole body. And every time you kiss me, I can't stop myself from kissing you back. I can't think straight around you, and it's like my body takes over when you melt my brains."

Not the worst problem in the world, not by far, where Sky is concerned.

He hugs her to his chest, running his fingers through her hair, and says "We'll figure it out, promise. And if that's the only problem we have, then I think we aren't so bad."

Bloom agrees, keeping her face buried in his shirt so she won't see his face and lose control again.

She can feel the blood pulsing through her body, every heartbeat seeming to make the urge to stop thinking and start acting stronger.

She pulls away and looks down, and sees the charred sand beneath her feet.

She also notices her body quiets a little when Sky isn't touching her, and when she isn't looking at him.

She gets the distinct feeling skin-to-skin would make her explode right now, something to do with the way Sky's kisses melt her brains and make her lose anything resembling control over her magic and her body.

"I want this Sky, I've wanted this since the day I said I needed time to figure myself out. But if I'm going to screw it up, lose control every time we kiss…"

"Bloom, don't talk that way, we'll figure out what's going on, nothing's getting screwed up."

"I want you Sky, but something tells me we should-"

"Take it slow until you figure out what's going on with you?"

Bloom bites her lip and nods, not daring to look at him.

"That's fine Bloom, we'll go slow. I'm just glad we're going."

He hugs her, and kisses her forehead affectionately when she leans into him trustingly.

When he starts rubbing the base of her skull again, she thrums deeply, matching the massaging motion of his fingers.

He draws it out to see what she would do, and she nearly goes limp in his arms right then _._

 _I'm pretty sure I just found Bloom's favorite thing in all of creation! Having her neck rubbed, it sure got her to stop crying after all._

He kisses her face now, only stopping when she gets her mouth on his again.

When she lands her mouth back on his, he decides to skip going slow; it wasn't happening anyway.

* * *

When they finally part, she's somehow the first back at the Pet Shop; and tries to distract herself from the electric current running through her by going through more spellbooks - it doesn't work, all she can think about is Sky.

* * *

 **AN: There is definitely something up with Bloom; she's either had too much stress lately or it's something else. Want to know what? Keep reading to find out! PS. Yes, her neck is her sweet spot, just like Ember.**


	153. Vivid Dreams

_**Vivid Dreams**_

Buildings crumbling, people running and screaming, spells flying everywhere.

Its total chaos, and Ogron doesn't recognize any of it.

Suddenly the scene switches to show him an orange transparent woman, a ghost if he ever saw one, carrying a crying baby with a large pendant necklace and a fuzz of fiery hair on her head.

Three ancient hags of old ladies follow the ghostly woman and her bundle of noise, and she locks herself in a room with a spell.

She quickly sets the baby on the floor, and starts drawing a spell on the floor.

* * *

Ogron jolts awake just as the door explodes with Ice, Lightning, and Darkness and the baby disappears in a flash of orange.

He is sitting up, covered in sweat, and breathing like he just ran a marathon.

Somehow he is the only one awake, it must still be night because Anagan and Gantlos are still out cold.

He is positive he never saw that palace, or all the destruction - in fact he would have been the one causing it - but it felt all too real; almost like he was _reliving it._

He could swear he knows the voice the baby was crying in, the features seemed familiar as well, but he doesn't know for sure.

Plus, he's never seen that pendant anywhere before, he would recognize it for sure.

He can't think about the destruction though, he has to find an answer for what they are going to do.

They knew the instant the Winx freed the Warrior Fairies, almost all of their magic drained from them immediately.

They were left weakened, and even now they barely have enough strength to teleport anywhere, and not more than a few states over if they get lucky.

Duman is in the worst shape, the Warrior Fairies ambushed them and he barely got out alive.

If they had any strength left, or a safe place they could hide, they would try to heal him, but using any magic could alert the Warrior Fairies to their location.

That would certainly be the end of them all, so Ogron needs to find an answer that will keep them alive.

He doesn't know why, but ever since he went into Bloom's head, he keeps getting these vivid dreams sometimes, mostly rocky ones - especially lately.

They make no sense to him, and they're mostly emotions more than memories, but sometimes he sees images of an unbelievably confining room - where, he can't tell. The only thing that's constant is the feeling of suffocating, along with loss, anger, and desperation. That nightmare always leaves him awake for the rest of the night.

Now, he comes pretty close to that same feeling of desperation when he's awake; he has to think of something to do or somewhere they can go where they will be safe from the Warrior Fairies.

He thought of the Winx for a moment, but dismissed the idea almost instantly.

They aren't the types for revenge, but Bloom made it clear she wouldn't hold back on them if they tried anything else.

He lays back down, and a phrase suddenly pops into his head, unbidden and unknown.

 _Windsong and smolder-breath, plummeting gyre. Lifescent and thrumming joy, heartful of fire._

Before he can even try to understand what it means, or why he could swear it was in _Bloom's voice,_ he is out cold, swept into a new dream that's equally unfamiliar.

* * *

He is in a forest now, standing on a thick branch.

It's no forest on Earth, he knows that much from the bizarre bird in his line of sight.

He can somehow sense the bird, he can't explain it. It's like he's a radar and the bird is pinging on it - only constantly.

Another weird part of the dream, he feels _content,_ a feeling he can't even remember having.

Suddenly, he starts jumping from branch to branch, sometimes doing acrobatic flips for the fun of it.

 _Wait, flips? Fun? What is this?_

He lands in front of a cave, smelling a sharp, acidic smell that he somehow recognizes as blood.

When he goes in, he sees what looks like a million eggshell pieces.

He can sense something though, something else is in the cave.

He looks around, and locates it easily - that same radar-sense pinpointing it automatically. It's behind a large rock, completely hidden.

When he goes to look, it's an egg - this one still whole.

It's fiery orange, with streaks of cyan on the shell.

"You _have_ to live."

He didn't say anything, didn't plan on saying anything; but suddenly he is possessed by the conviction that this egg must hatch, whatever inside must live.

He picks the large egg up with hands that aren't his, smaller and with chipped, broken nails and a few healing bruises that hurt a lot.

He feels whoever this is in the dream call on something, something ancient and powerful beyond belief, and send it into the egg.

It's a direct connection, he can't sense whose magic this is, only the feel of an immense amount of what he recognizes as heat pouring into the egg in the hands.

He can't feel the bruises anymore, and leaves the cave with the egg in both arms.

The next thing he knows, it is late at night, he is sitting cross-legged in a cave with the egg from before in his lap and a small campfire going beside him.

He doesn't recognize the legs either, far too thin to be his, they look like they have been stripped of all muscle, and they are covered in scratches and bruises as well.

He is still pouring a steady stream of power into the egg, but something is missing.

He realizes it a second later, it's like he's been cut off from something. He didn't notice before, but he was connected to the whole planet when he was on the grass, on a tree branch; he somehow knew exactly where he was, like there was a map in his head. Now, sitting on the lifeless stone, he is cut off from the rest of the planet, and the difference is sharp and distracting.

Suddenly, the egg in his lap stirs, shifts, and starts cracking from the inside.

It's hatching, the creature inside trying to break free.

A tiny crack appears, and then it gets bigger all at once, and then a small claw pokes through. A whole set of claws attached to a scaled limb forces its way through, and then it starts ripping through the shell. The top of the egg is forced off, and then it explodes, revealing a creature on its back with bright orange scales and wings that fold back into its sides.

The creature rolls onto its belly, and looks at Ogron with bright blue eyes; and suddenly he recognizes it: _Ember._

Which can only make the person whose perspective he is seeing all this from…

"I'm Bloom, what's your name? Do you have one?"

Ogron feels an immense shock, what was the leader of the Winx doing in this weird forest alone?

And where did she get the bruises on her hands and legs?

And what the heck is the immense power inside of her that she can call on?!

The newborn dragon thrums, answering the question in a way Ogron can somehow translate, unknowingly drawing off Bloom's knowledge.

A soft thrum translates to "No…what would you like it to be?"

Suddenly, a thought flashes through Ogron/Bloom's head, a quote from a book she read once that goes 'embers turn to flames'.

It's from the tragic backstory of a character named Ada Ember, she lost her mother and then changed her last name so she would never forget her need for justice and revenge.

"Embers turn to flames…"

The unnamed dragon suddenly sneezes, sending out a spray of embers.

Ogron hears delighted laughter in Bloom's voice, as she says "Ember it is! C'mon, let's get something besides pure magic in you."

Ogron watches as Bloom picks up the newly named Ember and goes over to a clear pool.

She puts both hands in it, and orange spreads from her hands all throughout the pool.

Ember dunks her head in and starts drinking, while Bloom takes a handful of water and drinks.

It's like drinking fire, but it spreads the most incredible warmth Ogron has ever felt through the dream-body.

Ember looks up and jumps into Bloom's waiting arms, and Bloom says "I won't let anyone hurt you Ember, not like I've been hurt."

Ogron can feel she means every word, and suddenly gets the feeling Bloom's life hasn't exactly been ideal, that she's lost much, even now. "Valtor and the Trix won't get to you, or anyone else. That's a promise."

* * *

He wakes again, and this time Anagan and Gantlos are awake as well.

Gantlos says "Oh, good, your awake. Got a plan yet Ogron?"

Ogron thinks for a minute, and can still only come up with one option - but now he thinks it might not end in their instant deaths.

The song 'Awake and Alive' by Skillet comes to mind for some reason, specifically the line 'stand my ground and never back down' - along with an image of Bloom.

"Yeah, but you guys are not going to like it…"

* * *

 **AN: I bet we can all guess what his idea is - go to the Winx, hope Bloom won't blow them all up before he can get two words out. Also, yes, those dreams he's been getting were Bloom's - when Ogron went into her head, he accidentally made a mental connection between them. So ever since, he's been seeing some of Bloom's more vivid dreams - her nightmares especially. The dream we just saw was Bloom finding and hatching Ember on Pyros. It might've just been a really weird dream brought on by stress, or it could've been one of Bloom's memories - either way, maybe they won't die if they don't go near Ember.**


	154. Surrender

_**Surrender**_

Ogron is scanning the crowd at the Frutti Music Bar, trying to find one group of fairies and their boyfriends.

It's around four days after Diana's rampage, when she kidnapped the Specialists and the Winx went to the Amazon Rainforest.

The Winx competed in the 'Battle of the Bands' and won easily. It wasn't magic, they are just really good.

He and Anagan watched them play, along with all the other bands, hoping to get the Winx's attention, but soon left after the third band; and it turns out Bloom's really good at singing.

The bands all had to wait backstage after they finished playing, and then the winning band was announced. It was the Winx by a landslide, the crowd went wild for them.

So now, they have to find them, specifically Bloom, and convince them not to fight them off long enough for them to surrender.

That had been his plan, and he was right - they didn't like it. But they also didn't have any other options, so they went with it.

* * *

Suddenly, he sees Brandon and Riven carrying trays of smoothies to a giant table with everyone except Bloom and Sky.

He can barely see the table through the crowd, which is the only reason why he hasn't been noticed yet - that and the fact that his magic is so low he'd be passed out if it were a few weeks ago, when they had been strong enough to magically match the Winx in a fight.

Anagan went back out to the beach with Gantlos and Duman - who still hasn't woken up yet.

When the Warrior Fairies found them, they were a lot stronger than the first time; the Wizards barely managed to escape and Duman was hurt badly.

Ogron decides to play with fire and goes over to the counter where he sees Roxy making smoothies at a furious pace.

He sits down on an empty barstool and within a minute Roxy turns to take his order.

When her eyes land on him though, she jerks with shock and stares for a moment.

He hears a growl under the table, thankfully it's the growl of her dog, Artu, and not Ember. "Easy Artu, he's weaker than before."

Roxy, however, is full to bursting with magic, he can feel it.

He opens his mouth to say something, but she beats him to it. "What do you think you're doing here? Do you want Bloom to simply kill you and be done with it?"

"No Roxy, we're not here to fight."

"Then why are you here? Where all the Winx, and their boyfriends are, along with such a large crowd that you couldn't take me and not be noticed?"

Artu growls again, and Roxy bends over to pet him. He notices the White Circle on her index finger, she's not afraid of its power anymore.

"Look, just point me where Bloom is. I seriously doubt she's going to believe this if I don't tell her, but I can't find her anywhere in here."

Roxy looks at him skeptically for a moment, one eyebrow raised in an imitation of Bloom.

After a moment, Ogron says "What? Did Bloom teach you her trick of reading people? Because you're doing a very good imitation of her expression when she doesn't believe someone."

Roxy has to keep making smoothies now, and cranks out about five in two seconds.

"Look, you want to die a fiery death, that's not my business. You want to talk with Bloom about something, fine. If she's not at the Winx's table reading one of those books of hers, she's either on stage with all of them or outside getting some air. If you want to find her, go talk to the rest of the Winx and the Specialists. Oh, and a small hint, I'm pretty sure she and Sky are back together. I really wouldn't interrupt them, she was going nutty for him but was too stubborn to drop her protection act."

She points him in the direction of the table, and then goes back to making smoothies for everyone.

When he finally gets to them, he nearly gets put through the crowd and a nearby wall.

Only the fact that they can all tell he's exhausted and wouldn't last two seconds in a fight keeps them from attacking instantly.

Techna and Musa are the most skeptical - ready to simply blast him back to where he came from - Stella and Aisha are not quite as fast to jump to conclusions, and Flora is willing to give him a chance to explain.

"Look, just tell me where Bloom is. She can always tell when she's being lied to, right? If I'm lying, she'll be able to catch me instantly."

Everyone, Fairy and Specialist stares at him for a second, and then Stella smacks her hand to her forehead.

"I can't believe I'm saying this. Bloom and Sky went outside about twenty minutes ago. C'mon everyone, let's go find them."

When they finally get through the crowd and out to the sand, they eventually find two sets of tracks leading to the waves.

Ogron asks "Who goes swimming in the ocean when it gets around 40 degrees?"

Techna automatically says "Bloom's body generates so much heat the cold doesn't affect her. She basically has her own personal microclimate covering her."

Aisha says "Hang on a second, I'll find them."

She puts one foot in the water, and immediately says "Yeah, they're in there alright. Bloom shared some of her magic with Sky, and they're a little far out."

She makes a pair of Morphix binoculars, and starts scanning the waves.

 _Anagan, Gantlos, most of them will listen - but we're still looking for Bloom and Sky._

 _Alright, at least we won't die just yet._

Suddenly, Aisha bursts out in sputtering laughter.

When asked what's going on, she simply hands over the binoculars and points in the right direction.

One after another, they all start laughing - and Stella says "It's about time! No wonder Bloom's been so distracted lately!"

Flora laughs and says "I guess they're making up for lost time!"

When they finally hand Ogron the binoculars, he looks out over the water and freezes.

 _You have got to be kidding. Bloom, why'd you have to break now?_

* * *

Way out in the ocean, Bloom and Sky are kissing like there's nothing else in the world but each other.

Bloom was singing 'Sparks Fly' by Taylor Swift - but her control broke at the line 'I'm captivated by you baby like a firework show.' and she just jumped on him and started kissing him deeply.

She suggested they go swimming because they could be alone. He didn't hesitate to agree, and she changed their clothes to their swimwear.

She's in her one-piece swimsuit with the streak of fire going diagonally across her stomach and he's in his trunks, and thanks to the piece of her magic she gave him he can't feel the cold water one bit. He can feel it heating up though, heating up fast.

After about four more seconds, he breaks the kiss to look at the water - the bubbling, steaming water.

"Oh, heck!" He picks Bloom up bridal style in the water and swims out of the boiling patch of water - now he notices the cold somewhat.

Bloom keeps kissing him now, grabbing onto the back of his neck with both hands.

Suddenly, they both hear some familiar voices calling for them. "You-who, love-birds!"

"We caught you two red-handed!"

Flora, and then Aisha, but she's shocked enough to actually pay attention to the rest of the world for a moment.

Everyone is there, plus one other person she can't immediately identify - and three other people about twenty yards away from them. "Oh great, they found us."

Suddenly, they hear Riven call out "Hey Bloom, you want to kiss him or cook him? Stop boiling the ocean and get over here, there's someone you really need to talk to!"

In response to that, she turns them both invisible and keeps kissing Sky.

Sky mumbles against her lips "I'm gonna kill him."

"I'll help."

Suddenly, they feel a change in the water - it's pushing and pulling them towards the shore.

 _Oh, c'mon Aisha!_

"Guess they really want to talk, huh?"

Sky drops his arm from under her legs when his feet hit the sea-floor – the sea-floor that wasn't under their feet moments before.

"Let's save them the trouble, hm?" Bloom teleports them both behind the group of waiting people.

"Alright, what's so incredibly… _what is he doing here?!_ "

She's staring at Ogron with a mixture of shock, anger, and pure disbelief - she honestly didn't think she would ever see any of those four again.

He opens his mouth to explain, but Bloom goes on, saying "You have got ten seconds to give me one very good reason not to blast you out over that water Ogron!"

Her hands are already glowing bright orange, letting embers fall to the ground - and her entire body has caught fire, drying herself.

This time she's the one advancing and he's backing up. "We surrender!"

That makes her stop in her tracks, she was not expecting that.

He's holding his hands up in front of him, getting a very incredulous stare from the red-headed fairy.

After a moment, and about three blinks, she deadpans "Let me guess: the Warrior Fairies."

The fire covering her goes out like a blown-out candle, and orange stops leaking into her irises.

"Yeah, you let them out and they want to kill us."

She crosses her arms and says "Can't say I'm too incredibly surprised about that, you did lock them away and rip their wings off after all. So now you want protection from them, right?"

"Yeah…how do you know all this?"

She snorts derisively and says "You think you're the only ones who're having problems with them? Four days ago, Diana came and turned Gardenia into a literal Urban Jungle."

She makes a towel appear and tosses it to Sky, and makes his shirt appear on him again.

Anagan pops his head over one of the dunes, and Bloom yells "Get over here Anagan, bring Gantlos and Duman to."

She puts a hand to her forehead, muttering "I can't believe I'm doing this. This is crazy."

Ogron asks "Doing what?" He's getting a little nervous, but Anagan jogs over and Gantlos is carrying Duman - too late to back out now.

Bloom raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't say a word. She just opens a hole in the air leading to directly in front of the Pet Shop.

Sky whispers in her ear "You sure you know what you're doing Bloom?"

"No, not even a little."

Sky smiles, and says "Well, be careful Bloom."

Stella calls out "Hey Bloom, the door is still locked and you've got the key! Get over here already!"

She grins at him for a moment, before following everyone else through the wormhole.

She pinches the air at the back of her neck, and shifts her fingers slightly. A chain appears out of nowhere around her neck, with three objects: a key from Earth, a golden key with her Enchantix wings as the handle, and a large pendant Ogron instantly recognizes.

It's the same pendant the baby from the weird dream he had - which makes the baby…

"What? You starting a collection of family heirlooms from other families, Ogron?"

Her half-sarcastic question snaps him out of his shock, and he doesn't say anything.

She unlocks the door and quickly puts the necklace back on.

When it hits the right spot, it vanishes like it was never there - solving the mystery for them of how she had the White Circle the whole time they had her and they never knew it.

She holds the door open for the rest of the Winx, and says "Alright, talk - fast."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, good thing Bloom had cooled down enough that she didn't blast him immediately - because he likely wouldn't have survived a fight this time. Think the Wizards are going to figure out Bloom's power? Keep reading to find out! Also yes, the story changes even more from here.**


	155. Safe For Now

_**Safe For Now**_

Five minutes later, the Wizards are sitting on the Winx's couch, and Ogron has finished giving the fastest explanation of his life.

He told them everything after they were thrown out of Bloom's computer, how they left Gardenia, how the Warrior Fairies attacked them, how they teleported back, and how they found the Winx at the Frutti Music Bar.

It feels exactly like an interrogation to them – except more ridiculous because Bloom is in a deep blue swimsuit with a streak of fire racing diagonally across and was heavily making out with Sky five minutes ago.

Bloom sat in a chair facing them, with the rest of the Winx standing behind her, and her sunglasses resting on top of her head.

She doesn't even blink as she watches them through the whole explanation, it's kind of unnerving actually; especially with her inhuman gaze, her pupils have widened so much they can't see her irises and they get the feeling she's looking at all of them at once.

She is silent a full minute after Ogron finishes explaining, and they get the distinct feeling she is reading them like open books - what they don't know is she's also reading their auras.

Anagan is on one side of Ogron, Gantlos is on the other; and Duman is lying beside him, still unconscious even now - and they have the impression she's looking at all four of them.

The past few minutes, Bloom's been completely motionless, showing no signs of judgement or any kind of decision; they can't find any kind of tell that gives her thoughts away, not even her emotions in her eyes.

Suddenly, she asks "When was the last time you four did anything besides run from the Warrior Fairies?"

Ogron blinks and after a minute says "Around three days, why?"

Instead of answering, she gets up and walks to the kitchen. They hear her open the fridge, and then teleport back with a pizza box. When she drops it on Ogron's legs, its warm to the touch but not burning hot.

"You look half starved."

They get the feeling its Bloom's way of asking them to eat something without seeming like she cares.

Then, she bends over, puts one hand on Duman's shoulder, and starts glowing bright blue and orange - her body igniting in flames a moment later.

Even weak as they are, the other Wizards can sense the extreme power flowing through her - how did they miss that before?

They know she has healing powers, they knew ever since she healed herself after getting rejected by the Black Circle at Alfea - but they didn't actually think she would try to heal Duman.

After a minute and a half - one where Bloom's eyes narrowed in concentration and turned orange - Duman stirs and groans, and Bloom takes her hand off him.

"Oohh, what happened? Also, why am I so warm? Wait, is that pizza I smell?"

Ogron has to hold back a chuckle, trust Duman to think of his stomach even after being out cold for three days.

Anagan says "Thanks. How'd you do that?"

She smirks and says "Simple: I'm so stubborn that eventually whatever is wrong is healed. Long explanation short: I flooded him with my magic, but I don't exactly recommend going for a rematch any time soon."

* * *

The Winx form a huddle, while the Wizard eat food for the first time in days.

They can hear them all whispering, and Bloom points out the fact that the Earth Fairies are back, and that there is a positive energy in the world.

Ogron says "And that energy continues to drain us more and more. We are no longer fairy hunters, and he renounce our dark powers."

He makes the Black Circle appear over his hand, and says "Don't be afraid. All our power is contained in this circle. Take it, and see that only good comes of it."

He's pretty sure Bloom wouldn't be afraid if the Circle if it grew legs and a face and started spouting out curses at them all, and she pretty much confirms it when her eyes flash orange with an emotion he doesn't catch - though he can guess at what it might be.

It floats over to Bloom, who shrinks it and puts it on her index finger.

Ember walks in from Bloom's room and nudges Bloom's leg. Bloom gives her a look that borders on maternal, and starts rubbing Ember's neck; making Ogron sure the second dream did happen, right along with the first.

Ember looks over at the Wizards, giving them a look that says she would love nothing more than to give them a fireball for a welcome.

She growls and Bloom growls back.

Mentally, she says _They won't try anything, they can't tonight. They're too exhausted from running from the Warrior Fairies._

Duman mentally asks the other Wizards _What are we doing here guys? Bloom's crazy, remember?_

"Not crazy Duman, and it's a little late for second thoughts."

All four Wizards stare at her, and she meets their gazes evenly.

Gantlos finally asks "You can hear us in your head?"

"Oh yeah, ever since Ogron came in and left the door open."

The rest of the Winx don't seem shocked, because she told them and the Specialists about it after the fight all through the city.

Duman mutters "Oh, great. Don't tell me she heard-"

"Yes, I heard you talking that time you four broke in. I heard every word."

She grins mischievously, making Duman go bright red and groan.

Ember flicks her tongue out, like a snake tasting the air - except they get the feeling it's more a case of her sticking her tongue out at them.

Anagan asks "How come we haven't heard your thoughts then?"

Bloom smirks and says "Try and find me now, I dare you."

They all focus, and Ogron's the last to give up. After a full minute though, he asks "Alright, why can't we find you?"

 _Because I know how to make barriers. You four definitely don't._

All four jerk in shock, and Ogron takes the chance to find her. Then, it's like a wall is put in place and she is gone.

"That's why."

Gantlos asks "And why would you need to build barriers like that?"

Her eyes flash orange at that, but she doesn't miss a beat and says "Let's just say I have an open mind. My magic can react to other powerful objects easier than most, it can get somewhat explosive if that happens."

* * *

They can see dried saltwater covering her in a thin layer, and she suddenly says "We can finish this in the morning. Its late, everyone's tired, and the Warrior Fairies can't get past the Wards I put up around the Shop."

Ogron asks "When did you do that?"

"After you four broke in."

He thinks to himself _, Well, that explains the key_.

She stands up and says "I'm taking a shower, be out in five."

She disappears in a burst of embers, and they hear her moving around in her room. A minute later, the water is turned on for no apparent reason.

They really should be used to Bloom's teleporting - she's done it enough times in battle after all.

Sure enough, five minutes later she walks out in blue cotton pjs and salt-less hair. Belle follows her around and Ember is oh-so-obviously watching them from in front of the television.

The young dragon clearly doesn't trust them, and Duman calls out "Why is Ember looking at us like she's going to eat us when we're sleeping?"

Ember growls, but Ogron has no idea what she said.

Bloom deadpans "Because the last time you four were here you broke in, tied up the rest of the pets, put a sleeping spell on her, searched through the entire building looking for a ring that wasn't even here, destroyed my room in that same search, and nearly fried my computer when you entered it."

All four of them stare for a moment, and Duman says "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

Belle growls at them from beside Bloom's head, high-pitched and almost laughable. Ember's following growl when Duman snickers at Belle is low and dangerous, daring them to try anything.

They get the distinct feeling they aren't supposed to leave the couch - they weren't really planning on going anywhere though.

Bloom opens the fridge, lets out a whistle, and Ember leaps and glides over immediately.

They get into a conversation made up of growls and thrums - which means the Wizards have no clue what it's about or what it could mean. Bloom could be telling Ember to back off a little, or she could be telling her she's doing a great job and to keep it up until everyone is asleep.

In reality, Bloom and Ember are discussing what the four Wizards are going to eat. All they have in their fridge is fruits, veggies, and all the various stuff Bloom made while she was alone with the pets and Ember.

Eventually they reach an agreement, and Bloom makes a large paper grocery bag appear.

* * *

All the rest of the Winx went into their rooms when she went into the shower.

Musa's recording herself singing various songs, Techna's putting one of her gadgets together, Stella's designing new outfits to wear, Aisha's working out on Morphix equipment, and Flora's watering and feeding her huge collection of plants.

By now, most of the Wizards are falling asleep.

It's the first time in days they haven't been worried about being found and attacked by the Warrior Fairies - and they actually ate something and Duman is healed now.

They honestly don't know how they missed Bloom's strength before, maybe it's because they are so much weaker now.

Whatever the case, she healed Duman before they could even ask - not quite fitting who they absolutely thought she was.

Ogron's the only one awake by now, Duman dropped off around three songs ago, then Gantlos, then Anagan.

He's exhausted, Bloom saw right through him earlier - he's really wondering just how much she's been through.

'8th World Wonder' started playing when she went into her room, and he's betting he knows who she's thinking about.

The make-out in the water is kind of a giveaway though, they were wondering when she'd finally get over herself and date Sky already.

'Set Fire to the Rain' by Adele played next, and he can't help thinking the line about how there being a side the singer never knew could apply to Bloom - he's sure seeing her other side now that they are under a truce.

The Winx started teasing Bloom, but she teleported to another room before anyone could be sure if she was blushing or not.

Now the music has stopped from Bloom's room, but Ogron can hear Bloom's voice.

He can't make any words out though, he's too tired and the room is too far away.

The last thing he heard clearly is a question in Bloom's voice in his head, picked up accidentally.

 _What am I going to do?_

Now, he's too tired to make sense of any sounds, and the next thing he knows, its morning.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom's just a little different when your not fighting her every time you see her - wonder why they never guessed that. She saw right through his act because she's been in their condition and worse - Cloudtower - and the next chapter shows who she's talking to. Wondering who it is? Read on and find out!**


	156. Breakfast

_**Breakfast**_

Bloom went in her room and opened the Book of Fairies to see if anyone in there might be willing to help.

After twenty minutes, she hasn't found anything _._

 _What am I going to do?_

She slouches for an instant, rubbing her temples.

Suddenly she hears a familiar, and not unwelcome, voice.

"What are you doing Bloom?" When she turns around, Loki is standing in her room, or rather, an illusion of Loki.

"I don't know. But they're desperate, I can see it. I've been that desperate, I've been even worse. I couldn't just not help, you know that's not who I am Loki."

He nods, and she sits down on the edge of her bed, right before an orange ball appears with her sister's face in front of Bloom.

"Look Daph, I need to ask you something. You wouldn't happen to have any idea what to do if four enemies of yours suddenly surrender but some mutual foes are on a planet-wide search for them, would you?"

Daphne doesn't, and Loki doesn't have any ideas either.

Both older siblings wanted to make sure Bloom was alright, and they talk for a while - just like Sky texting her while she was looking through the Book.

He wanted to make sure the Wizards hadn't tried anything, and she texted a heavily condensed version of what Ogron said.

She starts pacing and goes on, saying "I can't take them to Asgard, there's no way I'm putting everyone there in danger from the Warrior Fairies. And Domino is out of the question, father would have a heart attack, though mom would maybe understand. Alfea is the college for fairies, and the Wizards are _former fairy hunters_ , so, bad idea. I can't just take them to Pyros and leave them there, they'd get eaten in the first hour. And letting them stay here will be a catastrophe, for business and my nerves. I'd never be able to relax here again 'til this is over."

Eventually though, she gets back to the Fairy Book, after trying to get Daphne to tell her what curse the Ancestral Witches used on her once again.

It has to be the hundredth time she has asked, and Daphne keeps saying she doesn't want the curse to strike Bloom as well. The concern is touching, but very annoying when it comes to finding a curse that she has no leads on whatsoever beyond what it did to Daphne.

She goes back to the Book of Fairies, looking through each page thoroughly.

The building is quiet, except for the snoring of four grown men coming from the living room.

The pets are all asleep, and Ember is out cold on her bed. Bloom sits at her desk, after putting her belt on it and her jacket over the back of the chair; almost like the chair is wearing the jacket.

She looks for a few hours, before finding a fairy who might be able, and willing, to help.

When she does, her eyelids are like concrete, she can hardly keep them open. She could call up a little magic, use it to keep herself going like she has so many times before, but she doesn't.

She closes the book, after making a new bookmark for the page she is on, and crosses her arms over it, resting her head on them.

She tells herself she's only going to close her eyes for a minute, but almost as soon as she closes them she is sucked into a dream with Ember. They are flying through the air on Pyros, sharing the same dream like they sometimes do.

* * *

The next morning, the rest of the Winx get up first, and then the Wizards wake up when they hear people getting food and pets making noises like they want to be fed.

Suddenly, Stella asks "Hey, who made the giant paper bags of food we don't eat?"

When they look inside, there's four bags of frozen sausages, bags of frozen pancakes and waffles, and other breakfast stuff they didn't find in the Winx's fridge or freezer when they broke in and searched the entire place for the White Circle. There's even a spell on the bags so the stuff would stay cold, making all four Wizards wonder if they will ever figure Bloom out - because of course it was Bloom who made the bags, none of the other fairies knew about them until now.

Suddenly, Musa looks around and asks "Hey, where's Bloom? She's usually awake long before now."

All five fairies look at one another, and Stella runs down the hall saying "Oh no, don't tell me she had another nightmare and went for a…run…"

Ogron immediately goes to see what she is trailing off at, and sees Bloom asleep at her desk in her pajamas. Her arms are crossed, her head is resting on them, and he can see her sunglasses sitting on top of her head.

He can barely see the thick corner of a book poking out from under her arm, making him wonder how much sleep she got.

He looks over, and sees Ember lying in the middle of Bloom's bed, while she is sitting up at her chair sleeping on top of a book.

Stella whistles, and says "Wow, she is really out for once."

Ember and Bloom suddenly shift at the same time, and both almost growl at the exact same time. Ogron asks "Alright, what's with her and Ember?"

"I'd say they're sharing a dream, it happens. You might want to get out of the doorway."

Stella is nearly laughing, and points her finger at the book underneath Bloom's arms and moves to the side. It glows yellow, and then shifts slightly.

Bloom immediately jerks upright, grabs her knife from her belt, and throws it at them so fast Anagan couldn't have caught it.

Stella was out of the doorway, and Ogron barely had time to dive to the floor - it would have killed him otherwise.

She looks down, and sees the Book of Fairies glowing yellow, and says "That wasn't funny Stella."

"Well you were out cold for once. Normally you wake up as soon as someone makes a noise within ten feet of you."

Bloom yawns and covers her mouth while rubbing her eyes with the other hand.

Ogron tries to pull the knife out of the wall, but it's buried up to the hilt. Bloom however just grabs it with one hand and yanks it out.

At his stare, she says "Oh please, you think this is the first time Stella's done that to me? One of these days someone won't be fast enough and then it won't be so funny to anyone."

She snaps her fingers, and the wall is fixed again - making him wonder how many patch jobs she's done like this before.

Like it's an old habit, she plunks the sunglasses down on her face, and they instantly disappear.

He says "We found the food you left us."

"Good, don't eat Ember's strawberries. And if you're wondering why the food, I've seen Ember hungry and I can't imagine a hungry shapeshifter that I've only seen turn into carnivorous animals would be any better company until he eats."

Ogron has to agree with her there, but he doesn't have any time to say as much because Bloom says " Be out in five. Anyone who still wants coffee better get it now." She closes the door, and Stella immediately runs to the kitchen.

When Ogron gets to the kitchen, he sees the blonde fairy eagerly pouring herself a cup of coffee, and they rest of the Winx already have cups.

"Something we should know?"

Aisha says "Bloom has some strong tastes when it comes to some stuff. She makes her coffee really strong, and kind of weird. If you four want cups, get them now, because she doesn't take long anywhere."

Sure enough, maybe three minutes later, Bloom walks into the kitchen in her usual t-shirt and jeans and asks if anyone else wants coffee.

When they all say no, she throws the old filter and grounds away, gets a bigger one out, and fills it to the brim with new grounds, that look like something lighter brown is mixed with the coffee.

She fills it to the top of the filter, then pours water in.

Duman only has to smell it in the air before asking "What did you put in that?"

"Two parts coffee, one part cocoa."

Ember comes out as well, and immediately goes over to Bloom to sniff her cup. She puts a hand over the top, saying "Oh no, not after what happened last time."

Anagan asks "What happened last time she drank your coffee?"

"You ever try chasing down a young dragon on caffeine midflight over Magix City?"

"No."

"My advice: don't."

She teleports away, and then is suddenly back, with her laptop and the Book of Fairies. She puts the objects down gently on the table, and opens the computer while going to one of two bookmarks in the thick book.

It opens to a page with a picture of Sibylla, Fairy of Justice.

Gantlos takes one look at the page and says "Sibylla's a powerful fairy, and she despises us, just like all the rest."

"It says she never turns away anyone with good intentions. Of course, I've seen a lot of 'nevers' happen in my life."

Ogron says "Sibylla's cave is surrounded by deadly traps and obstacles that few are brave enough to face."

Bloom looks at him for a second, and just shrugs, saying "Well, it wouldn't be any fun without a few life-and-death situations, now would it?"

All four Wizards just stare at her, and she sighs. "The Ethereal Fairies gave us the Gift of the Heart. Said we would need it on our next mission."

Duman asks "When did you meet the Ethereal Fairies?"

"When Diana kidnapped our boyfriends."

Bloom starts typing on her computer, her fingers flying and one hand starts glowing orange. She swipes it back and forth, bringing up a page online, using the other to drink from her cup.

They see its more ancient curses, and Duman asks "What are you doing looking through those anyway?"

Bloom's eyes flash orange, and after a few seconds she says "If you four must know, it's a project I've been working on for years. I was looking through them before I met you, and I'll probably still be looking through them after we part ways." It didn't answer the question, but at least she isn't going to curse them.

Ember trills, opens the fruit bin with her front limbs, and pulls out an apple.

Bloom doesn't say anything out loud, but Ember suddenly bats it with her tail at Bloom, who catches it expertly and starts eating.

As they watch, Ember gets out a huge pack of strawberries and a few pears and starts eating beside Bloom's leg.

Bloom puts on her headphones, and stops answering, really getting into what she is doing.

* * *

She spends the next fifteen minutes typing and looking at pages, and Duman can hear music coming from the headphones.

Ogron looks for Bloom's mind, and surprisingly he finds it open. He gets the feeling she's too focused on her work to notice, so he tries to learn anything he can about the incredibly confusing girl whose mind he's in.

Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, he finds she's a lot more complicated than they thought.

Some parts of her mind are dark, almost like they were scorched there, others are bright and warm, some parts are in constant motion, going through possibilities and strategies nonstop, and some burn bright with passion and determination.

The dark, scorched parts feel wrong, like they were forced onto her and she's trying to get rid of them – then he thinks of her nightmares and the night they found her in Gardenia Park, and stays far away from that part of her mind.

But his exploration comes to a sudden halt when he hits a barrier in her head. He can guess it leads to her magic, but it's completely blocked from him.

Unlike the darker parts of her mind, which were somehow buried, this part is simply blocked off from him and anyone else.

He's suddenly back in his own head entirely, and Bloom is grinning at her computer screen.

A page materializes in front of her, and it looks like a map of something.

She calls up Roxy, and asks "Hey Roxy, you have the next two days off?"

 _Yeah, why?_

"What do you think of Italy?"

* * *

 **AN: Nosey Wizards, all four of them! Ogron keeps looking through her head, something might just find him instead of the other way around. The wall he found in her head did lead to her magic, along with all her other mental connections. He didn't get sucked into a dream or memory because Bloom wasn't remembering anything or asleep - and I bet you can all guess what the dark, scorched parts of her mind are: her worst memories. Everything that happened in Cloudtower, mostly, but also getting turned evil by Darkar, the Dark Elves' attack, etc. Anything horrible and terrible that's happened to her. Yes, Bloom's working on burying them under more recent memories, but it's a lot of stuff to bury. Also, what do you think the map is for? Read to find out!**


	157. Fighting Old Enemies

_**Fighting Old Enemies**_

Maybe thirty minutes later, all eleven people are walking through a hot jungle in Italy.

Rick knows Roxy will be gone for over a day, she told him while Bloom was telling her. It looks like a day and a half from the start, even if they hurry.

The map Bloom found showed a series of tests they will have to pass, but it gave no clue as to what they are.

Everyone but Bloom is hot and sticky, and she ended up carrying all the backpacks after the first ten minutes. At least they are in decent clothes for hiking, because Stella changed all their clothes to the hiking outfits she picked out for them.

The Wizards are still in their black outfits, but something tells the Winx they wouldn't really appreciate Stella's fashion advice right now - or ever, really.

The only thing out of place on any of the Winx is Bloom's belt, which she insists on wearing, saying its useful. Stella grumbles, but leaves the matter alone, knowing she's not going to change Bloom's mind on this one.

Now, they are walking through a jungle while Stella tries to make sense of the map Bloom found. Its honestly the vaguest map any of them have ever seen, with no writing or directions to be found, and Bloom says she didn't miss anything. She's the one who knows which way they're supposed to be going, so it doesn't really matter unless she passes out.

When Stella hands her the map after asking to see it, it looks like they are right in front of what looks like the first test. Bloom couldn't find a list of the tests, but she has a very bad feeling about this place - its a sudden clearing in the middle of the long path of trees, it can only be a trap or something.

Anagan asks "How are you carrying all that?"

"Simple, I'm not affected by heat, unlike everyone else here. It looks like we might be at the first test. Get ready."

* * *

They all walk into the field, and when they get in the middle, people start walking Trix are first, followed by Darkar, who flew up in his bird-form before turning back into his armored figure, then a large purple demon with huge wings as big as a middle-sized dragon, then Chimera and Cassandra, Diaspro, Malekith and Kurse, a few Frost Giants, and controlled mermaids and storm harpies.

Stella mutters "Oh great. Well, this isn't encouraging in the slightest. And, who are they?" She points to Malekith and Kurse, and Bloom's face hardens in a glare.

"Dark Elves, they took my mother." The sudden venom in her voice makes them all look at her, but she has only fury-filled eyes for the two creatures.

Duman says "I may be going crazy, but I'm pretty sure those ice-creatures are mythical frost giants."

"Don't let them touch you, their skin can freeze anything."

Gantlos asks "And you know this how?"

"Let's just say I had an interesting childhood. You four know how to use weapons?"

Ogron says "Yes, why?"

His question is answered when Bloom shoves the hilt of her sword into his shirt, and he grabs it before realizing the danger. Except, he's fine, the sword does nothing now.

At his look, Bloom says "Oh relax, you don't have magic anymore, so it's just a sword in your hands."

 _A sword made for you, Bloom._

The hilt is wrong for his hands, it's made for Bloom's, but it's perfectly balanced and sharp as Ember's claws.

She gives Duman her knife, and Anagan her fighting staff. Gantlos passes, still having his superhuman strength.

Bloom looks around, and her eyes land on the demon. "Winx…when did we fight a _demon?_ "

All the fairies look guilty, and Stella says "Well…" "Where did we first fight him?" "Andros…we first tried to fight him on Andros - and lost."

She sounds like she has been hiding something from Bloom for a while, they all have. Bloom quickly searches through all the villains they have fought, but only one matches up.

She instantly goes pale, and hisses out _"Why didn't you tell me he was a demon?"_

Stella winces, and says "We didn't want to guilt-trip you."

"Had I known he was literally a soulless monster-"

Techna says "Um Bloom, we really don't have time for this right now. How about you yell at us for not telling you something that would have eaten you up all this time after we fight the incoming enemies?"

"Fine, but this isn't over by a long shot. Winx Believix!" They transform, and everyone starts fighting.

* * *

Musa fights the controlled mermaids, and nearly gets bitten and clawed up for it.

Flora fights the storm Harpies they fought on Lynphea, Stella and Roxy fight Chimera, Diaspro, and Cassandra, Techna and Aisha fight the Trix, while Bloom fights Malekith, Kurse, and the demon she can now recognize as her former jailer. He looks nothing like he used to, which is the only reason why she can look at him without losing control of her magic completely.

Sibylla's good, her spells even managed to recreate the feeling of the opposite of her magic. One thing that's different though: 'Malekith' has the Aether. He is shooting bolts of dark purple energy at her, and its making her feel sick to her stomach; like Valtor's magic wasn't enough.

Ogron finishes off another Frost Giant, and looks over to see Bloom behind an orange shield getting attacked by the demon and the two elves.

He doesn't ask if she needs help, her shield could break at any distraction. Suddenly, it does, and she is sent flying into a tree.

She lands on her knees, looking like she might be sick, and covered in a sheen of fire. The demon flies over, and picks her up by the neck, surrounded by a dark purple fire.

Ogron tries to connect with Bloom for a second, and succeeds - if only to tell her to stop messing around and kill the things already like he knows she likely can. But he feels like his body is being eaten away from the inside, and his neck is on fire now, being burnt by black magic - and he's terrified.

Ogron pulls out of Bloom's head an instant later in total shock, she's the fearless leader of these girls!

Suddenly, Bloom's fear apparently reaches its flashpoint and she bursts into flames. The demon roars in pain and drops her when she summons her knife and buries it in its arm.

Every single enemy in the field turns and heads for Bloom, leaving everyone else seriously confused - and the Wizards' confusion turns to shock when Bloom blasts one after another into dust.

* * *

A large patch of the field is on fire now, and its spreading really fast thanks to Bloom.

Aisha, Flora, and Stella try to put out the fire by making it rain, but it doesn't do anything since the fire is fueled by Bloom.

She looks like she's literally made out of fire, and is attacking the giant demon with more ferocity than any of them thought she was capable of.

She gets frozen for an instant by the ice-witch, that doesn't last a millisecond and shards of ice are buried in trees before melting fast and turning to steam.

Roxy yells "She's going to burn the whole forest down!"

The Wizards all agree, but they also can tell she doesn't even know what she's doing.

Flora yells "She thinks he's real!"

The demon is lasting a lot longer than most of the other enemies - the mermaid-monsters tried to jump on her and burned to nothing, same with the storm harpies, Darkar got hit with a massive ball of fire and is gone along with Kurse and Malekith - they apparently share the same source of magic. Roxy and the Wizards notice, and she asks about it.

Techna says "Bloom's light, Valtor's dark. They're like two sides of a coin, and we really have to snap Bloom out of this!" It's true, the fire has driven all of them to the edges of the field.

Ogron yells "Any ideas? We can't get to her, and none of us have any clue what we'd do if we could!"

The flames suddenly turn into what look like fire-geysers - all headed for the demon.

Ogron doesn't even dare try going into her head. Assuming he could get in, he'd probably get overwhelmed by her terror instantly.

Stella yells "I've got an idea Winx! But it's not exactly fun, or particularly safe."

Musa says "If it'll snap Bloom out of this, it's worth a try."

"You know how Bloom's always been really sensitive to magic? How she can always tell where everyone is in the shop?"

Flora says "Yeah…"

"Well, let's try to drown out the feel of Valtor's magic! If she can't sense it, maybe she'll remember it's a copy of the evil wizard."

Musa deadpans "The evil wizard who kidnapped her for two months and did only-Bloom-knows-what to her!"

Techna adds "Which means she likely believes she either has to kill him or is going to end up back in that cell!"

She's trying to kill him, but sooner or later she's going to run out of magic - she should have already.

Aisha says "Well, we really don't have any other options girls."

Suddenly, the fire all collects in the biggest fireball any of them have ever seen before between Bloom and the giant purple demon named Valtor. It's got green energy in there as well, along with some white that nobody can explain - except for the fact that Bloom's literally giving this everything she has in her.

The heat is all gone from the field, she's holding nothing back right now. She makes a shoving motion with her hands, and the fireball that's three times as tall as Bloom, as compacted as they can all see it is, is released towards Valtor at high speed.

Just as it hits Valtor and turns him to ashes, all five girls teleport over and grab Bloom. It immediately hurts, but they pour their magic into her and the fire around her fades.

Her eyes turn back to blue and she asks "Winx?" Before anyone can say another word, she collapses to the ground and changes back to human form.

Anagan still has her staff, and Ogron has her sword - and all four men are seriously glad they didn't put a fear spell on Bloom at any time.

They're also wondering exactly what Bloom is the fairy of, they've never had a clue from the beginning.

The rest of the Winx all say its Bloom's secret to share, but she won't be sharing anything for a while.

She should have gone out about five minutes before now - but the fire just kept pouring out of her skin, meaning she is either a lot stronger than they thought or she's got a secret she's keeping from them.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom's flashbacks got taken to a whole new level thanks to Sibylla's magical recreation of Valtor. Good thing her friends managed to snap her out of it, or else the entire forest might've gone up in smoke. And yes, the Wizards really don't have any clue about the Dragon Flame being in her body - keep reading to find out how they learn that interesting little fact about the girl they've been fighting and angering all this time!**


	158. Camping Troubles

_**Camping Troubles**_

It's dark when Bloom finally does wake up - about fifteen hours later actually.

All the Winx took their backpacks back, and Gantlos ended up carrying Bloom's because she packed the heaviest stuff - and he seriously doesn't know how she carried _her_ pack plus her friends'.

Aisha and Techna were figuring out the map - amazing anything survived really - and Ogron and Anagan took turns carrying Bloom. The girl was almost too hot to touch at first, but she almost instantly cooled off to being ice-cold.

Turns out Bloom does a lot, it's just a lot harder to see when she's awake to do it.

Her backpack is unbelievably heavy, she must have been channeling Pyros just to carry it - never mind everybody else's packs as well. She also knew how to read the map, a feat everyone else is finding impossible.

Techna and Aisha are using a tracking spell to find their way, putting a green dot where they are.

They set up camp near a stream, and the small clearing has a bunch of trees on the other side - meaning firewood. Nobody is too keen on a bear or something coming out and attacking them when the girl who can ride one is out cold. A fire would solve the problem, and they have plenty of firewood after about twenty minutes, but they can't get the fire started.

Everyone tries, nobody actually manages - it's like the fire is not lighting on purpose.

They set up the tents, and Flora and Bloom are sharing with Roxy and Techna and Musa are sharing as well - so the Wizards have two tents to share. It was actually Bloom's idea apparently, another thing they never would have pegged her for.

Everyone gets into an argument over the fire that doesn't want to light, until suddenly it does - explosively shooting six feet high before settling down to about three. There's only one person who can light a fire like that - but she should still be sleeping, her magic was at a low point beyond anything most of them can even try to imagine.

But when Stella runs over to the tent they put Bloom in, along with her weapons, they see her sitting up and rubbing her head. "Do I even want to know why you all were driving large spikes into my skull just now?"

Stella says "Ah, no. How are you awake?"

"Had to stop my head from splitting open, please tell me there's food - I could eat the grocery store clean."

* * *

Ten seconds later, Bloom's sitting in front of the fire and eating her way through an endless amount of food from a pocket in her bag. Everyone else ate earlier while they were making their way through the forest, and they know more than enough not to get between someone this low on magic and food.

After about the fifth giant can of mixed fruit, Ogron asks "Exactly how did you do that in the field?"

She looks at him for a moment between spoonfuls of fruit and asks "Do what? The last thing I remember before standing there in a very burned forest is the world going black from lack of air – and I barely remember standing there."

Duman says "You caught fire and nearly killed us all!"

"I…did?"

Anagan says "Yeah, you did. All your old enemies attacked you and got turned to nothing while you were focused on trying to kill Mr. Demon. And you nearly burned down the forest and all of us trying to do that." Even in the firelight, even with the fact that she's naturally pale - and even paler than normal because she's so exhausted - they could swear she goes a few shades paler.

She quickly looks around to make sure everyone is actually there, and then says "Yeah, well, you think you four are the worst enemies we've had?" She laughs, but there's the barest undercurrent of nervousness in it.

All four guys think of the nightmares she had after they kidnapped her, maybe this was the guy she was talking to.

Gantlos crosses his arms and asks "And exactly how did you go so long without running out of magic? You had to have gone ten minutes easily."

Bloom stares at him for a moment, then lets out a short laugh and says "No wonder I'm so drained. I could sleep for a week."

"Then why aren't you?"

"I was, but then my head nearly split open because everyone was shouting." They can't argue with that, it did get pretty loud until the fire suddenly started.

"Most people with magic would have run out long before you did. How much magic do you freaking have?"

"Not a lot at the moment, in case you didn't notice." Bloom crosses her arms and gives them a look that says they aren't getting this answer out of her if they spent all night trying.

Ogron says "Fine, keep your secrets."

That gets a sardonic laugh out of Bloom. "Everybody finds out eventually, just wait. Then you'll be kicking yourselves for not realizing it sooner."

After a few more giant cans of fruit, Bloom takes out a book – and they can tell its more curses, she seems slightly obsessed by this search.

Duman asks "You're really reading more ancient curses at a time like this?"

"None of your business. It's personal." She didn't even look at him when she said that, still flipping though page after page so fast they aren't sure whether she's reading these curses or visually eating them.

Anagan says "Right, you going through countless curses that do who-knows-what is none of our concern when you may or may not try one of them on us."

Bloom scoffs, and says "It's not about you four, it's never been about you four. If I was going to curse you all, I'd have done it by now."

Gantlos says "Right, and how do we know you haven't already."

"Because your all still alive. If I were really the type to curse someone, do you honestly think I'd make it nonlethal?" She rolls her eyes, lets out a sigh of annoyance, and falls back to the ground with a loud thump. It wasn't a soft landing, but she just keeps reading like she didn't feel a thing.

After a few minutes, Anagan asks "So, how far have you gotten?"

"I've searched the whole Magical Dimension for an answer, literally. All the big libraries, no answers. I'm currently going through Domino's library. After that, I have no clue what I'm going to do."

All four men stare at her, and Ogron asks "How long have you been doing that?"

"This is year three. Yeah, I've been busy." Bloom takes her Pendant from around her neck, and all four immediately notice the dead symbol on the back.

Duman asks "What, you even enchant old family heirlooms?"

Bloom glares at him for a minute, then says "I didn't. My sister did, a very long time ago."

Duman puts his hands up in surrender, then lowers them when he realizes exactly what she said. "You have a sister?"

"Uh-huh, only found out about her four years ago though."

She stares at the pendant for a minute, probably thinking of her sister, then puts the chain back around her neck. She puts the spellbook back in her bag and goes back to the tent she was in before and instantly falls asleep.

* * *

The Wizards are wondering what exactly is up with Bloom lately, she's been switching moods quickly, going from one to the next with hardly any warning - and at one point she actually looked like she could have throttled Duman, until she cooled off far faster than they ever thought possible.

Roxy asks "Something wrong with Bloom lately? She's been really moody ever since Tir Nan Og."

Flora says "We don't know, but her magic depletion can't have helped."

Ogron asks "Exactly how was she awake? Most people would have run out of magic way before she snapped out of it and collapsed. And then they'd sleep for a week."

Techna says "Bloom's not most people. She should take it easy for a few days, but chances are we won't get that chance. Bloom heals faster than most people - and she'll probably sleep when we get back to Gardenia. But she's too stubborn to quit when something's happening. If she hadn't collapsed, I guarantee she'd have kept going the whole time."

A few minutes later, everyone else goes to their tents as well - it's really late and something tells everyone they're going to need all the strength they have. Bloom's out like a candle that's been blown out, no surprise given the fact that she slept nearly all day.

* * *

 **AN: Really, they still haven't figured it out after the near-disaster in the field? The Wizards have heard legends from the Magical Dimension, it's not all that hard when you've got the same kind of magic and fairies as in that dimension, yet they can't recognize one of those stories sitting three feet in front of them? Someone apparently has to spell it out for them - hahaha! Keep reading to find out when these clueless guys who've been around since medieval times finally figure Boom's secret out!**


	159. Dream Test

Suddenly, nothing makes sense, Bloom's body is telling her to go to Sky and kiss him hard like nobody else is there, but her mind is saying that's crazy. She turns around, trying to think, and hears another stanza from the song.

She knows she's taking the song way too literally, but it feels true at the moment. She looks around, and sees a tall man with neon red hair staring at her, she doesn't know for how long though.

 _Let's break it down 'cause I need an explanation. I look around at this crazy situation, my head is saying take a permanent vacation, let's go, let's go._

A person blocks him from her sight, and he's suddenly gone; but not before she recognized Ogron.

 _ **Dream Test**_

Bloom's at the Frutti Music Bar with her friends, Aisha, Stella, Techna, Musa, and Flora. They are nobody special, just six best friends living in Gardenia, and currently celebrating enjoying life with each other with fruit smoothies.

Her animal-loving friend Roxy started working here recently, and because her dad owns the place she gets a good paycheck. Artu comes over and licks her hand, and her pet rabbit Kiko jumps down onto his head.

The boys that Rick recently hired to help Roxy out this year are pretty cute, as Stella keeps saying; honestly, she can't find her best friend's off button. Stella loves to drag her out shopping, and will talk her ear off about some new shirt she found or a cute boy.

Currently, it's the brunette getting their smoothies, his name's Brandon and Stella obviously has a total crush on him.

Bloom doesn't think the blonde is half-bad, but she can't stare at him for long, something happens to her every time she looks his way. It's like her whole body turns on, almost like a switch is flipped. Her heart starts pounding, and it's all she can do to stay seated.

Musa is singing, up on stage with Andy and his band. She and Andy dated back when she was in high school, but they broke up after a few months. It was fine, they are still friends, but Stella made a big to-do about it for months afterward.

Musa starts singing karaoke, singing 'Eyes Open' by Taylor Swift. They all start dancing, and keep going when Musa switches to 'Dizzy' by Taylor Swift.

Bloom is having a blast, but something is wrong, very wrong. She keeps looking around, and catches sight of the blonde boy at the counter making smoothies. Her body reacts, nearly taking her over there right then. It's like some animal instinct is inside her, but she doesn't know what. She fights to ignore it, carefully turning away from the counter and heading out into the crowd to join her friends as 'Dizzy' starts.

She dances with her friends, enjoying being lost in the sea of moving people. Twice, she catches herself glancing around like it's an old habit, staying on guard like in 'Eyes Open'. She shakes her head, telling herself she's being paranoid as usual; then stops and asks herself what she would be paranoid about.

It all comes to a head though, when she hears the words 'Am I ever gonna fall in love?' from Musa.

She "But I already have." The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, and Stella immediately turns around and asks "Who? You've got to tell me right this instant Bloom!"

She sees the blonde boy with eyes as blue as the sky above, and suddenly she knows that's his name. "Sky. You know that Stella."

* * *

Ogron suddenly found himself here after he got out of a dream that felt real. It was his darkest desire, except it was no surprise to him.

The Wizards had won, Roxy was captured, and the Winx were beaten. They were about to finish them, when he noticed Bloom looking down at the ground in defeat.

A part of his mind knew that was off, she would be glaring up at him in defiance, a fighter to the end. He curiously went into Bloom's head, and suddenly he's in the Frutti Music Bar.

He looks around at the crowd, and spots a familiar fiery-haired girl dancing.

 _Wait, dancing?_

As far as he knows, Bloom is too paranoid to go out into a crowd, no matter how much she would like to have fun with her friends like a normal girl.

That's when it hits him: Bloom's deepest desire is to be _a normal girl._ Nobody special, or with responsibility on her shoulders, just a normal girl living her life with her friends.

He sees her stop dancing, and talk to her friends, before turning away. She looks up in confusion, apparently she can tell something is off as well. She locks eyes with him, and before he is swept out of her dream and back into his, he sees her eyes - normal, human eyes - flash orange with recognition.

He's never been so glad in his entire life that anyone could pick up on things as much as Bloom does.

He just got lucky and happened to glance at the leader of the Winx, the girl who had beaten all four of them so many times, before they finished her forever. He expected her to be defiant, so the defeated look in her eye was too sharp a contrast - prompting him to make sure it was actually Bloom and not a double left in her place while she would sneak up and reverse the situation.

Turns out her being such a fighter has a few uses, like making someone suspicious when she acts otherwise.

* * *

Back with Bloom, the next line of the song sends a jolt of panic through her.

She has seen crazy situations all the time, and this isn't one of them. She has an explanation, but she doesn't like it.

Stella grabs her wrist, but she pulls out of it like she has just been zapped.

"Bloom, what's wrong?"

"This isn't real."

Stella looks confused, and so do her friends.

 _But look around, you're surrounded, it's a showdown. And nobody comes to save you now._

The familiar line from 'Eyes Open' flashes through her head, reminding her of all the times she's actually been surrounded by enemies in a showdown.

"Bloom, how could this not be real? Are you alright?"

Stella takes a step forward, but Bloom mirrors it backwards, and says "This isn't real, because this isn't my life." She takes a deep breath, and goes on, despite all the looks coming her way.

"And this isn't my life because I'm Bloom, second princess of Domino." She feels a familiar weight settle back on her shoulders, responsibility and knowledge, as she says the next words. "Fairy of the Dragon Flame."

* * *

She jolts awake, immediately grabbing her knife from its sheathe. When she realizes everyone else is asleep, she sighs and puts the knife back.

She tries to wake them, but no amount of shaking, poking, shouting, or even magic-using will make them even twitch.

Since nobody else is awake yet she climbs onto a tree branch and waits, wondering how much Ogron saw and what the dream could mean. That was no ordinary dream, she knows that much. It was magic, a spell to trap them in their heads forever.

Stella's probably dream-shopping in the biggest mall in history, with an endless amount of money at her disposal to buy stuff with.

Musa is likely singing on stage somewhere in her head, while Techna must be the founder of some huge company that builds useful and effective gadgets.

Flora is likely running her own herb shop, complete with its own garden, and Aisha probably has her own gym somewhere in Magix.

She's actually right about all of them, except Stella is charging her way through the dream mall with Bloom beside her.

Bloom doesn't even want to think about what the Wizards are dreaming about, and she doesn't know them well enough to make a decent guess.

She knows their backstories, but she doesn't know them, and she's too drained, physically and emotionally, from the fight and the spell she broke to try right now.

* * *

By the time morning comes, everyone is awake, and wondering what the heck happened.

Bloom is still sitting on the branch, feeling empty and tired, and says "It was a test, just like the field. When we all went to sleep, Sibylla's magic invaded our dreams. Made us see what we most desire. She's good, I'll give her that."

Anagan asks "How did you get up there?"

She looks at him, raises one eyebrow, and says "I climbed. How else?" She looks away moodily at that, lost in her own thoughts. Finally, she says "Let's keep moving, that cave isn't getting any closer."

She does a flip off the branch and lands on the ground before finding the map they left in one of the tents the Winx slept in.

She does the spell again, and they actually managed to stay on the path fairly well. Its maybe a half a day away, if they move fast.

When Duman asks about breakfast, she digs around in her bag and tosses an apple back at him. If he didn't catch it, it would have hit him in the head.

Ogron looks for her mind, and finds it open.

 _Those things, you called them Dark Elves?_

 _Yeah, what about them? They're dead now, and I destroyed the power Malekith was using before he could get it._

 _They killed your adopted mother?_

Ogron thinks of the woman in armor he noticed in Bloom's dream when he first went into her head. Before he can ask if she was Bloom's adopted mother she shuts him out, her mind disappearing behind some emotional wall.

Because he was already in her mind, he can sense the wall; and his chances of getting back in her head with it up are as good as a normal human getting into Fort Knox. She doesn't say another word, vocally or mentally, but he gets the feeling she's wrestling with her grief - and getting pinned to the ground for a change.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, dream test. This was supposed to prove that they could overcome their deepest desires or something like that - I just put it in to give the Wizards any idea of who they've been freaking fighting all this time. Please review if you have suggestions or feedback! More chapters coming soon, enjoy!**


	160. Tests of Rock and Water

_**Tests of Rock and Water**_

They finally get close to the cave, and the Winx have been sharing their dreams with one another. It would be almost stupid, except the dreams were brought on by magic and they are their deepest desires - and most of them are pretty obvious.

The Wizards already know what each other were seeing, knowing each other well enough for that.

The Winx laugh about each other's dreams, joking about how that could happen, except for Bloom. When they get to her, she quietly says "Not this life. One where we didn't have to save the world on a regular basis. Six normal girls living their lives as best friends."

All the Winx fall silent at this, until Stella asks "Were the guys in there to?"

"Yeah, they were helping Roxy at the Frutti Music Bar, except we weren't dating. And you wouldn't stop talking about Brandon."

Aisha laughs and says "Well, that's nothing new. She talks about Brandon in this life to." They all start laughing again, but Bloom is lost in her own thoughts again. Stella nudges her, and she seems to snap out of it.

She takes the map out and looks around. "Okay, it should be right over that hill." She points to a tall hill they have to get over.

* * *

While they are climbing, Duman hears something; something like weird footsteps. He turns his head, but Bloom has beaten him to it. She sensed them before Duman heard them, and has been counting them for the past two minutes.

She says "Someone's over there. Multiple someone's." They all turn to look, and sure enough they see figures in the shadows. Bloom creeps over, and for once the Wizards are glad she always has her knife on her.

The hand behind her back quietly draws the knife, while the rest of her body goes up the hill to see if the figures are friendly. She peers out from behind a bush, and sees the figures dancing.

They have hooves for feet, their hair is curled over small horns on their heads, and they have small wings on their backs. They don't look dangerous, but even so she knows more than enough to not be deceived by appearances.

Even so, she puts her knife away and everyone comes over; because she wouldn't put her knife away if she thought the figures were really dangerous.

They all look out from the bush, and most of the Winx think the dancing figures look cute and harmless. They remind Bloom of the myth about Satyrs, except these beings have wings.

Ogron leans over and whispers in her ear "Those are the Rustic Fairies, Sibylla's loyal servants. The rest of those tests we mentioned are about to begin."

Bloom murmurs back "Let the games begin."

Stella walks out of the bushes before anyone can stop her, saying hello to all the Rustic Fairies. Everyone follows her, Bloom's hand staying near her belt in case of trouble.

When they catch sight of the Wizards of the Black Circle though, the Rustic Fairies run away fast.

Stella says "Well, what happened to 'if you come with good intentions you get the whole deluxe welcome wagon'?"

Bloom is about to explain how not turning them away at the end is very different from immediately letting them drop off the Wizards and leave for Gardenia. Before she can start though, Stella suddenly gasps, as a huge boulder falls from the mountain!

More follow it, trying to crush them all, so Musa tackles Duman, Aisha tackles Gantlos, and Flora tackles Anagan before they can get turned into forest pancakes.

One boulder is heading straight for Ogron, but a blur of orange and yellow tackles him, going so fast the person ends up feet away from him while he's on his back wondering what just hit him - because it wasn't the boulder.

The blur of colors resolves into Bloom, and suddenly Roxy yells "Watch out Bloom!" The fairy looks up to see one more boulder heading for her.

Instead of freezing, she reacts; unsheathing her sword, setting it on fire, and swinging it. The resulting wave of her magic hits the rock dead-on, breaking it into a million sooty pebbles.

Flora looks up and says "I think that's all of them!"

Roxy is still ignoring the Wizards, and will likely continue to do so until Morgana stops seeking revenge against the Wizards, not even looking at Ogron as she walks past him.

Bloom stands at the mouth of the cave, getting a feeling of almost claustrophobia as she stares at it. She isn't afraid of small spaces, she can just shrink down if she has to, it's going underground that gives her a feeling of never getting back out.

Fairies naturally don't like being underground, but it's far worse for her because she was kept prisoner for two months under Cloudtower castle. She could feel the weight of all the tons of rock and stone above her, even under the blanket of suffocating magic she was trapped in.

She doesn't realize it, but her hand is curled into a fist and it's on fire.

When Stella nudges her and asks "Everything alright Bloom?" the fire goes out, Bloom distracted from her thoughts that were turning back to her time as Valtor's prisoner.

"Yeah, let's just get this over with." They can all hear the tension in her voice, but before anyone can react, she climbs up the small slope and goes into the mouth of the cave, and is almost instantly swallowed by the shadows.

* * *

When they are all inside, she calls her magic up to her fingertips – they would hardly be able to tell if she wasn't glowing brightly in the darkness.

The deeper they go, the brighter the fire around her burns - a sign of her nervousness. It doesn't show in her body language, and it likely doesn't show in her expression, but she is giving off more and more heat the deeper they go, and her hand hasn't left an area of a few inches from her concealed knife hilt.

Stella goes up and asks "Hey Bloom? Could you turn the heat down before we all cook in here?"

She blinks, and the temperature instantly drops around ten degrees. She mutters "Sorry, I hate being underground."

The fire sticks close to her skin, but now it's like she's inverted it; and now they all get the feeling Bloom is focusing more on her magic than where they are going, except there is only one way to go: straight forward.

She doesn't say anything, but soon enough they come to a large bridge over what looks like an underground lake. As soon as they get into the chamber, Bloom goes sheet white, and the fire flares up alarmingly bright before dimming to barely there.

All the Winx can sense an enormous amount of suppression magic in the cavern, making it impossible for them to transform and fly over or even use magic to teleport to the other side.

The bridge itself is just a huge arc of stone, no rails or support. There are other stalagmites near it, but not enough for any normal person to jump to the other side on them.

Stella says "Oh great, another test. Just what we need." Bloom seems to snap out of a trance or something, but they can all see she wasn't there a moment ago.

"Let's just cross this thing, I've got a really bad feeling about this." She looks down at the water, and they can all see she is thinking.

They go onto the bridge, which is actually wider than it looks, around ten feet, Stella, Flora, Musa, and Roxy in front, the Wizards in the middle, and the rest of the Winx in back.

When they are about halfway over the bridge, they hear something swishing the water beneath them, so they all go to the edge to look. It's a terrible idea, just like in horror movies where the naïve kid opens the door to a serial killer waiting on the other side; but it's impossible not to look.

They see a dark form flash under them, and then jump up in front of them, and Stella asks "Was that a…ghost fish?"

Bloom replies "Ghosts don't have heat signatures Stella. And they don't make waves."

"So, if it's not a ghost…"

Bloom finishes the sentence "It's real!"

They all run for it, but it looks like they aren't going to make it: the huge, white, ghost-like creature that resembles a fish suddenly jumps up and nearly hits the bridge! Suddenly, they hear and feel something that can only be described as heat, and the next thing any of them know they are all at the other side of the cliff - all but one thin, fire-haired fairy.

When they all get over the shock of being teleported by Bloom with no warning, they suddenly realize she isn't with them.

When they look back, they see her standing still with an expression of shock on her face. Her teleporting has never failed her before, some of the spells in the cavern must be to prevent someone from using magic on themselves – and there are so many, they also block any use of magic at all, in most cases.

They can all see the glow of her magic flickering on and off, and she suddenly looks down at the water. The fish-thing jumps up at her again, and she sprints to them, but when the fish hits the bridge, making it start to collapse, she improvises and jumps off it - straight for one of the stalagmites.

She lands about halfway down it, and then shoots up it like a dragon through the air. Good thing too, because the fish just barely misses her.

The Winx all cheer her on, feeling absolutely helpless as she jumps from one stalagmite to the next, getting closer and closer. She's clearly done something like this before, but she gets to the last one before the edge and stops.

Techna says "It's too far, even if she calls on Pyros as much as she can, she'll be short a few inches." From the look on Bloom's face, she knows it as well, and looks back at the fish, which is circling her dangerously.

She looks back at all of them, then comes to a decision and pulls out her knife. She backs up a baby step, her foot nearly slipping off the rock she is standing on, and calls up all her strength. She makes the jump, and plunges the knife into the rock wall up to the hilt, and it slides maybe an inch.

When they all look over, they see Bloom scrambling for a foot hold on the rock face.

Aisha yells down "Bloom! I'll make a Morphix rope!" But when she focuses, nothing happens.

Bloom didn't waste any time hoping though, and found footholds enough to hold her weight.

They hear her stab the knife into the wall again, and pulls herself up. When her arm finally makes it over the edge, she stabs her knife down to the hilt and Aisha pulls her up by the other hand.

"Hey, watch the grip Bloom; I kind of need those bones."

"Sorry, only tried to keep from getting eaten by a giant fish."

She pulls the knife out like it's in butter, giving everyone a very good idea of how much she was calling on Pyros - as much as she could without turning into a dragon again.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom's not having an easy time in Italy is she? The Wizards had better be really grateful for all of this considering what she's personally having to deal with: constant reminders of her time as Valtor's prisoner. They try anything like betraying the Winx, Bloom will likely go off on them fully. More chapters coming soon!**


	161. Fights and Splitting Up

_**Fights and Splitting up**_

They are walking through a small tunnel, and Bloom is still holding her knife. The Wizards think it's more for her own comfort than as any kind of warning; except maybe that she is getting more nervous by the second. None of them are fans of this, but Bloom seems worried for a different reason. She is lost in her thoughts, following everyone else from behind.

Ogron tries to go into her head, but its chaotic; full of feelings he can't identify and images moving too fast for him to see; the only thing he can feel for sure is the feeling of suffocating. It's like a storm inside of her, one that's as likely to take Bloom as anyone else. She seems to recognize his presence, and shuts him out. In his own mind, he hears her voice.

 _Stay out Ogron, you don't know what's in here._

They are both distracted from the silent conversation when Stella says "Hey Bloom, you're the best at translating magic symbols, get up here already!" Bloom blinks, and teleports over, to see a giant door with symbols covering the outside trim.

"Okay, give me a sec." She transforms into her Charmix form, and flies up looking at the symbols one by one for maybe a second each.

Roxy asks "Why is Bloom the best? I thought you all took the same courses."

Flora says "We did, and the symbols were imprinted on all our minds; but Bloom needed a distraction, and she does translate symbols like these the most out of all of us."

A few minutes later, she calls down "It's a riddle, and the key to the next test. It says 'fight those whom you flee, and the way appears to thee. From their enemies, your charges defend and the way forward shall be opened.' Basically, we have to fight the Warrior Fairies."

She lands, as she says the last sentence, and almost as soon as she does, a shot of magic flies past her head. It's the Warrior Fairies, and they are not happy by any definition of the word.

The Winx all transform into their Belivix forms, and Musa and Flora protect the Wizards while the others fight. Bloom takes on two Warrior Fairies, Stella takes on one, while Aisha and Roxy take on another. Roxy gets hit and falls to the floor, so Stella goes to help her while Bloom fights them off.

* * *

While Roxy was on the floor, she has a vision of Morgana.

When Roxy asks why she is doing all this, Morgana says _I ask you to join me, but you refuse. And now you help my enemies, the Wizards of the Black Circle._

"Mom, please, stop thinking about vengeance!"

Morgana looks shocked that Roxy knows, but says _I can't, my path is set. But yours is not, you can still join me. And you shouldn't just do it for me._

Roxy looks up, and Morgana continues _You should do it for the Winx. Be careful what you choose, for your choice will set their destiny._

"Bloom says that anybody can change if you give them a reason to."

 _The Wizards of the Black Circle will never change, they will always be evil._

The vision fades as Roxy feels Stella's hand on her shoulder.

* * *

Bloom blasts the remaining Warrior Fairies into a wall. They all fly away, and the Winx let their magic dissipate. The vines Flora summoned disappear in a green mist of sparkles, and Musa's shield vanishes, and they transform back into their human forms.

They walk through the now open doorway, to find a set of tunnels. There are five tunnels side by side, but with five feet of stone between each entrance.

There's another set of symbols carved on the wall, and Bloom automatically walks over and starts reading. The fight apparently did her some good, she is actually focused on the tunnel instead of whatever memories she is wrestling with.

She goes sheet white though, and doesn't move a muscle when Flora asks "You okay Bloom?"

When Stella puts a hand on her shoulder, she whips around to stare at them. She still has her knife out, and Ogron notices her grip on the hilt is white-knuckled; whatever those symbols say is not a good thing.

Techna asks "What's it say, Bloom?"

She turns around, and starts reading, and they can tell she is trying to keep her voice from shaking, along with her hands. "Face your fears, pass the test, and take a well-earned rest. Prove to yourself that you're not weak, and the Fairy of Justice you shall meet."

Stella says "Okay, it's just like in Obsidian then. We face our fears, we get through it." Bloom holds back the information that the word fear was a loose translation, the symbol is specialized to mean their unconscious fears, ones they might not even know they have. It'll likely have the settings of the worst time in their lives, but the test itself will be to get past some insecurity or question.

Ogron asks "What's Obsidian?"

Bloom automatically answers "The place where the people the worst criminals in the Magical Dimension feared were sent. We destroyed it to free Domino's people because the Three Ancestral Witches sucked them in with them." That answered the next question of why they were there, and the long explanation is something of a giveaway as to how nervous Bloom is. Also, so is the fact that her fist is on fire.

Anagan points the fact out, and the hand disappears behind her back. Something tells them all Bloom knows what she is going to see, but they don't have a clue as to what it is.

Techna says "Lets split up into groups of two, with one group of three."

Aisha pairs with Gantlos, Flora pairs with Anagan, and Musa pairs with Duman. That leaves five people left, but Bloom looks down at the ground and says "I'll go alone."

They all look at her, and Stella says "Bloom, that's crazy, of course you're not going alone, why would you even say that?"

"Because I'm not dragging anyone else into my nightmares!"

"No way Bloom, I'm coming with you."

Bloom backs up to the wall, while Stella walks forward fast, and they notice the fire on her hand has gone out. She says "Sorry Stell, but I'm not risking you too."

Stella tries to grab her shoulder, but her hand closes on thin air; and Bloom's body disappears, revealing it was just an illusion of her talking to them!

* * *

Everyone stares for a second, not knowing when she replaced herself with an illusion or where she snuck away to.

Duman asks "Uh, what the freak just happened?"

Aisha says "Let's find out. Believix!" The Winx transform, and use their Traceix wings to look into the last few minutes.

Bloom was there when her hand caught fire, and when Anagan pointed it out. But she made an illusion of herself, then walked out of it with an illusion over her as well that they can now see through, and slowly backed into a tunnel and did a spell with a look full of guilt and apology. They were so focused on the illusion of her, they never noticed her doing a spell at the entrance of one of the tunnels. When the illusion of her disappeared, she sprinted down the tunnel like all hell was on her heels.

It registers with the Wizards that the fire on her hand hadn't gone out, but spread up her arm; a really bad sign - and the magic covering her must've been her invisibility trick.

The spell ends, and Stella looks _mad._ "That's it, I'm going in there and knocking some sense into Bloom! Whether she likes it or not!"

She marches over to the tunnel they saw Bloom disappear into with a layer of orange surrounding her, but when she tries to step inside she hits an invisible wall. "What the…? You have got to be kidding Bloom!"

She starts pounding on the barrier, and Techna goes over and does a scan of it. "It looks like Bloom did a ward, one that won't let anyone with magic through it."

"We'll see about that!" Stella jumps back and tries using a Solar Storm on the ward, to try and break it. It simply dissipates on contact with the barrier, which briefly turns into a wall of fire on contact with the magic.

Anagan mutters "Just how strong is she anyway?"

Techna cuts in, saying "The ward only affects people with magic, and because she is wearing the Black Circle, it shouldn't affect the Wizards."

Flora asks "Why would she do that? Bloom's attention to detail is usually a lot better than that."

Techna says "It takes a lot more energy and time to make a ward that guards against everything - and it's a lot more noticeable. She's probably betting they won't care enough to go in after her, or possibly that they are thinking anything bad enough to scare her is likely deadly to everyone - which it likely is. As for why she is doing this, she is likely trying to protect everyone." The matter-of-fact way she says this, with no emotions or judgement in her voice, makes the Wizards think she might be part-machine, or possibly able to turn off her emotions when necessary.

Stella says "Well, it's really annoying. It doesn't feel like protecting us when she runs off on her own like this."

The Wizards all look at one another, and Ogron sighs and says "I'll go after her." He walks through the barrier, half expecting, and hoping just a little, that it will deny him entrance as well - but he feels a sense of heat and is suddenly on the other side.

Stella goes with Roxy, and Techna goes with Musa and Duman.

Ogron can see burnt footprints, another sign that Bloom is not exactly calm right now - but at least he'll know where she stopped.

The test won't start until they are all in a tunnel, so he has some time to find her and find out what is going on with her. Ever since they went into the room with the bridge, she's been unusually distracted, and he has no idea what the feeling of suffocating under something was about. She's usually the most level-headed of all the Winx, she always knows what to do, how to solve something or end the threat facing them; so this is weird on every level of the word.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom knows what she's going to see - or has a very good guess about it. Yes, the layer of magic over her is her way of turning invisible, she'd just finished the spell when Stella made her illusion disappear. PS. The next few chapters are going to be happening at the same time as one another. Please review!**


	162. In the Kraken's Lair, Again

_**In the Kraken's Lair, Again**_

Aisha and Gantlos go into a tunnel at random, and as they walk it gets darker and darker. "So what's with Bloom? All the times we fought her she didn't do something like that."

Aisha sighs and quietly says "She was kidnapped a few years ago, trapped under Cloudtower Castle while an enemy of ours was trying to take over the whole dimension. It was the demon from before, except he looked like a person most of the time. He was stealing the magic from all the planets, and he's the one who made the plan to kidnap her. She escaped, but she won't talk about what happened. Not to anyone, its driving us all insane, especially Stella."

Gantlos digests that for a minute, then realizes he can't see anything. "Hey, why can't we see anything?"

Aisha says ""I was blinded once, by the wizard who kidnapped Bloom. The test must be reenacting that. You can't see either?"

"No, and wait, what is that?" There is something soaking their shoes, and it's getting higher by the second.

Aisha takes a breath in through her nose, then says "Its saltwater! Grab my hand, quick!"

"Neither of us have gills Aisha, so unless you know a spell that lets people breath underwater-"

"I do, now grab my hand so I can do it already!"

They go towards the sound of each other splashing, and finally their hands meet. Aisha concentrates, and lets her Morphix power spread from her to Gantlos.

The water reaches their necks, they are floating in it now, and Gantlos takes in a deep breath, not knowing whether Aisha's spell worked or not.

* * *

The water goes over their heads, and after a second Aisha realizes Gantlos is holding his breath.

She smacks him hard on the back, saying "Breathe Gantlos! You can breathe underwater now! It'll wear off eventually, but not for hours; now take in a breath before you pass out!"

He sucks in a giant breathe, fully expecting to choke on saltwater, but his lungs register clean air. "Where…are…we?"

"I don't know, swim to the bottom, and keep a hold of my hand so we don't lose each other."

 _I could have told you that, fairy._

Gantlos is a good swimmer, but he's getting dragged along by Aisha. They make their way to the bottom, and find it's a cave of some kind.

They swim forward, and suddenly Gantlos feels something crunch under his boot when he sets it down. "What was that?"

Aisha says "It sounded like bone. Let me feel."

He moves out of the way, and Aisha kneels down and starts feeling the bones of the skeleton he accidentally stepped on.

She feels a human torso and head, but the legs are missing. Gantlos stepped on an arm, turning it to dust, but where the legs should be is replaced by a long spine that ends in a dolphin's tale; or a mermaids.

"I know where we are, and it's not a good thing."

"Where?" They can't see each other, but the worry in Aisha's voice is clear and it's not reassuring in the slightest.

"The Kraken's lair. It's a cave past the mermaid's city, deep in the ocean on Andros."

"Okay, what are we doing here? And what were you doing here?"

"I used to visit my cousins in the city all the time, but there's only one time I've ever been in this cave: to rescue my aunt, queen Ligea. She was imprisoned here by Valtor, when he took over Andros for a time."

"Your aunt is a mermaid?"

"Yeah, and so is my uncle, and my cousins. Its normal for me."

"You fairies are all really weird. So what's going to happen next?"

They are swimming along, and Aisha is already ahead of him, she is a natural swimmer and has been doing it for years - she did grow up on a planet made out of water after all. She connected them with a Morphix rope, so they would have both hands free.

They hear something swimming towards them, and suddenly something grabs Aisha around the waist. "Let me go you overgrown piece of calamari!"

They are suddenly dragged forward, and Gantlos can hardly keep his bearings. He can hear Aisha fighting, using spells on the Kraken to try and free herself.

For once, he really wishes Bloom were here right now, because her touch could convince the Kraken to let Aisha go in a second; she'd make her hand white-hot and grab onto the creature until it let go of Aisha, or stab the tentacle with her knife.

* * *

Somehow, Gantlos pulls himself forward by the rope, which has held strong even though its being pulled at least twenty miles an hour. He makes it to Aisha, and starts pulling at the Kraken's tentacles. He really wishes he had a knife right now; he thinks he gets why Bloom always has her weapons on her, because one would really help right now, even the quarterstaff.

To his surprise, the Kraken feels like a giant squid; far larger than any Earth creature, but the same basic creature. He can feel Aisha's magic spreading over the Kraken, a cold feeling in place of actually sensing the magic for what it is.

He manages to loosen one tentacle a little, and Aisha immediately works some Morphix into the space, keeping it open. They spend maybe thirty minutes working that way, and then Aisha slips free.

She lefts a bunch of Morphix in her place, so the Kraken doesn't realize what happened.

"C'mon Gantlos, before it realizes its holding a dummy made of Morphix!"

They swim for it, Gantlos being pulled along by Aisha's fast, strong strokes.

"How can you swim so well?" He doesn't have any other questions he can think of – about the situation - so he latches onto the fact that Aisha can swim so much better than he can despite the fact that he has been around so much longer than her.

"I grew up swimming, I pretty much learned to swim before I learned to walk. I'd come down to the mermaid's city all the time to visit my cousins. Wait, do you feel that?"

Gantlos knows what she means, and suddenly he can sort of see from above. They make a mad swim for the light, and their heads burst out of water.

They scramble up onto the rock floor, and Aisha makes the Morphix rope disappear with a wave of her hand. They are soaked to the bone, but it doesn't seem to bother Aisha in the slightest.

When they look back, the pool of water they came out of is gone, and the tunnel is just a tunnel again.

Aisha says "Jeez, Bloom wasn't kidding when she said Sibylla's good. I hope the others are having an easier time than that."

Aisha's stomach feels like it was squeezed four inches smaller, and she has a bruise where the Kraken's tentacle was wrapped around her waist.

* * *

 **AN: It's supposed to be overcoming your fears, but with a different setting than Obsidian - Aisha's was being blinded by Valtor and dragged along by the Kraken, so being near-helpless to protect herself. They probably should have realized when Bloom freaked and tried to leave everybody behind that it wasn't going to be easy or anything close. Yes, it's going to be very emotionally charged for the girls, some of them at least, and none of them are going to come out completely collected. Please don't hate, but I thought the series of traps should be more than a few rocks, a bridge to cross, and a fight to win. Please review if you don't like!**


	163. Omega and Mother

_**Omega and Mother**_

The two fairies and shapeshifter are walking in the tunnel, and Duman asks "What was that all about with Bloom? She doesn't seem the type to run off, not with something like this."

Techna and Musa look at each other for a second, gauging how much to tell Duman. They can read each other as well as Bloom can read others, having been roommates for the past three years at Alfea.

After a second, Techna says "Bloom was trying to protect us from whatever happened to her. When we found her, she'd changed, and she doesn't want us to change as well."

Duman asks "So, she was really different before whatever happened to her?"

Musa says "Yeah, completely. Still focused, but a lot more open and trusting. She'd trust us with her life a thousand times over, but she doesn't trust strangers." The two fairies look at him out of the corners of their eyes as Musa adds "Especially when those strangers tell her they are old friends."

Duman remembers Bloom look turn to instant mistrust and says "Obvious lie or not, it shouldn't have gotten that response from her."

Techna quietly says "She told us Valtor said he was an old friend of hers when they spoke on Andros."

"I'm guessing this 'Valtor' is Mr. Demon."

Musa lets out a strangled laugh, and Techna says "Yeah, except he looked like a man then. He only changed into a demon at the very end, and by then Bloom had escaped." Duman digests this, while the two fairies stay silent.

Suddenly, they notice its getting freezing cold, and they are all shaking.

* * *

Musa and Techna huddle together, hugging each other for warmth, and suddenly they realize everything is ice.

They look around, and Duman asks "W-w-where a-are we?" He's always been the thinnest of the Wizards, the most affected by the cold, but this is a new level of cold altogether.

Techna looks around then suddenly goes sheet white and lets out a strangled "No…"

She falls to her knees, shaking even harder; and Stella's hiking outfit doesn't do anything to keep her warm.

Musa crouches down beside her, saying "Techna! What's wrong, answer me!"

"N-n-not here. A-a-anyw-w-where but here…"

Musa lets loose a ball of pink light, and a bunch of ice-covered pods are revealed. Musa gasps, recognizing the Omega dimension. "Techna, listen it's not real!"

Techna brings her hands up, glowing electric green, and her thin hiking gear is replaced by a red-orange top and skirt that shows a lot more than she normally dresses. Her shaking instantly lessens a little though, and Duman can feel the heat coming off of her.

"W-w-what, did you get B-B-Bloom to enchant that?" He moves closer as he asks though, because Techna is now giving off more warmth than he can and he is trying not to freeze. He tries to think of what he would turn into if he had his powers, a polar bear maybe.

Techna says "No, I made it while I was trapped here. I also turned the ice chips into food if you're wondering."

Duman could laugh at that if his teeth would stop chattering, technology surrounded Techna surviving in a place as harsh and cold as this.

Musa is hugging Techna, having the same idea as him except she can actually get close enough to Techna for it to really work without it being amazingly awkward. She asks "S-s-surprised? Bloom isn't the only one who's survived something. She just had to survive the longest, and likely the most traumatic."

To change the subject Duman asks "So how do we get out?"

Techna says "We're at the bottom of Omega, we just have to avoid the ice snakes, possible escaped prisoners, and anything else I didn't see in my week here." She makes a ball of light of her own, and they start climbing the slope that leads upward.

Their phones would likely freeze, along with any gadget of Techna's, so she has to lead them out by instinct; which Zenithians are horrible at. They prefer hard data and facts, computer code that will do exactly the same thing a hundred times over rather than emotions wthat can change in an instant.

By the time they get out of the chasm and start climbing the path, they are covered in ice and snow, and Musa and Duman are nearly frozen to the bone. They stay as close to Techna as possible while walking straight forward, but when they finally get to the top it's been twenty minutes.

The ice disappears when they get to the spot where the Owl was in the real rescue, and the air instantly warms up, but Musa and Duman are still shaking even after. It feels like the cold is bone deep, so Musa hugs Techna like she will never let her go and soaks up the heat from her outfit for a minute.

Duman doesn't get close enough for that, not at all comfortable with two of the fairies he was enemies with a week ago.

 _But at least they're normal, as fairies go._

* * *

They keep walking, wondering why they haven't gotten out.

Suddenly, Musa freezes in her tracks, her look one of utter shock.

Techna asks "What is it? What do you hear?"

"That voice…"

Duman listens for a second, and he can faintly hear a female voice singing.

 _Return to me…_

Musa's look turns to one of grief, and she lets out a sob-word. "Mom?"

They hear the voice again, and Musa takes off sprinting. Duman thought only Anagan and Bloom could run like that, but Musa has some motivation.

He and Techna have to run as fast as they can to keep her in sight, but it only takes maybe a minute and a half before they catch up to her.

Musa is standing in front of a woman with hair the same color as hers and eyes to match. She is glowing white, and they can see right through her.

Musa has tears running down her cheeks, and the woman puts a hand to her face to wipe them away. But her hand passes right through Musa's cheek, and reforms when her fingers have stopped touching her face.

"Mom, is it really you?"

"Yes Musa, my brave girl, it's me. But I don't have much time, I have to go."

"No! I lost you once, I can't lose you again!"

More tears roll down Musa's face, and even Duman thinks this is harsh. He has always thought of crying as weakness, but even he can't help feeling bad for test sucks, he's glad for once he's been around since medieval times and long since moved on from the deaths of the people he knew well.

"Musa, I am always in your heart, but you have to let me go. Let go of your grief."

Musa starts sobbing, and Techna awkwardly hugs her, not being one for emotions. They are complete opposites, but they are also close as sisters and know how to comfort each other.

Techna doesn't say the woman who looks exactly like Musa's mother is her test, Musa kind of figured that out already. She doesn't say she isn't real, even though she isn't, and it's not really the spirit of Musa's mother, and Musa manages to stop crying for a minute.

She looks at the image of her mother, who is looking at her with compassion and care, and a childhood's worth of love. The look alone nearly breaks Musa right there, but somehow she manages to say "Goodbye mom…I love you."

"I love you to, Musa." The spirit fades, and Musa starts crying again.

Normally Duman would laugh at her pain, except he missed his mother for years after she was gone; Musa was just forced by Sibylla's magic to relive her grief all over again. He actually feels bad for the Music fairy, and doesn't say anything.

If Bloom were there, he'd get a death glare warning him not to say one word or she'd send him into the rock wall.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, most heart-wrenching chapter I've ever written. Won't do one like it ever again, promise. Was literally crying while writing it, cried when I formatted it as well. I wouldn't have done this to Musa, but I really couldn't think of anything else to do - plus, the cartoon did this to her in Season three in the Golden Kingdom as well, I only had her lose her voice. And yes, in case you didn't notice, the Wizards are all very curious about Bloom's very in-Bloom-like behavior. They've been wondering what's up with her ever since they first fought her - especially after Gardenia Park - and this all that's been happening since they surrendered is only fuel to that fire.**


	164. Self-Doubts

**_Self-Doubts_**

"Argh! I hate it when Bloom gets like this! She's as stubborn as a rock and when she really sets her mind to something nothing will make her back down."

Stella's been ranting like this ever since they walked into the tunnel, and Roxy has to agree. She has seen Bloom stubbornly refuse to back down plenty of times fighting the Wizards, even that time when Diana trapped her in vines. But this is something else altogether, she didn't even give the Winx a chance to change her mind. The thought crosses Roxy's mind that if the Winx had the chance, they might actually have succeeded, and Bloom couldn't take that chance.

"Maybe she didn't want you guys to go through what she did, whatever that was."

"Yeah, whatever that was. That's the point, she won't tell us a thing. Another way Bloom is stubborn, she refuses to tell anyone what happened to her. She'll talk all day about her time on Pyros, but she shuts up the moment anyone so much as mentions her imprisonment. She'll talk about what she can remember before she was turned evil by Darkar, she spilled instantly about how the Wizards tried to drug her, then put a sleep spell on her. Ogron went into her head, and then she woke up with a dislocated arm, and none of that bothered her. She'll even talk about her dream-memories of the destruction of Domino! But nobody can get one word out of her about whatever happened to her in Cloudtower, and not for lack of trying either. Mrs. Faragonda suggested she go to therapy sessions, but she went to exactly one."

"What happened?"

"Therapy in Magix involves going into the person's head and reliving the memories. The therapist had a worse panic attack than Bloom, and that's only because Bloom insisted on Ember being there with her for the session. The therapist was having an attack of his own, and Bloom was talking to Ember mentally. They were sharing memories of Pyros; the place is Bloom's personal paradise."

"Oh, well, that explains why she only went to one session. If the memories were too much for someone else-"

"Problem is, it was only supposed to be one at a time, Roxy. Boom remembered them all at once, imagine being in the ocean and trying to find a single drop of water."

"Oh."

"Yeah, we kind of figured it out when Bloom tried to talk about it and had a flashback from it. She teleported away and a few hours later we found her on Alfea's roof. After that, she never spoke of the time again. Except to say she didn't want to talk about it that is."

"How far did she get into the explanation?"

"A few words, I'd been really persistent and wouldn't let her get a word in until I was done with my rant. Then she got maybe three words in and started hyperventilating. After that, she vanished in a cloud of embers, and we found her sitting on top of Alfea's roof holding Ember to her chest."

Roxy tries to fit that image with what she knows of Bloom. She doesn't like crowds of strangers - specifically being lost in the crowd of strangers where someone could grab her at any moment and nobody would notice - she starts fingering her knife hilt when she is nervous, and she often goes for long walks on the beach outside the Frutti Music Bar while everyone else is inside enjoying themselves. Alone, all this could just be a pet peeve, a nervous habit that is slightly alarming, and a love of being outdoors. But if you know Bloom's past it becomes more troubling, especially if you know about the panic attacks that she fights off by working out somehow - swimming, exercising, running, all of it.

* * *

Suddenly, the two girls realize they can't see the tunnel entrance behind them, or where the tunnel ends; but they couldn't see that anyway.

Stella makes a ball of sunlight, and floats it up to get a better look. There's nobody but them in the tunnel, and Roxy turns to Stella. "Ok, what do we do now?"

Suddenly, Stella looks behind Roxy in surprise, and when Roxy follows her gaze she finds Bloom standing behind them with her arms crossed. She looks angry, a fire burning in her eyes, but the glare is for Stella.

The Fairy of the Shining Sun ignores the glare, used to Bloom's recent mood swings which can take her from warm to boiling hot then put out with tears in the space of a conversation. "Bloom! How did you get here? And why did you run off?"

Stella knows Techna's guess is probably spot-on, but she wants to hear it from Bloom. But there is a look in Bloom's eyes that is on the edge of furious and hating, and she hotly responds "Run off? Don't you mean kidnapped?"

"What? What do you mean Bloom?"

"I mean all the times I keep getting taken away. And I'll tell you why: you. You're the reason I keep getting taken away. First Darkar, then again with Valtor, I'm beginning to think you want me to never come back."

Tears come to Stella's eyes unbidden at her best friend's harsh words, but she can't deny them. It's what she has been thinking all this time, minus the part about wanting Bloom to never come back.

"You should have seen something was wrong from the start, and if not for you I would have been safe, but no. You had to try and talk me out of leaving, probably hoping the Trix would be waiting when I got back to the dorm." Stella starts crying full on now, her worst thoughts brought into the light by Bloom.

Roxy can't believe what she's hearing; the Bloom she knows would never say something like that. Then it hits her, Bloom would never say this stuff.

She gets between the fake Bloom and Stella and grabs the blonde fairy's shoulders. "Stella, listen, it's not Bloom. Bloom wouldn't say this stuff, and she could never be this cruel about it."

"It's true though, it's all my fault. If-"

Roxy doesn't let her finish, saying "Has Bloom ever said anything like this? Given any sign that she felt this way?"

"No, but she closed off a lot-"

"Not to you five! She trusts you with her life, and this isn't the real Bloom. The real Bloom is the one up on stage, having a good time singing away with you all. She hides that Bloom under her armor, protecting her from the outside world and anyone who would hurt her again. She would also tell you this stuff instead of letting you think it and wonder if she actually felt that way; but she wouldn't do it like this, angry and accusing."

Roxy keeps going, not knowing where she is getting all this but knowing without a doubt it's true. She's seen Bloom up on stage, and Bloom loves it there, with her friends, being happy and having a good time.

Stella sniffles, and then looks at the glaring version of her best friend. "Shut up, what would you know about it, faker? You're not Bloom and you never will be, now either get the real Bloom or go away!"

The fake Bloom gives Stella one last hate-filled glare before turning around exactly like Bloom would and stalking down the tunnel and vanishing into the shadows.

Stella starts crying again, but not sobbing this time. Now it's just tears rolling down her face silently.

Roxy can tell Stella is wondering of all the stuff was true, if it really is her fault that Bloom was kidnapped, and if Bloom secretly blames her for it happening. She keeps trying to tell Stella it was the test, it wasn't really Bloom but Stella's unconscious fears talking. It doesn't really get through to Stella though, she's too busy in her own thoughts of self-torment.

* * *

 **AN: It's like in the Shimmering Shells, where Nabu tells Aisha she let him die. Bloom doesn't actually think any of this stuff, it's Stella's secret guilt over everything that's happened to Bloom and how she might've stopped it. Don't think for a minute that this is a prelude to anything, I promise Stella's guilt is totally baseless.**


	165. Running in the Past

_**Running in the Past**_

Flora and Anagan are walking down the tunnel, each keeping to their own thoughts. Anagan wonders whether Flora picked that up from Bloom or vice versa; because Bloom hardly said a word of what she was thinking until asked.

Finally, Anagan can't take the silence and asks "Ok, how is Bloom so good at illusions? Because nobody noticed her leaving and putting an image in her place."

Flora says "We don't know, she said once she learned the trick of illusions when she was a kid."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"People see what they expect to see. Don't try to convince them otherwise. Let them see what they want to see. Also, an active imagination helps a lot."

Anagan snorts, but then thinks about it for a second.

Flora says "When you took her, she let you think she was sleeping when she was planning a way out. You seriously thought she was sleeping when you'd kidnapped her?"

"She wasn't moving, had no reaction when we got near, for all appearances, she was dead to the world."

"That's Bloom for you. She'll always try to get away. Also, she's not a heavy sleeper anymore."

"Yeah, why is that?"

"She probably thought you were going to use her for something. It's happened before, and the results weren't good. She ended up being turned evil, and we nearly had to fight her. As for the sleeping part, probably a survival thing."

"Oh, well, that wasn't on our list after we accidentally turned her evil. And what would we use her for anyway?"

Flora shrugs and says "Evil people have evil imaginations. I'm sure you four could have come up with something if you tried long enough." She has a point, but they all knew Bloom wouldn't let them use her for anything, she's far too stubborn for that.

Flora laughs when he points that fact out and says "She got every bit of her birth father's iron will, and a lot more from Pyros. Plus, she says she has two rock-heads for brothers and learned how to be extremely stubborn from them."

Anagan thinks about that, trying to imagine not one but two people more stubborn than her; he finds he can't do it, at least not as humans. What he comes up with are dragons, fierce as Bloom, and with even harder heads. Two dragons whose minds won't ever be changed by any opinion besides their own.

"Oh yeah, that's doubtful. Bloom's as stubborn as they get."

"Sky said she stayed on Earth the day she was attacked by the Trix 'til they discovered she was gone. She'd left them a scrying bowl, and used it to talk. She met them in some college for something with Sky, then she was attacked not thirty minutes later."

"Why go back if she knew she was going to be attacked?" Anagan has no doubt Bloom knew, or she wouldn't have disappeared.

"She had just got back from Alfea two days ago, and this was apparently the time her adopted mother was killed, so at least the day before had been rocky at best. If you knew her at all beyond fighting, she's actually a big softie when it comes to the people she cares about."

Anagan just raises an eyebrow, the day he views Bloom as a softie is the day he checks himself into a psych ward.

Flora shrugs and says "Believe it or don't, doesn't make a difference to Bloom."

 _Let them see what they expect to see…Bloom's good._

They know nothing about Bloom's temperament beyond fighting her, which is why the look she gave Ember, her giving them pizza, everything she's done that hasn't been hostile has been such a shock; they honestly didn't think she cared at all. When she gave them pizza, they could have fainted from shock; when she bluntly said they looked half-starved, it was a lot closer to what little they knew of her personality, and so much easier to process.

Anagan wants to know where Bloom learned that, the Winx said she told them she grew up on Asgard, so he asks about that. All four Wizards know the Norse myths, and growing up around someone who does illusions would explain her talent with them. "What she said about growing up in Asgard, do you believe it?"

Flora looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and finally says "I don't know, Techna said she should have been delirious at the temperature she was at, but it never really lowered and she never talked about her childhood again after that."

"And if she wasn't delirious, if she knew exactly what she was talking about?"

Flora looks down and quietly says "Then we hurt her, a lot."

* * *

Anagan looks at Flora, and finds she is in a dress he has never seen on her before and her hair is up.

He stares in shock, until she asks "What?"

"Where'd the dress come from?" Flora looks down in shock, and then they look around. The tunnel has turned to a hedge maze with stars overhead, and the rest of the Winx are behind them; and Bloom is _crying._

Anagan has to look three times, because a second look is not enough to process the sight of the tough fairy they've fought so many times sobbing into her hands heartbrokenly - and in a _dress_ no less. They looked through her closet as well, and the tightest clothing they could find was tank tops. So why she has a dress that looks heavy and ridiculously fancy on is beyond him.

Then, he hears the sound of footsteps running towards them, and so does everyone else. All the Winx look up, and Anagan is shocked to realize Bloom isn't the tough fairy he knows in this test; this must be before she was kidnapped.

Flora can apparently read his mind, or the disbelieving stare he is leveling at fake Bloom, because she says "This is right before she was taken, a week before, it's one of the reasons she was taken. C'mon, we're about to split up."

Bloom's voice is shaky with tears, but she says "Lets split up, they can't catch all of us." They come to a crossroads of sorts, with six different passages forward, a lot like Sibylla's latest test, except now it's made of plants.

Flora and Anagan go down the one that isn't taken, and Flora makes the bushes grow to cover all the entrances to throw the soldiers off.

"So, what exactly is this test about?"

Flora shrugs and says "I don't know, let's get out of this maze."

They spend thirty minutes making their way through the hedge maze on Eraklyon, while Anagan questions Flora about what is going on. She explains while they try not to get shot by guards, how Diaspro put Sky under a spell, how he broke Bloom's heart three times over, how she cried for a week straight.

They finally make it out, to see the rest of the Winx there as well. Sky appears with a bow, Aisha makes her Morphix barrier, and Bloom stays behind to talk with Sky. When she comes back, she's sniffling again, and wiping tears away from her eyes.

They make it to the Owl, and this time Flora's ready for the dragon's breath. She makes a barrier, and they all get onto the ship, except for Bloom and Stella. Stella saves her father, and Bloom makes a shield around the ship while it warms up. As soon as the ship takes off, the inside of it fades to a dark stone tunnel and the test is over. Neither of them have any idea what Flora's test was, and they don't really care.

They survived getting shot at by guns, a bow and arrow, and even attacked by a dragon, that's more than enough for one time.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I couldn't really think of a fear or insecurity for Flora to overcome - so I just made it a bunch of info about Bloom for Anagan to be shocked at. He doesn't know what to think about Bloom's claim of growing up on Asgard - but hey, they don't know anything about her either. Also, yes, I know, not an exact recreation of their escape through the hedge maze - wasn't supposed to be. Speaking of Asgard, thought of taking the Wizards there instead, but Sibylla is important later in the story - no spoilers though! Keep reading to find out!**


	166. Trapped in Cloudtower Again

**_Trapped in Cloudtower Again_**

Ogron's hurrying down the tunnel, trying to find Bloom. She may be trying to protect her friends, but this is ridiculous.

He is walking fast, trying to think how far she would have gone into the tunnel. Its only when he hears the sound of muffled sniffling that he slows down.

After maybe a second, Bloom appears out of the shadows, with her back turned to him and wiping her face with one wrist. "I'm so sorry Winx, but if you were in there…"

She doesn't even know he's there, until he puts one hand on her shoulder. Then she whips around fast, and he sees tear tracks going down her cheeks. The image of the strong, put-together fairy who kept beating them to a pulp is gone for the moment, replaced by tears and a look of guilt as she put up a ward to protect her friends and ran down the tunnel as fast as she could so she wouldn't hear Stella yelling at her for being a stubborn idiot.

She asks "What are you, of all people, doing here?" She doesn't sound challenging though, she sounds tired; like she has been doing this kind of thing for far too long.

"Going after you. What was that about?"

Instead of answering, Bloom turns away from him, still wiping her face. "Go back, before it starts. Before your stuck in this trap with me."

"Ridiculously stubborn fairy." Ogron is done with this, so he spins Bloom around, grabs her shoulders, picks her up, and slams her back into the tunnel wall. One advantage of him being so much taller than her - and her being a featherweight - he can do this easily, and her feet are a foot off the ground.

She doesn't twitch, doesn't try to break his hold in her shoulders, even though he's sure she could if she wanted to. She just stares at him with shining eyes, and says "Let me go Ogron, you don't know what you're getting into."

"Maybe not, but I know you enough to see through your act this time."

She just stares at him, and he keeps going, trying to read her like she has read them like open books. "You would never just abandon your friends like that, not unless you were trying to protect them from something worse than they've already faced."

She looks away, and whispers "What they want is impossible, magic or no magic. They want me to be a girl who only exists in memories now. She was thrown into a cell for two months, I escaped."

"You make it sound like someone else died and you took her place."

"Maybe that's how it feels."

Ogron just stares at her, wondering what could have happened to make her feel that way. "What happened? Where were you taken?"

He feels her stiffen under him, and suddenly, she looks up at him with no color in her face. "Here."

When he looks around, the tunnel is gone, but it would be impossible to tell because there is even less light than before. The small room they are in is dark stone, and he can see even darker spots. It's hard to tell in the near-total darkness, but it looks like it might be writing burnt into the stones.

* * *

Ogron drops Bloom's shoulders instantly, and turns around to take a look at where she was supposedly taken. He takes two steps and promptly trips over something lying on the floor; something big. He feels like a total fool, but Bloom thankfully doesn't laugh, doesn't do anything but try to calm her racing heart and breathing.

He takes a close look at what he tripped over, it looks like a body. He feels a skirt, torn up and thin, a soft top with short sleeves, and long hair in a tangled mess. His eyes are adjusting to the darkness, and he can make out a few details, the skirt is a dark color, blue or maybe black, the top has white stripes, and the hair is a vibrant bright color - a color he has only seen on a few other beings anywhere.

He turns the body over, and is faced with Bloom's features. He immediately flips, and starts near-hysterically wondering why there is a body that is an exact likeness of Bloom lying on the floor - and stone cold for that matter.

He is thinking about what she said, about how someone else died and she took her place, and is thinking maybe that was a little more literal than he thought.

He only realizes his reaction isn't just in his head when Bloom asks "Why are you the one freaking out when it's my nightmare?"

"Why the hell is there a body that looks like it could be your twin sister dead on the fl-!" He doesn't get any further because Bloom slaps him hard across the face.

One of Ogron's hands goes to touch the new red mark on his cheek, while he stares at Bloom uncomprehendingly. "Get it together Ogron, it's just a dummy I made using a skeleton! I spelled the bones to look like me so they would think I was dead and not go looking for me when I escaped! Now stop panicking before we both break down completely!"

Bloom's voice is shaking, barely but he can hear it, and the fact just shocks Ogron all the more. Also, her magic is flickering and going in and out – her fear feeding it, but something else smothering it.

He doesn't keep panicking though, and heads for the slice of light he can see on the floor. Its barely anything, a small sliver that does nothing to fight the darkness around it, but it points him to the door.

"Wait, whatever you do, don't touch the" he grabs the bars in the door to look through them and immediately gets electrocuted, then he goes flying at high speed into the wall - which is not that far, making it hurt all the worse - hits a wooden bench, and then falls off onto the floor "door."

Maybe his brain was just cooked, but he swears he hears sympathy in her voice.

He hears a few light footsteps, a glow appears above him, and a warm hand finds his face.

"Ogron, you still alive?"

His throat is incredibly sore, he has a taste like burnt metal in his mouth; and maybe it's the shock, but he swears Bloom sounds concerned for him.

"Say something you jerk."

Her voice is getting shaky again, like she might be starting to completely lose it – and the glow in front of his eyelids strengthens.

"Ogron, I swear if you die and leave me in here alone, I will drag you back by the hair and beat you to a pulp for it."

It's the kind of ridiculous thing Bloom would say, and he has to chuckle at it, except the chuckle hurts and turns into a groan.

He hears a sigh from Bloom, and then feels small arms pick him up and put him on something else.

"You ass, I thought you'd been cooked."

 _It feels that way._

He is on the wooden bench he fell onto and then off, and how did she manage to pick him up?

A bright light suddenly shines into his face, forcing him to turn his head away from the blinding light and shield his face - and _damn,_ it hurts like hell.

"Well, at least your neck isn't broken. Don't try to stand yet, trust me, bad idea."

She sounds like she knows what she's talking about, so he listens.

 _How long have you had that thing?_

"The flashlight? A while, ever since I got back to Magix after this part of my life."

He tries talking now, and finds his throat doesn't hurt too much. "What'd you do to it?"

"I made it so you can see magic traces with it. Look at the walls." He looks at the nearest one, and she shines the light at it.

Writing starts glowing orange, like a campfire burning low, pieces of songs he recognizes and some he doesn't; all in Bloom's handwriting. The light moves to the dummy, which starts a dim orange glow, revealing an old dusty skeleton beneath the layer of magic.

"Satisfied that I haven't sacrificed anyone to get out of here before now?"

* * *

Ogron can feel something in the air, it's almost like a buzz. When he asks about it, Bloom takes a minute to answer.

"So you can feel it to? It's not a buzz to me, it's a blanket. That's hundreds of spells, suppression, magic-dampening, all to keep the prisoner in here and not using magic."

He goes into her head for a second, and feels something like an overwhelmingly crushing weight.

 _No wonder she could use her magic when we took her, that was nothing compared to this._

He keeps the thought to himself, while Bloom searches for the way she escaped years ago. Now he recognizes this place, it's the place from the nightmares he didn't understand, the ones that left him awake for the entire night – the suffocating feeling must have been all the spells.

He hears her roll the dummy over, and she says "Hang on a second, I'll be right outside."

"How? You said it yourself, all the magic in here is to keep someone - _us_ \- in here."

"The spells were on each brick, I un-spelled one and the dummy was covering it."

 _Oh._

She disappears in a puff of embers, and the cell feels a little colder for it. Thankfully, he hears someone fall to the floor a second later, and it can only be Bloom.

"Bloom?"

"Give me… a sec." she's breathing like she just ran a marathon, except she probably could without breaking a sweat.

A minute later, he hears a small click in the lock, and the door swings open. He gets up unsteadily, his legs weak like cooked noodles, but he makes it out of the cell; suddenly not able to stand a minute more when freedom, and light, are wide open.

When he gets out of the tiny cell and looks back, he sees the space is barely five normal steps wide - its practically claustrophobia-inducing. He winces in pain and sympathy for Bloom, especially after being electrocuted by the door.

 _Wait…where is Bloom?_

She isn't in the hallway, but he looks down and sees her shoes on the floor – and covered in a sheen of her magical fire. She is sitting with her head between her knees against the wall, shaking like she is freezing cold and hyperventilating; except the fire is filling the room with more heat each second.

He kneels down in front of her, more than shocked by the turn of events. "Bloom, it's a test, we're still in Italy."

"I swore, I swore I would never come back here." He can tell why, she was desperate enough to make a dummy of herself to fake her death - of course she wouldn't come back for anything or anyone.

"You haven't, its Sibylla's magic that makes it seem like it." Now he gets why she always seems fearless, everything they did doesn't come close to what she must have gone though in that cell.

She suddenly looks up at him, and says "You can't tell them…please."

She's _asking_ him, as close as he's ever heard her come to begging. He thought she would never ask him for anything, but now she's asking him to keep her secret.

She means the Winx, she doesn't want them to know what this place is like and he can see why she didn't tell; the place would change anyone with enough time.

"I won't." He doesn't know why he just said that, but he also won't tell her friends after he said he wouldn't.

After a second, Bloom pushes herself up by the knees and the fire burns lower, and Ogron stands as well. She takes out her knife and starts down the corridor, because her test obviously isn't over.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, it all comes to a head with Bloom. All four of them had better be incredibly grateful after everything that's happened - Bloom's been getting almost nothing but reminders of her time under Cloudtower since they started this adventure after all. That's literally the most dangerous thing that's been happening - yes, her fear was overriding the insane amount of suppression magic that was affecting her, she's been nothing but worried since they got to the cave. Keep reading to find out what Bloom's test is - because teleporting out of the cell is just too easy.**


	167. Escaping Cloudtower

_**Escaping Cloudtower**_

They have been walking through this maze of passages for what seems like hours, but it can't have been more than ten minutes; and Bloom is taking fire from every torch they pass, adding it to her own, and saying the words to 'Just Like Fire' in a normal voice while the song plays from apparent-thin air.

Ogron doesn't mind, she desperately needs a distraction from this place - and so does he after a while. Also, he really doesn't want her to blow up in this confined a space - especially since he's in here with her. The fire around her is close to her right now, but he can practically see the tension coming off her - one good jolt and she'll blow the whole mountain apart.

They are maybe a foot apart, and Bloom is looking around paranoidly. He doesn't blame her, that cell would make anyone paranoid after even an hour. It's the flaming knife in her tight fist that worries him a little more; though, again, that seems more for her own comfort than any kind of threat to him.

They have gone up around five corridors when Bloom suddenly freezes then takes off in a full sprint.

Ogron can't keep up with her, so he instead follows the trail of burning footprints she leaves behind.

It takes him a minute or so, but he finally catches up to her standing in front of a cell with an orange glow coming from the door.

"Daphne?" Her face is a mask of horror, with guilt mixed in.

When Ogron takes a look at the inside of the cell, he gets another good shock: it's the woman who sent the baby that turned out to be Bloom away in her dream. She looks exactly the same, transparent, mask, ribbons at her wrists, and this close she shares an uncanny resemblance to Bloom. Their faces are the same shape, and it looks like they have the same bone structure; making Ogron wonder who the woman is to Bloom - then he remembers what she said about having a sister.

"Oh no, not you to Daph…"

 _Daph?_

The fact that Bloom uses a nickname for the woman implies a lot, but it's when the woman speaks that the mystery is solved for him - and it's what he was guessing.

"Bloom, little sister, I'm so glad your free at last."

 _I guess this explains the curses she's going through._ Again, he keeps the thought to himself.

Bloom's eyes fill with tears and they run over almost instantly. "What has he done to you Daphne?"

She reaches up to grasp the bars without thinking, but this time nothing happens. Daphne wraps her fingers around Bloom's and says "Get away Bloom, while you still can."

Bloom blinks, and says "Not without you Daph. I'm not leaving you here."

Daphne shakes her head and says "No, I'll slow you down, you have to run. Leave me Bloom."

Ogron whispers "Bloom, maybe you should listen to the spirit woman and go."

Bloom whips around, a fire suddenly burning in her blue eyes. "If you think for a minute I'm abandoning my sister to this hellhole to save my own skin, you've got another thing coming Ogron! If the test is to leave my sister behind, I'd gladly fail it a thousand times over before even considering taking that option!"

Ogron steps back for a second, then starts laughing.

At that, she gets even angrier, and asks "Mind sharing the joke so I can laugh as well?"

" _That's the test_ : what you would do in this situation." He keeps laughing, and nearly stops breathing from laughing so hard when he hears something like an amused snort come from Bloom. In seconds, they are both laughing in the replica of the dark stone corridor with torches on the walls, their flames leaping merrily.

Once they manage to get themselves under control, Bloom runs her fingers through the hair near her scalp and produces a dragon-shaped hairpin from it.

Ogron stares at it, having a pretty good idea of what it's for. "A hairpin? Let me guess: unlocking spell."

She kneels down to the lock, and inserts it, wiggling it around, and says "Bingo."

He has to laugh at Bloom's predictability, as random as it can be. She has a hairpin that can unlock any lock, dragon-print sunglasses that hide dragon eyes, and a belt that hides a knife and sword at her hips.

She loses the grin for a look of concentration, tuning out Daphne's insistent requests to leave. She mumbles "Locking spell, gonna be a minute."

Both sisters freeze suddenly, then Bloom unfreezes and starts working the pin back and forth hastily. "Come on, come on, work already!"

"Bloom, you have to go, he's coming - you know he's coming." Bloom isn't even listening to Daphne right now, her full concentration on the lock with a hairpin sticking out of it.

* * *

Suddenly, a masculine voice says "Well, well. Out of your cell Bloom?" and every ounce of blood instantly drains from Bloom's face, a thing Ogron has only seen happen one other time.

A man in a purple mantle is standing in the doorway, and he's holding a purple fireball in the palm of his hand. He has long red-blonde hair, and a smug and arrogant look on his face.

Bloom whips around, holding a fireball of her own and yells "Let my sister go you psycho, demon-freak!"

A look of anger crosses Valtor's face, and Bloom tells Ogron "Get my sister out of that cell, he's mine." Her magic forms a sphere around him and the door, making it impossible for him to be hit or get out and help fight. He turns back to the pin still inserted into the keyhole.

He doesn't see anything, but he can sure hear the sounds of Bloom and Valtor fighting; mostly the sound of bodies being slammed into the walls and spells being cast. He keeps moving the pin in the keyhole, trying to turn it, hoping Bloom's magic works this time like it has every other time.

He can hear Daphne pounding on the door, trying to get out to help her sister, and grunts and snarls in Bloom's voice that sound like they are from three tigers in a fight to the death.

 _Well, one part of that description is correct, it's a fight to the death alright. She won't hesitate to kill him for taking her sister captive, test or not._

Suddenly, he hears a small click, and the door swings wide open. Daphne rushes out of the cell to help Bloom, but the fight is almost over.

Both people are covered in bruises and burns, but Valtor is by far the worse off - with his coat singed to the knees and with several bruises and marks that look like she _clawed_ him on his face turning some very interesting colors. His shirt is torn in several places, and is turning red from blood in as many other spots - what exactly did he miss while trying to open a lock, and exactly how bad is it when Bloom goes off on someone?!

Valtor manages to back Bloom into a wall though, and is about to hit her with a fireball when Ogron sees her hand move in a flash to her hip; the one where her knife is held. Faster than Ogron can track, she draws her knife, sets it on fire, and throws it into Valtor's chest; right where his heart should be located.

The fireball instantly goes out, and his body is disintegrated by Bloom's fire almost instantly.

She looks shocked, but Ogron isn't that surprised about that; after all, from what he knows the guy is supposedly using a dark version of her magic. The knife lands on the stone floor with a _clang_ , the only noise in the hallway.

Daphne floats over and hugs her, which Bloom returns after one shell-shocked second. When she registers the hug, she hugs Daphne back and buries her face in Daphne's transparent shoulder. She takes in a shuddering breath, and Ogron picks up the knife, which is still on fire, though the fire is at low point.

Daphne vanishes, and Bloom slides down the wall, and puts her face in her hands. Her body isn't shaking, but he doesn't need to go into her head to know she is not alright. He just now realizes she's covered in fire again, and now it burns low - so that's the one person that can scare her, Ogron's glad he's already dead.

Instead of saying anything, he holds the knife hilt in front of her. He is still uncomfortable with her showing any kind of weakness, they had all come to see her as some kind of invincible fairy: nearly impossible to beat, and completely impossible to keep down for long. So her breaking down now is too much of a shock to process right now, at least not without some context.

He gets that she puts up a tough act to prevent people from seeing her secret fear; he even gets her being part-dragon on some level, because it made her stronger. But her breaking down, and making it so she would have done it alone, that he doesn't get at all.

She looks up, and after a second takes the weapon. The fire goes out at her touch, and she stands up and sheathes it.

After one very deep breath in and out, Bloom looks around and notices the corridor under Cloudtower has turned back into the tunnel in the Sibylline caves.

 _If I never do this again, it will be an eternity too soon. This woman had better agree._

Ogron hears the thought, but doesn't comment, privately agreeing.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom's basically been re-traumatized all over again - good thing she killed Valtor this time and didn't lose any of her friends in the process. Fake-Daphne's imprisonment probably helped quite a bit with that though, as it made Bloom too angry to be scared until she got cornered - and, as we've all likely heard, a cornered animal is far more dangerous than not. Yes, Bloom lost her cool in a very in-princess-like way on fake-Valtor for imprisoning Daphne - which spells trouble for Tritannus way later in the story. You'd think evil people would learn! Keep reading to find out what happens next!**


	168. Reunited

_**Reunited**_

Everyone walks out of the five tunnels at the same time.

Gantlos and Aisha are soaking wet, and Gantlos is grumbling about now hating Calamari.

Flora and Anagan are covered in what look like scratches from branches.

Musa, Techna, and Duman are shaking like they are freezing cold, and Techna is wearing an orange outfit that is like a beacon to Bloom's sense of heat.

Musa's face is tearstained, and so is Stella's, while Roxy is trying to comfort her in her quiet way.

Bloom is covered in burn marks and bruises, and Ogron smells like fire and smoke. Bloom looks much paler than normal, but that could be from the contrast with her bruises, which aren't light, along with some burn marks on her arms and legs. They look like the same kind of mark she had on her neck after the fight in the field, but she doesn't say anything about them and neither does anyone else.

Everyone comes together, both groups staying a few feet apart.

Everyone is more than a little raw, but Stella is apparently the worst; because she immediately throws her arms around Bloom's neck and starts crying. "I'm a terrible best friend, it's all my fault!"

Roxy says "I keep saying it's not Stella."

Confusion paints itself all over Bloom's face, and she looks at Roxy for a second then at the mess of Stella's hair in her line of sight. "What's all your fault? What in the Great Dragon are you talking about?"

"You keep getting kidnapped, I sh-"

"That's crazy Stella." Bloom doesn't even let Stella finish her sentence, not wanting Stella to lay this on her as well.

"What? But-"

Bloom pulls Stella off her by the shoulders to look her in the eye, and says "No, that's crazy and you know it. For Magix's sake, why would I blame you?"

Stella sniffs and says "You walked right past me right before Darkar took you, and I tried to stop you from leaving Alfea at the assembly…"

"You were walking, so was I! So was Avalon, who turned out to be Darkar in disguise. You couldn't have known I was under a spell. As for trying to talk me out of leaving, if you hadn't I might have made it home," Stella starts tearing up again, and Bloom rushes on to prevent another flood of tears "and the Trix might have followed me, putting everyone I grew up with in danger. And if you had somehow managed to talk me out of going, the entire school would have been in danger."

 _Not one word you four, or I swear I will put your faces in the wall._ All four Wizards heard this, they don't doubt she will; her mental voice was shaky as well, and they could sense a mess of emotions they couldn't identify running underneath the words.

Stella sniffles, and says "I should have known-"

"And I should have known Avalon was really Darkar, I should have known I was under a spell as soon as I smelled the flower that was on my breakfast plate, and I absolutely should have known Valtor was a demon. But I didn't; and if I didn't know any of that, then you can not know they were going to kidnap me. And why exactly would you think I blame you when I'm positive I've never done anything to suggest it?"

"You never go anywhere, not shopping with me, or out for pizza, or-"

Bloom facepalms, and says "Stella, I'm paranoid about strangers, large crowds make me think someone will attack me out of nowhere - which has now actually happened - and I never go anywhere without a knife in my belt. Do you honestly think I want to stab some poor sales clerk to death because she surprised me from behind doing her job?"

She has a point, and Bloom adds "Besides, you buy out the entire dress store every time you walk in. Hm, let's see, I need a new dress for a party on Solaria that I'm dragging Bloom to so she can be at maximum tension for hours on end, what to buy? I know, I'll try on a few and see which one I like since Bloom is holed up in the dorm. Oh, I like them all, so I can't choose which one. Oh crud, I just bought out the entire store's collection of dresses, now I have no idea what to wear for the party, what to do? Oh, I know! I'll wake Bloom up at the crack of dawn on Solaria, float the bed up and turn it on its side to make her wake up, then hold up dresses for Bloom to judge, thoughtfully making a pile of discards for her to go back to sleep on when she picks a yes for me."

By now, Stella is smiling despite the tear paths going down her face, and asks "You really remember all that?"

"Course, why wouldn't I? Aside from the fact that it was two in the morning that is."

The rest of the Winx are all smiling now to, and Aisha asks "She really turned the bed on its side to get you out of it?"

"Yeah, I made a good thud when I hit the stone floor. And after enough dresses, you don't really notice all the rhinestones and gems. Especially since dawn on Solaria is about three hours before the rest of Magix."

Musa sputters a laugh, and Stella indignantly says "Hey, I'm the Fairy of the Shining Sun, I always wake up with the sunrise when I'm home!"

All the Winx are holding back laughter now, and Musa says "Yeah, but where is that back in Gardenia?"

Techna adds "Or at Alfea?"

All the Winx are laughing now, holding their sides, and it's starting to get to the Wizards. Anagan is grinning, Duman is getting there, and Ogron and Gantlos are looking amused.

The only fairy not holding her sides laughing is Bloom, who's holding back the giggles for Stella's sake. Stella turns to Bloom, and sees the look on her face.

"Oh, not you to Bloom!"

"Well, they have a point Stella."

"You're supposed to be on my side here! Fire-head."

Bloom gets a grin on her face, and says "Light-brain."

They Winx start trading playful insults with one another, Techna is 'Study-freak', Musa is 'Music-geek', Flora is 'Green-thumb', and Aisha is 'Surfer-girl'.

Now they are all laughing, like nothing happened in the tunnels - looks like they all know how to play one another like Musa plays a guitar.

* * *

The Wizards don't say anything mentally, because Bloom can hear them, but they can read each other just as well as the Winx can.

It comes from working together for so long, they know what the other three will say before a question is asked.

The Winx are the same way, able to read each other like books, they know how to cheer each other up, which buttons to press, etc.

Bloom says "C'mon, let's go meet the Fairy of Justice." They all walk through the last stone archway, with the Winx in the lead and the Wizards following.

Ogron isn't sure how Bloom pulled herself together so fast, most people would have been long broken from her test; but she managed to keep herself together until she was out of the cell.

Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman are looking at him questioningly, but he gives them a look that says 'Not now, I'll tell you later.'

They obviously want to know what happened in the tunnel, but he honestly doesn't understand it himself.

He met Bloom's sister, who is a _ghost_ , and was not even a foot away while she fought her exact opposite. He watched her have a panic attack, the first real weakness he has ever seen in her, and now he doesn't know what to think about her.

* * *

When they get into the cavern, it's a lot smaller than the others, with a chair that looks like it's been carved from the rock wall behind it. Sibylla appears, and the Winx all drop to one knee.

"Welcome Winx, you did well in the tests you faced."

Stella says "Not to sound rude or anything, but why all the tests and everything?"

"You come with the darkest of companions. Tell me, why have you brought them?"

Bloom answers "They asked for protection, and to a fairy, that is a sacred request - or it should be."

Sibylla smiles, and says "I agree. I believe nobody should follow the path of vengeance, and that includes Morgana. I hereby take charge of the Wizards of the Black Circle until their fate is decided."

A group of Rustic fairies fly out of a smaller tunnel that looks like a regular doorway, and lands a few feet from the Wizards.

Bloom rises and steps forward, looking uncertain for a minute – the way her wings are flicking back and forth is a giveaway, along with the way she automatically looks at her necklace with one hand while fingering the hilt of her knife with the other. She bites her bottom lip for a second, and says "Sibylla, do you know-"

"I know the question that burns in your heart Bloom, and I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. I wish I did, but the curse they used is unknown to me."

Bloom's shoulders sag for an instant, and then straighten back up.

Ogron thinks of Bloom's sister, and the 'project' she has been working on for years, the one with her looking through books of ancient curses.

He gets a feeling he knows what the project is, but he doesn't say anything; no wonder she spends her nights looking through ancient spellbooks instead of having smoothies at the Frutti Music Bar.

* * *

The Winx teleport back to Gardenia, while the Wizards pick a room in the cave to live out of. Turns out, Sibylla used the natural cave system to make a place she could actually live in. She has a library, training room, and about a million rooms to sleep in. Most of those are being used by the Rustic Fairies again, now that they are free, but one with four stone beds is open.

Once the Wizards are alone, they compare stories about what happened in the tunnels.

Gantlos has sworn off Calamari, and for a justifiable reason, Duman swears he's never going to the Omega dimension again, Anagan has had more than enough of being shot at, and Ogron is confused more than ever about Bloom.

They all are, she seems to be a mess of mysteries.

They are getting more of the pieces though, but they still can't put them together yet.

She's trying to un-curse her sister, they figured that much out after Sibylla said she didn't have an answer for Bloom, her tough act is armor she hides behind, the list goes on and on.

They have figured out why she didn't naively give them her name from the start, and why her expression turned from suspicion to anger and mistrust when they said they were old friends of hers.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, the torture for Bloom is over - it's a miracle and Bloom's self-control that the mountain didn't get blown up by Bloom when she heard Valtor's voice - human-Valtor, that is. I were her, I'd have had a heart attack right then - she was a little too angry to remember to be scared at the time though. Good thing all the tests are over now! - because anything else and Bloom might just freak and blow something up. Keep reading to find out what the Warrior Fairies do!**


	169. Earth Freezing

_**Earth Freezing**_

The next day, the Winx are all sitting in Gardenia Park with the Specialists. Bloom is reading another spellbook, with Sky sitting right behind her making it extraordinarily difficult for her to concentrate. The rest of the Winx are discussing what the name of their band should be; because they can't be the 'Six Winx Girls' for much longer.

Musa comes up with 'Winx Club Band', as in the Winx Club Band.

They all agree, and then a cold wind suddenly blows through, making everyone but Bloom shiver.

Sky wraps his arms around her, and everyone huddles closer because she is basically a living furnace. She takes the hint and starts glowing orange, giving off even more heat than usual, warming up everyone in a matter of moments.

Stella asks "Is it just me, or is it even colder than usual?"

They all agree, except for Bloom who doesn't feel temperatures like they do. For her, it's like energy in the air she can manipulate, and cold is a lack of it. Her body produces so much heat that she has a permanent microclimate around her.

Suddenly, it gets really cold, and Nebula appears out of nowhere. "Hello Winx."

Roxy asks "Nebula?"

Bloom teleports between Roxy and Nebula, and the rest of the Winx run up ready to fight. Bloom is in a fighting stance, but Nebula holds up her hands.

"I'm here to deliver a message from Morgana, not to fight. If you don't bring the Wizards of the Black Circle to her, then you will suffer the wrath of the Second Warrior Fairy, Aurora, Fairy of the North."

Bloom says "Your threats don't scare us, no matter who they come from or how they're said."

Nebula blinks for a second, then continues. "Her revenge is not being unleashed against you, but against the humans of Earth."

Musa asks "Being unleashed, as in, its already started?"

"That's right, and only you can stop it!" Nebula holds up her hands, and an orb appears with an image of the planet being frozen, and being frozen really fast.

"The Northern Seas have started to freeze, and soon ice will spread across the land, leaving the planet covered in one giant glacier."

Bloom balls her hands into fists, and says "We stopped Morgana once, and we can do it again Nebula!"

Nebula holds her hands up and backs up a step, saying "You only have two choices: hand over the Wizards or watch your precious planet freeze." She disappears as quickly as she came, leaving a cold wind in her wake.

Bloom says "Two choices huh? Well, I don't like either of them."

She closes her eyes tightly, and concentrates hard, trying to send her thoughts to the other end of the globe.

 _Ogron? Ogron! OGRON!_

 _Ow, how are you in my head when your in-_

 _Shut up and listen, I can't keep this up for long. My head is already starting to hurt. The planet is being frozen by the Warrior Fairies, they want us to hand you over._

 _And you're not going to-_

 _If I was going to teleport over and tie you four up, I wouldn't be telling you what's happening!_

 _Oh, right. Good point._

 _Duh. Nebula gave us the two options, I'm going with number three: stop them ourselves._

She breaks the link, her head hurting from the amount of concentration required to broadcast her thoughts all the way to Italy.

Sky says "We need to find this Fairy of the North."

Bloom shakes her head and says "Not 'we', 'us'. We are the only ones who can stop Aurora."

Musa says "Bloom's right, this is between us and the other fairies."

Bloom continues "We knew that by protecting the Wizards, we'd bring on Morgana's wrath. Now, it's up to us to face her."

Sky sighs and says "Fine, but remember-"

Bloom finishes the sentence for him, saying "Be careful, watch your back, and call us if you need us."

She has a smile on her face, and Sky says "Whoa, wait, you can read my mind now to?"

Bloom laughs and says "No silly! I just know you care." They hug, and Sky kisses Bloom's hair.

It takes everything in Bloom, along with Techna's grip on her wrist, to pull away.

Brandon says "Sky, we gotta go, our shift is starting at the Music Bar."

Roxy says "Artu is going with you, I can't take him on a mission." Artu licks her face, and then heads off with the Specialists.

As the Winx are walking away, Roxy hears Morgana's voice in her head saying they need to talk. She pushes the voice out of her head, using a technique Bloom taught her. She calls up her strongest memories, lets them wash over her, and wash Morgana out. It works, and they all go back to the pet Shop.

* * *

They immediately call Mrs. Faragonda and tell her everything. Bloom tells her about Ogron giving her the Black Circle, which is still on her index finger.

Mrs. Faragonda points out the fact that Morgana will not let the Wizards simply surrender without paying heavily for their crimes; which are plenty and most of them were against the Earth Fairies. Bloom has already made up her mind though, she won't give in to Morgana's blackmail, but she won't let the Earth freeze like Domino did.

Mrs. Faragonda reminds them of the second Gift of Destiny, which she now tells them is called Loveix. She also tells them she knows they have already decided to stand by their convictions no matter what, and with that the Winx all transform into their Believix forms. They use their Zoomix wings, and teleport out over the spreading glacier.

* * *

 ***Ocean***

There is ice as far as the eye can see, but they fly north, where Aurora's tower should be.

They stop at cargo ships stuck in the ice, and destroy any ice monsters on them. Bloom makes orbs of heat that will last until the ice disappears and the people can be rescued.

Bloom has the best luck fighting the monsters, due to her fire powers. The creatures can't seem to stand being near her, which she uses to herd them away from any humans in the crossfire. Stella has some good luck as well, and soon enough they make it to Aurora's tower.

* * *

Unknown to the Winx, even Bloom, Sibylla and the Wizards are watching the whole thing.

Sibylla knows a spell much like the Wizards' locator spell, except its only for observing. Bloom keeps looking around like someone is watching her, but each time she chalks it up to paranoia. They watch the Winx fight ice monsters, and fly over ice, wondering just how they think they can stop Aurora.

The Winx have the Gift of the Heart from the Ethereal Fairies, but the four men have no idea what that means or what it will do. And all they can do is stand there and watch while their fates are in the hands of seven fairies who used to be their enemies...

* * *

The Winx get to Aurora's tower, and Roxy does a spell to get the polar bears on their side. But the ice monsters are many more than the four bears tearing them apart.

The Winx are getting bombarded with ice shards, and can barely dodge them, so they transform into their Loveix forms, which are their Believix forms with a definite ice-theme. They have fur on the hems of their clothes and their wings look like ice sculptures, and they now have power over ice.

Ogron thinks _Bloom with power over fire and ice. Now I've seen everything._

It's extremely rare for anyone to have power over the opposite of their element, it makes her dangerous beyond belief and she could theoretically use any kind of magic now with little problem. With power over the element that is supposed to be the hardest for her to control, using any other kind of magic should be easy, but she likes fire the best as her natural element.

The Winx walk into the tower, having beaten the ice monsters when they transformed. Bloom makes a ball of fire in one hand, and it floats up so they can all see.

They get separated by some ice monsters though, and Stella and Bloom go down one hallway, while Aisha, Musa, Flora, Techna, and Roxy go down another.

They were chased down by Aurora's followers, and the ice monsters Stella and Bloom were fighting gave up far too easily for Bloom's liking. When Stella asks why they bolted, she says "Because, it's a trap."

Techna agrees, because they have just met back up in a circular room covered in ice and full of tunnel entrances - they're in an ice maze!

Ice monsters and fairies come out of the tunnels and surround the Winx, more than ready to end them; except Bloom is not done in this life. But Roxy is the one who stops the fight in an instant, when she gets a telepathic message from Morgana saying nothing would happen to her. She uses that to her advantage, asking loudly if Aurora's followers know how close they came to hitting her.

They all stop shooting immediately and back away, the fairies looking nervous.

The Wizards don't know what's going on, but apparently the Winx do; Bloom's eyes flash orange and she doesn't ask what Roxy is going on about.

The Winx combine their powers, and blast a hole in the ceiling, making an escape from the maze. They meet Aurora, Warrior Fairy of the North, who is holding a small globe of snow. It's the Blizzard, and it contains the power to freeze the whole universe. For Bloom, things just went up a notch, now Asgard is in danger as well - even if Aurora doesn't know about it.

Aurora says "But I can sense one of you carries an immense source of power in you as well."

Now the Wizards really don't know what she's talking about, as far as they know, none of the Winx are all-powerful. But, they see orange fire flare in Bloom's eyes, and a muscle in her jaw tightens and twitches; meaning she knows exactly what Aurora is talking about, and doesn't like the fact that she's talking about it.

To the Wizards' total shock, Aurora turns to her and says "Yes, I was correct. You possess the formidable power of the Dragon Flame."

The Wizards wait for Bloom to deny it, knowing by now that she doesn't lie, but she doesn't.

She raises her chin defiantly, crosses her arms, and says "Well, looks like the dragon's out of the bag, no pun intended."

* * *

 **AN: Ok, now they _finally_ figured out what Bloom's the fairy of! Seriously, they had to be specifically told! Bloom's good at hiding stuff, that's for sure! How do you think they'll take it? Find out next chapter!**


	170. Floored

_**Floored**_

Gantlos mutters "Tell me we haven't been fighting the most powerful being in an entire universe."

None of them can believe it; but the more they try to deny it, the more evidence they find to support Aurora's statement. The way she exploded in the field and destroyed all the beings they were fighting, her total control over the fire they set in that building, how she nearly overwhelmed Ogron with one shot the first time they fought.

Ogron's mind flashes back to the two dream-memories he saw in Bloom's head. Three ancient witches chasing a transparent woman, who Ogron now knows is Bloom's sister, who was carrying her baby sister, trying to protect her from them. The place must have been destroyed for the Dragon Flame, which was apparently in Bloom even then. But even more, Ogron remembers the feeling of something ancient and powerful in Bloom's body, when she called on her magic to keep an unhatched Ember alive.

 _It can't be, we would have sensed it by now._

Except, from the day they met the Winx, Bloom has kept her emotions in check, keeping her magic stunted somewhat and concealing how powerful she truly is. It worked, they had no idea; though they always suspected Bloom was more powerful than she let on - and wow, were they right!

They could never have imagined that they had been fighting someone who could have ended them for good with enough concentration; and who very nearly took Ogron's head off with a sword, and then would have torn him to shreds for trying to kidnap her.

The irony that the holder of the Dragon Flame is actually part-dragon doesn't escape them, and neither does the realization that the demon-turned-wizard Bloom is apparently afraid of was made from a piece of the Dragon Flame that was corrupted.

They don't know how they missed all the signs that Bloom is so powerful, but she doesn't act like she is important; if they didn't know her, they would see a girl with a striking appearance but nothing too out of the ordinary. That is likely what Roxy thought when they first met, until Bloom showed her Ember and the Wizards came back into the picture.

Of course, they also know about the knife and sword in her belt, the fighting staff between her shoulder blades, the bag she wears over one shoulder and at the opposite hip, the hairpin she hides in her hair, and the sunglasses that make everyone think she is human. They already knew she was far from ordinary, but they had no idea she was as far from ordinary as it gets.

Ogron mutters "No wonder her desire was to have a normal life."

 _Even her spells were clues. Dragon Heart, Dragon wing, I should have seen it._

* * *

Ogron is pulled from his thoughts when he hears Aurora say "I don't want an ice-and-fire fight so this is what will happen. I'll take the Blizzard and leave, and in exchange, I'll agree to spare your precious planet."

It sounds like a good deal, except Bloom says "I'd ask how we can know you'll keep your word, but I know your followers are flying away outside the tower. You aren't offering us any kind of deal!"

Bloom read her aura while she was talking, it wasn't that hard – and she could sense the fairies flying away outside the tower. Even the Wizards have basically no defenses when it comes to someone who can read them this way; and the Warrior Fairies are no better.

Aurora blinks, she didn't expect Bloom to catch on that fast, but recovers and says "Well, now that all my fairies have left, and my exit's planned, I guess not." She starts laughing, and the tower starts shaking like it's in an earthquake.

The Wizards hear one of Bloom's thoughts, a rare thing _._

 _She's as cold as Icy - and Gantlos. Didn't think anyone else could pull that off._

Aisha yells "The tunnel's closed!"

Bloom yells back "We'll blast our way out! Like you said, an ice-and-fire fight wouldn't exactly end well for you!"

Aurora says "The tower is too strong for even you! But know this, soon you'll wish you never met me!" She disappears, and all the Winx start falling to the ground.

Bloom makes a shield around them, and it bounces on the ice floor before dissipating. "Wrong both times Aurora, but you'll figure that out soon enough."

They can feel the tower moving, but they don't know where its heading. All the Winx are fine, except Roxy is lying on the ground shivering.

Techna goes over to her, and says "Her temperature is dropping rapidly."

Stella adds "If her core gets too cold, her heart will freeze!"

Bloom doesn't need to say the last bit, and instead kneels beside Roxy and places both hands on her. She starts mumbling a spell, and her body starts burning lowly. The fire spreads to Roxy's body, but it doesn't seem to do anything. Bloom's eyes narrow in concentration, her lips moving faster and faster while Roxy continues to shiver.

Suddenly, another voice cuts in, breaking Bloom's focus and surprising all of them. "Well, looks like you have to take Morgana's offer to save Roxy, and the Earth."

Nebula walks in, laughing and looking pleased with herself. Nebula's aura is vengeful and spiteful - and also petty but determined. She really wants to get the Wizards and make them pay.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, all this was basically from the Wizards' point of view in Sibylla's cave, they really didn't have any idea of who Bloom is! So the shock factor is too good to miss out on - don't worry, we'll see plenty of action next chapter, read to find out how Bloom stops all this!**


	171. Bloom's Gamble

_**Bloom's Gamble**_

It's getting colder and colder in the Ice Tower, and all but Bloom and Nebula are affected. The rest of the Winx are on the floor, conscious but shivering, and Roxy is still shaking like a leaf in the wind. Only Bloom is still, holding onto Roxy and trying to warm her up.

Nebula asks "Feeling a little chilly Winx?"

Suddenly, Bloom looks up angrily at Nebula and yells "Stop this Nebula, Roxy can't take much more of this!" The rest of the Winx look angry now as well, but there's nothing they can do to help Roxy.

Nebula looks annoyed, and walks forward, saying "Well, there is one thing. I can heal Roxy if you do me a favor. Since we Terrestrial Fairies can't enter Sibylla's cave, we need you to go in and bring the Wizards to us, so they can be punished."

Bloom can only imagine what she means by that, and none of the dozens of scenarios that flash through her head are good, or have a quick death for the Wizards. "I'm trying to use my fire to save Roxy but it's not working."

 _C'mon Bloom, focus! You got out of Cloudtower by breaking more spells than this!_

"Looks like you only have one option if you want to save Roxy." Nebula sounds smug and arrogant, like she has already won.

Bloom mutters "Whatever we choose, we either condemn Roxy or the Wizards to a horrible end…"

 _Think Bloom! Think to your lessons in strategy!_

Aisha says "Now I know why they're called the Gifts of Destiny."

"Yeah, the stronger they are, the more responsibility they require."

Musa says "No kidding, now I know how you feel all the time Bloom."

Bloom bites her lip, telling herself she shouldn't have let Roxy come, it was too dangerous and she knew it.

I _f your options aren't good, make it a fight and set your options!_

Suddenly she gets _angry,_ really angry. She yells "You'd let Morgana's daughter freeze?"

The look in her eyes says she is dangerously mad, and if everything weren't ice, something would be on fire - there's actually ice spreading around Bloom. Nebula blinks and takes a step back, asking "How could you possibly know that?"

Bloom doesn't answer that, continuing with her furious talking. It's a mood swing, but she also has a plan in mind. She gets up and stalks over, saying "You're not as tough as you think you are, you picked on the weakest one of us!"

Nebula looks angry now, and balls her hands into fists as well.

Neither the Winx or the Wizards know what is up with Bloom, but they can see a fight in the near future. The Wizards are shocked speechless all over again at the news that Roxy is _Morgana's daughter._ They never really questioned how one Earth fairy slipped by them, or why she is an Earth Fairy to begin with, but it certainly explains why she was giving them the cold shoulder ever since they surrendered.

They miss the next thing Bloom says, but they don't miss Nebula's angry attack at Bloom, who simply bats the attack away with the back of her hand. "That's what I'm talking about, you call that an attack?"

Nebula walks up to Bloom, meeting her glare with one of her own. "What do you suggest then Bloom?"

"A duel. Me and you, no help, and you stop freezing Roxy."

Nebula gets a grin on her face that reminds everyone of Bloom's, the one she gets when she is going to beat something to a pulp. "Game on, if I win, you hand over the Wizards of the Black Circle."

Bloom's eyes flash orange, but she says "Fine, but if I win, you stop your revenge against the humans, you free us, and the last term is one I want Morgana to hear as well."

The rest of the Winx come up behind Bloom and Stella asks "Bloom, are you absolutely sure you know what you're doing?"

"No, but I refuse to give in without doing everything I can to stop this from turning into murder. I'm not just going to go back to Sibylla's cave and deliver a death sentence, not before I can say I've done everything I could to keep my word."

"Oh, well in that case…"

* * *

The Wizards can see she had no other real options, not ones that she could live with. She may have bet their lives, but she also has the Dragon Flame - unlike Nebula.

Ogron is trying to figure out what she meant by strategy lessons though - because that is sure not anything a normal Earth girl would have learned.

* * *

Nebula says "Very well then…" and holds out her hands. An ice box forms around the Winx, trapping them inside, and Bloom slams her arm on the wall.

A crack forms, but almost instantly is repaired by Nebula's magic. "The box will protect Roxy from the outside temperatures, but if you try to break it open it will mean the end of you all! As for you Bloom, I'm afraid your duel will have to wait." When Bloom looks over at Roxy, her shaking has stopped, but she isn't awake yet.

Maybe ten minutes later, they can all feel the ice tower slowing, it must be stopping. Where, they don't know, but Roxy wakes up as well, with one hand on her head and asking "Hey Winx, what's up?"

When she sees the looks on all the Winx's faces, except for Bloom's, she says "Maybe I don't want to know."

Flora says "You were freezing to death, so Bloom bought us some time by challenging Nebula to a duel."

"Oh no, Nebula? Bloom, you really did that?"

Bloom looks over with a mixture of resignation and tiredness on her face and says "Mm hm."

She's calling on the Dragon Flame, and her irises are turning from blue to ice-white with embers shimmering in them; but before Roxy can ask about it, the cube they are in suddenly starts sliding forward! A wall crumbles, as Bloom yells "Winx, hang on to me!" She is the only one who is keeping her balance, as the cube slides out onto a half-circle of ice, and stops right at the edge.

Musa yells "I never wanna see another ice cube again!"

Aurora walks out, followed by Morgana and Nebula.

Morgana walks up to the cube, and one hand starts glowing bright green. Roxy is lifted out of the cage and is placed on the ice floor. "Why will you not join me? I've given you so many opportunities to save yourself, all you must do is leave the Winx and come with us."

"Never, I will share my friends' destiny!"

Bloom walks over to the wall of ice and fixes her white stare on Morgana. "Glad to see you seem to care about your daughter's wellbeing, unlike some."

Morgana turns to Bloom, and only stops a second due to the different color of her eyes. "How did you figure out my connection to Roxy?"

"My sister talks to me in my dreams. It wasn't too hard to think of why you would be in Roxy's, especially when Roxy is the last Earth Fairy and you were one of the last Fairies to vanish."

Morgana blinks, then Nebula comes forward and says "These girls are being awfully presumptuous, they actually think they are in a position to negotiate."

Bloom crosses her arms and asks "You want to hear the last term or what Nebula?"

"Go ahead, like it really requires Morgana's presence though."

"Term? What term are you two talking about?"

"Bloom challenged me to a duel, if I win, she gives us the Wizards herself."

"And if I win, you stop seeking revenge, you let us go, and you give the Wizards a fair and impartial trial."

Morgana repeats "A fair and impartial trial…" She actually has a thoughtful look on her face, but Nebula has an outraged one.

"A fair and impartial trial? You can't seriously be considering what these Winx fairies are suggesting! You are the queen of fairies, you are-"

Aurora interrupts, saying "Our queen deserves respect Nebula."

Morgana says "I don't think anyone is questioning my role-"

"We've been talking far too long! We must have our revenge on the Wizards, even if it means destroying Sibylla's cave."

Everyone is staring at Nebula like she might be insane, and Bloom coughs and says "Mm, remember the _duel,_ Nebbie?" When they all look over, Bloom has teleported out of the cube, and is standing in front of it.

Nebula turns a bright shade of red, and angrily exclaims " _Nebbie?!_ That's it Bloom, it's on!"

Morgana steps backward and says "Let the combat begin."

* * *

At Sibylla's cave, all the Wizards are laughing, trust Bloom to force a fight by aggravating the one who wants a fight badly enough.

If she can't prevent a fight then she'll force one, usually by getting whoever is trying to force her hand so angry that they stop thinking about anything but making her stop bugging them.

Of course, calling Nebula 'Nebbie' might have been a little much - but it was funnier than anything else they have seen or heard all day.

* * *

Nebula says "Prepare yourself Bloom, now you'll pay for your arrogance!"

Bloom snaps back "My arrogance? Why don't you shut up and put your magic where your mouth is for a change?"

Nebula glares, and then walks over to the edge with Bloom. She holds one arm out and says "After you."

Bloom doesn't hesitate, and flies out over the spikey ice-field.

* * *

 **AN: Hahahaha! I loved having Bloom force a fight when all other options were ones she wouldn't take - and calling the insane fairy of War 'Nebbie' was too good to pass up! The fight begins next chapter, read on to find out just how good a Dragon Flame-charged Bloom is! PS Is nobody going to ask what's up with Bloom and her mood swings? It's really funny!**


	172. Duel on the Tower

_**Duel on the Tower**_

Bloom and Nebula are floating maybe three yards from one another, and Roxy yells "Don't!"

Bloom looks over her shoulder and says "I know what I'm doing Roxy." Her eyes are still ice-white with orange embers, and even her skin is glowing with her ice-and-fire power.

Nebula sees Bloom is distracted, and yells "Electric Orb!"

A ball of magic that is crackling with electricity is hurled right at Bloom, hitting her square in the stomach and sending her into an ice wall. She hits the wall, then the ground with a massive "Oomph" all the breath knocked out of her.

The Winx all yell for Bloom to get up, and even the Wizards wince - that looked like it _hurt._

Nebula laughs and says "Well that was easy enough, where's all that fire and strength I've heard so much about?"

Nobody hears her, but Bloom mumbles "You want the fire?"

Roxy yells "You attacked while she was distracted, you really are nothing but a coward Nebula!"

Nebula says "I won, now you all have to take me to-!"

Before she could even land, she flies backwards and lands hard on the ice; pulled far away from Bloom's friends by her telekinesis.

Bloom yells _"Here's the fire!"_ and makes a massive ball of ice and fire between her hands. She launches it at Nebula, and it hits her squarely in the chest.

Now its Nebula's turn to land with a massive thud, after getting put through about ten spikes of ice, and her body is steaming when it hits the ground.

She groans, and looks up to see Bloom surrounded by snow and embers, walking toward her with a fireball in one hand and a ball of ice in the other. "You are going to seriously regret that!"

"Save your breath for casting spells Nebula, threats don't scare me."

Nebula starts throwing ball after ball of magic at Bloom, who teleports out of the way of each.

When Bloom gets to Nebula, she judo-throws her into the ice wall, and takes another hit to the stomach, right where Nebula's first attack hit. The edges of a deep bruise are showing past her top, but she presses the palm of one hand to her stomach and concentrates.

Coolness instead of warmth flows from her hand this time, soothing the pain in her middle. The dark purple bruise that nobody could see but Bloom could feel with each step fades fast, the healing is over in a few seconds - but that's more than enough for Nebula to get shakily back to her feet.

She shoots a beam of magic at Bloom, who simply turns to the side slightly, and then does a quick backflip to avoid a ball of magic. She shoots a Glowing Ice at Nebula, who dodges it as well, but Bloom's attack turns back around to hit Nebula in the back just as Nebula hits Bloom with one.

* * *

 ***Minutes Later***

They are both on the ground again, Nebula is nearly exhausted and Bloom is going to be - but neither is giving in yet.

Every time Nebula manages to make a bruise, Bloom just glows brightly and it fades - part of what makes her so incredibly hard to fight, she can just keep going until she's exhausted.

The Winx all cheer Bloom on again, as she gets up the same time as Nebula. Even the Wizards are telling her to keep going, but they can see the pure stubbornness in her eyes - along with the sheer power.

Nebula yells "I'm warning you Bloom, I will destroy anything in my path between me and those Wizards!"

"Let it go Nebula, revenge won't solve anything, and it won't change the past!"

She blasts at Bloom, who teleports to the side. "Little miss perfect, tell me, what could you possibly know about revenge? You weren't the one who was locked up in a prison for centuries, defeated and humiliated!"

"Oh yeah? I threw you out of my head using memories of being locked away in a prison cell, baited and lied to every day for what seemed like eternity! You think you had it bad? You had each other, and you weren't under a literal blanket of suppression magic so thick it felt like you were suffocating!"

The Winx aren't completely surprised, that has always been a sore spot with Bloom ever since it happened - Nebula mentioning her imprisonment was not the best move she could have made.

The fire that was swirling around Bloom with her anger slams into Nebula, making an impression of her in the ice wall she hits.

Another blast of Nebula's dodged, and the War Fairy goes on, "And you would defend the humans who stopped believing in us and condemned us to oblivion!"

Nebula is going on with her rant, not noticing the ball of magic growing in Bloom's hands at one side. One hand is a fireball, the other is an ice-ball, one that looks like its burning - and both are being channeled into the ball of ice and fire at Bloom's side. No more messing around then, Bloom's ending this.

Suddenly, she thrusts her arms out, releasing the ball of anger-fueled magic. It hits Nebula perfectly, sending her to the ground once again.

If Bloom weren't channeling the Dragon Flame's power, she would be exhausted right now; and she will be as soon as she stops, its why she doesn't usually use it so fully. It's far too easy to go past your limits when you don't feel them, but as soon as the extra power leaves you are left exhausted and as weak as if you were at normal strength the whole time.

Nebula tries to get up again, but falls back to her knees, too weak to even stand.

* * *

Bloom flies a few feet closer and says "Give up Nebula, it's over."

Nebula shakes her head and says "You are such a presumptuous fairy!" When she turns her head, her eyes are glowing green, and the tips of the ice spikes break off and fly towards Bloom.

She makes a round ice shield at her arm, blocking the attack, while yelling "It's over Nebula, give it up already!" When that doesn't work, she focuses for a moment and crushes the spikes to little snowflakes by making a fist.

Nebula laughs and says "I'm here Bloom, I'm waiting for you."

Bloom has a bad feeling about the way Nebula says that, but flies closer with an attack in hand. "Stop this Nebula, revenge isn't worth it all!"

"Look at all this ice, if it goes to waste it will be a shame! Let's destroy some humans!" She slams her fist down into the ice, breaking off the entire wall behind her.

It isn't all that much compared to the tower, but it's the entire back wall of the battlefield - it will kill hundreds if not thousands of people.

"I wonder how many humans that will kill. There's a big city beneath us, and oh look, it's called Gardenia."

All the Winx gasp, and Bloom flies off the tower after the massive piece of ice instantly.

As she flies, a massive dragon made of fire appears above her, and she sends it after the iceberg; it's the trademark spell of the Holder of the Dragon Flame, and the most powerful spell the Wizards have seen her use yet. There's no doubt she is the Holder of the Dragon Flame now, they might have been able to come up with an explanation for everything else given a few weeks, even how she is still going - but not for that.

Nebula practically has a tantrum, screaming "What, she destroyed the iceberg? No, no, no!"

Morgana looks down with a sigh, while the Winx all cheer, and Bloom weakly flies back up to the tower. She lands on her knees, breathing like she might faint. Her body is still glowing with magic, which is why she is still conscious at the moment.

Stella says "Bloom won, fair and square, now let us out already!"

Morgana says "Yes, Bloom won fairly, so we must respect the arrangement." She melts the ice cube, freeing all the Winx, who fly over to Bloom's side.

Nebula says "Alright little fairies, show me how good you are!" She starts sending hundreds of ice tips off the spikes all over Aurora's tower straight at the Winx, who blast them into smithereens.

Stella jokes to Bloom from behind her shield "Well, someone's sure a sore loser, huh?"

"Yeah, but I've got an idea to stop her." She takes a deep breath, and suddenly her body catches fire.

The next round of ice that comes for her is stopped by her raised hand, and then flies back and lands on Nebula. Bloom then hits her with a ball of magic, glowing bright white with a core of orange. The spell makes the ice on Nebula spread, trapping her under a six-inch layer of it after knocking her to her knees.

* * *

The Wizards are impressed, they didn't know Bloom knew how to do that, of course, they didn't know she is _all-powerful_ either. As they watch, the fire suddenly dies around Bloom and she transforms back and collapses from lack of magic - lucky her, she lands on some snow.

Roxy says "Mom, now you have to respect the deal and stop your revenge against the humans, please."

Morgana smiles and says "Alright, but only because you have asked me to."

Morgana turns to the rest of the Winx and says "The Wizards of the Black Circle will receive a fair trial from myself and the Terrestrial Fairies."

Sibylla ends the spell at that, right before Morgana tells the Winx Ogron will have to give her the Black Circle as a sign of his submission. Morgana makes a portal back to Sibylla's cave, and tells Roxy they will meet again soon.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom is drained dry - another reason she doesn't use the Dragon Flame so fully. It's kind of like drinking: way too easy to go past your limits, and your stuck with a massive hangover afterwards. and now the Wizards of the Black Circle know the secret she didn't tell them - anybody think they'll try to betray the Winx now? Keep reading to find out!**


	173. Exhaustion

_**Exhaustion**_

Back at Sibylla's cave, the Winx at least don't have to go through the tests again, which is good because Bloom is unconscious and everyone else is tired as well.

When they reach the caves where Sibylla lives, Musa calls out "Hey, good news, we stopped Nebula and saved the world again! More good news, we convinced them to give you four a fair trial - though all of that was Bloom really."

When the Wizards and Sibylla walk into the cavern, Aisha and Stella are chair-carrying Bloom - who is still out cold. She's looking worse than they can ever remember – she's got a purple bruise on her collar that they can just see the edge of, and heat isn't radiating off her like it usually is - there's snow and ice in her hair.

They put her on one of the tables while Techna explains the deal Bloom made and Flora gives Ogron the Black Circle. Anagan stops her from going into every single detail by saying "We were watching with Sibylla. Bloom bet our lives and won, we won't die as soon as we walk into Tir Nan Og."

Musa asks "You really think she would have let Nebula win? Magic aside, Bloom knows a lot of things about fighting, has since the day we met her. She wouldn't have let Nebula win, you four know what else she can do besides blast people."

Duman says "Yeah, beat them to a pulp. I can't believe her fight with Nebula wasn't shorter."

They hear a new voice - one none of them can believe they're hearing. "Well, next time I'll just knock her out with my knife hilt. That short enough, Duman?"

When they all look over in pure shock and disbelief, they see Bloom sitting up and using one hand for support. The other is rubbing her temple, nursing a building migraine.

Ogron asks "How are you even awake?"

"You already know how, don't play dumb - it's really insulting."

"You know we…?"

"Know? Yeah, it's really easy to tell when someone is saying they can't believe a fight they weren't present at wasn't shorter." She rubs her forehead, trying to get some relief from the massive pounding.

Anagan asks "Why didn't we figure your power out sooner? It's a little hard to disguise the Dragon Flame after all."

"Simple, a year's worth of practice. And no, I wasn't planning on telling you. It's not exactly something I advertise. And by the way, told you four you'd be kicking yourselves for not figuring it out sooner – and that you'd find out eventually." She gets her bag from her hiding space and pulls out a massive bag of grapes, pulling out a handful and immediately eating away.

Gantlos says "Ok, but we would have had some idea of what your power is. You can try to hide it all you can, but-"

"The building you set on fire? The explosion in the field? The way I didn't get knocked out when you tried to drug me? The way I could use magic since I woke up in your warehouse? What freaking happened in the field that I still can't remember? None of that set off any bells in your heads?"

It had, they just didn't consider the fact that they added up to something very dangerous. "It did, but you don't exactly act like you have something so powerful inside you."

"Powerful? The word I'd use is dangerous. I didn't grow up knowing about it or anything; and I've seen what happens if I really lose control. So, no, I don't act like I have the power that created the universe we came from inside me - I just keep it heavily under wraps and only call on its power when I absolutely need to."

She's got an apple now, where the heck did that bag of grapes go?

Ogron asks "So when you said you're Jean Grey…?"

"Yeah, that wasn't just me being sarcastic. I don't lie, I just let people think what they want. You thought I was being sarcastic, I didn't correct you."

Gantlos crosses his arms and says "The Dragon Flame is only passed through the royal family on Domino."

"Yeah, and your point is? I said I was born there after all."

"You have to be the least like a princess out of any fairy we've met. Why were you even at Alfea if your royalty?"

"My father and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye on everything; me being most of that. I got real sick and tired of life in a stupid dress and heels really quick - and then the chance to part-time teach at Alfea came up and I jumped at it. Thousand different ways to offend people from all the planets in the Magical Dimension, only a few ways to offend the staff at our old college."

She leans back, taking a bite out of a pear- where the heck is she putting all this food?

Duman asks "Do you ever stop eating after a fight?"

"When my magic is this low, not for a while. This is nothing." She's had a giant bag of grapes, three apples, five pears, and now she's taking out a nectarine - and the Wizards thought only Duman could eat like this.

She's staring at the wall with narrowed eyes, not even paying attention to what piece of fruit she takes out next. Ogron asks "Bloom, I'm really grateful for all you've done, but what's wrong? You seem worried." He privately thinks _And if you seem worried, then your more than just worried about something._

"Nebula. I don't trust her to keep her word for a minute. Given her little temper tantrum and her stunt with the iceberg, I don't doubt she's already planning some way to turn the trial into an execution. Besides, I read her aura and it wasn't very reassuring." Her eyes flash orange, but she doesn't say anything else on the subject.

All four guys are staring at her, they didn't know she could do _that_ either.

She sees their expressions, and says "Oh please, that's not all I can do - and it's not even the hardest."

Gantlos says "At this point, I'm not even going to ask."

She stands up, swaying but not collapsing. "C'mon ladies, let's get back to Gardenia. Six guys, six pets, Artu, and Ember will be really happy to see us." They leave, and go back to the Frutti Music Bar.

* * *

As expected, the guys were really glad to see they're alright, and they make a campfire on the beach after performing.

Musa plays guitar, and Bloom is leaning back into Sky's body, still exhausted from the duel. If she wasn't so tired, she'd be really distracted from trying not to kiss him - she's falling asleep from her lack of magic and too tired to listen to anything.

When Sky asks if it's okay if they come to the trial tomorrow, he doesn't get an answer from Bloom - she's fast asleep and holding onto his shirt. The rest of the Winx say yes, and after a while they teleport back to the shop. The guys came with, and Sky puts Bloom on the couch.

He has some trouble getting her to let his shirt go - she's really holding onto him. Finally though, he gets her hands unlocked and kisses her forehead before leaving.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like the Wizards are in for yet another surprise tomorrow. As Bloom predicted, they were mentally kicking themselves for not figuring out her power sooner - honestly, if they'd had even one open mind they might've figured it out sooner. I can absolutely see why they wouldn't peg her as a princess though, she goes around in faded jeans and has weapons concealed on her body! Also, the growling is helpful with concealing the fact. Read on to see if the Wizards find out any other secrets of Bloom's!"**


	174. Past Revealed

_**Past Revealed**_

The Wizards stay awake long after the Winx leave, talking amongst themselves about Bloom's risky gamble and what she yelled at Nebula when the former Fairy of Peace mentioned her imprisonment.

They already knew about Bloom being truly alone when she was in the cell, they even guessed at the blanket of suppression magic because Ogron could tell it was there – both in the tunnel and from the dreams she accidentally shared with him. But they didn't know the memories were so bad she could use them to throw someone out of her head.

Anything that strong certainly changed her, and from the context, the change could only have been bad, or at least hard.

Anagan says "Her friends said they don't know what exactly happened, and we all saw the determination in her eyes. She's too stubborn to crack, and I'm guessing she was desperate enough to turn herself part-dragon if it was really that bad."

Sibylla says "It was, it was that bad and more." All four men jump, they have no idea when Sibylla came into the room or how much she heard.

Ogron narrows his eyes suspiciously, wondering just how Sibylla knows; since Bloom doesn't trust almost anyone like she does her friends - who don't know what happened to her in that tiny cell. "How do you know what happened to her when even the Winx and their boyfriends are clueless?"

Sibylla shrugs and says "I'm the Fairy of Justice, I can see all injustices as they are happening; at least, all the big ones. I saw Domino being destroyed by the Three Ancestral Witches, who made Valtor from a piece of corrupted Dragon Flame, and I saw Bloom attacked by three younger witches and some of her power stolen from her. I saw her kidnapped by the Shadow Phoenix, and turned evil against her will; I was cheering for her when she held out longer than anyone else he had used the spell on. And not even all the cloaking and shielding magic on Cloudtower or the cell she was in could hide her from my sight when they threw her in that tiny, magic-filled cell until she did the impossible and escaped."

All four are looking at her now with shock, they didn't know she could do that.

Duman says "So you saw everything unjust that's happened to her over her lifetime?"

"Yes, she seems to be a beacon for trouble, but she's learned to conceal her true nature far more effectively in recent years."

Anagan asks "So what happened to her to make her mistrust, well, anyone but her friends?"

"Darkar was a factor, but it was her kidnapping and imprisonment by Valtor's hand that truly changed her. Would you like to know?"

All four blink, and then unanimously say "Yes!" Sibylla says a spell, and suddenly the stone room they are standing in is covered in an illusion of a dorm room at Alfea.

They recognize Flora's side of the room from the plant that looks like it has a face, and when they look on the other side of the room, it is neat and organized, except for a familiar, but not so thick, sketchbook sitting on the bed with a pack of colored pencils lying open on top and hand-sketched drawings on the walls. They watch the whole story - the parts where Bloom was awake - from getting kidnapped by the Trix and taken to the Interdimensional Portal all the way to her escape.

About halfway through, they start to feel bad for Bloom; she's even more of a skeleton than she is now, was being emotionally, psychologically, and arguably physically tortured - no wonder she didn't trust them a bit when they showed up at Alfea.

* * *

A lot of pieces about Bloom that didn't make sense - her uncharacteristic behavior the night the kidnapped her, and during her time as their prisoner - now make a lot of sense.

She doesn't trust strangers because she lost all trust in anybody who she wouldn't trust with her life. She learned to fight so well to prevent what they're seeing from ever remotely happening again.

They suspected she was PTSD, but now they are sure - of course, she's too stubborn to ever admit it. They've been around long enough to know the signs, same as being around long enough to know when two people like each other.

And Bloom has a lot of them; avoiding the topic, re-living the time, nightmares, flashbacks - if her nightmares are anything to go by - tense and easily startled - they could tell by the way she was like a board while they were getting to Sibylla's cave. The way she'd go outside to get away from the noise and the crowd at the Frutti Music Bar, now they get why she doesn't like crowds much - and why she's so paranoid. It's practically been ingrained in her for years now, the idea that someone is going to come out of nowhere and take her.

Now Ogron understands what she said back in the tunnel, before the test; how her friends wanted her to be someone she wasn't anymore. Anyone who went through that would be different at the end - most would be dead, most of the few left would be insane or broken.

Now, they actually feel bad for Bloom - something that hasn't happened in centuries. The different side of her they saw in Gardenia Park, and again in the warehouse, was her mask breaking, and her trying to put it back together without her friends noticing and trying to help.

She said she wasn't in the mood, they really should have realized something was more than a little off when she said that. She was telling them in no uncertain terms to leave her alone for the night because she was busy dealing with her own problems they couldn't have imagined.

* * *

Sibylla walks out after the spell is done, leaving the four men to their own thoughts.

Anagan crosses his arms and says "Well, now we know why she's so bizarre."

Duman asks "She's been PTSD or something this entire time? Fantastic, and how hasn't the entire town burnt down by now?"

Gantlos answers "Because she's worked far too hard to lose it now. And it would have drawn every possible person looking to have the Dragon Flame for themselves right to her."

Ogron says "She's too smart for that, especially since her losing control would also have alerted every government on this planet that there is something extraordinarily powerful nearby and all they have to do is control one defiant girl to control it."

Anagan snorts, and says "Control Bloom? You'd have an easier time controlling anything else. You don't control Bloom, you get tricked by her into thinking you have her where you want her and then feel like an idiot when you realize the trick - and by then it's too late."

Gantlos adds "Yeah, then she destroys whatever was supposed to keep her contained, escapes, and beats her captors to a pulp."

They remember that morning, it wasn't fun by any definition - except maybe by Bloom's method of getting a little satisfaction out of beating former captors for taking her prisoner.

* * *

 **AN: And her big bad secret is out! This is why I still took the Wizards to Sibylla instead of Asgard or Avengers base - told you Sibylla would be important! Just wait, it gets even better from here - read on to find out how!**


	175. Overreaction

_**Overreaction**_

When the Winx and the Specialists get to Sibylla's cave, Bloom is holding a cold water bottle and nursing a pounding headache, with Ember walking beside her.

Ember wanted to come so Bloom let her, having some serious doubts that Nebula would keep her word.

As for the headache, it's partly from stress, and partly from using up so much magic the day before. She really went past her limits in that fight, if not for the iceberg she had to destroy she would be fine right now. She imagines the headache she has is close to what a hangover feels like, because her head is pounding with every loud noise.

She's already taken two Advil, because Healing magic doesn't help these much. The bruise on her collar disappeared overnight, but the headache is as bad as ever.

Fortunately, they don't have to go through Sibylla's tests again, and for that, Bloom is really grateful - the last thing she is up for is that final test before you meet Sibylla.

When they get inside, Sibylla greets them, saying she's happy to meet the guys.

Then the Wizards walk out from the tunnel entrance, looking like they didn't get much sleep.

Something Bloom thinks she's imagining though, they all look at her with something like pity in their eyes; until Ogron's eyes land on Sky and the other Specialists in their uniforms, then his expression changes to anger.

"You brought reinforcements? Your subtle way of saying you don't trust us."

Bloom blinks like he slapped her, not having expected that at all. In truth, she didn't even know the guys were coming until they walked into the shop and Sky surprised her by pulling her into a kiss in front of her bedroom door.

Before she can respond, Sky steps forward and says "Maybe she has a good reason for not trusting you Ogron."

Now Bloom says "What the hell? What are you two, five years old?"

They don't hear her, their voices getting louder and louder as they yell at one another, and it looks like it will come to blows between the two guys.

Anagan and Brandon step forward to pull them apart, but before they can take two steps, Sky and Ogron both go flying to opposite walls, as Bloom yells "ALRIGHT ENOUGH, THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Her eyes are on fire, and the look she gives both of them says she is furious now.

"Sky, your being ridiculous, I can take care of myself in a fight, magic or otherwise. Now shut up already!" Sky doesn't say another word, looking down at the floor.

She turns to Ogron, and they could all swear the temperature spikes ten degrees. "As for _you,_ who do you think your fooling? I'm the one who doesn't trust you? Don't you mean you don't trust me to keep my word, even though it would be pointless to break it at this point?"

Ogron blinks, he didn't think of that.

"What have I ever done to make you think I'd go back on my word, ever?" The tone of her voice says she is really hurt, like he more stabbed her in the back than slapped her.

Ogron can't think of anything, not once in all the time he's known her has she ever done anything but exactly what she said. She said they would have to go through her to get to her friends at Alfea, then she beat them to a pulp. She said she would protect Roxy from them, they could hardly get near the girl after they got their Believix powers. They asked for protection, and she took them the one place the Warrior Fairies couldn't get to them on Earth.

All this goes through Ogron's head in seconds, and Bloom waits a full minute before saying something when he doesn't. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I've never been more insulted in my entire life."

She abruptly releases her magical hold on the two guys, and spins around, walking out of the cave before anything else can happen; and leaving the melted remains of the water bottle she was holding. Ember follows her, no surprise there; Ember's loyalty lies with Bloom. She goes where Bloom goes, they are practically the same being.

* * *

Anagan helps Ogron up, while Brandon gives Sky a hand up.

Duman asks "What got into her?"

Aisha bitingly says "Trust is kind of a sore spot with Bloom. A few students' parents decided they didn't want her in the same school as their daughters, so they asked Mrs. Faragonda to have her removed."

The Wizards all blink, and remember that was right before she got kidnapped - now her tears make more sense.

Stella says "It was a week after the Millennium party on Eraklyon, and then she gets that from some parents she has never met, and has likely saved the lives of their daughters the year before."

Sky says "Oh no, Bloom..."

He goes after Bloom, who has by now disappeared down the tunnel, they can't even see the glow from her fire.

Musa continues where Aisha left off, saying "They didn't trust her to not help the Wizard who had helped destroy her planet, because they were connected through the Dragon Flame. She said she wanted to go back home anyway, and Mrs. Faragonda gave her permission. Then, she got kidnapped by the Trix, not ten minutes after being told that some people didn't trust her because of something she had no control over and no intention of doing."

Gantlos says "That last part has to do with now, doesn't it?"

Stella says "Yeah, she was out cold when the guys asked about coming with, she had no idea until about ten minutes ago - and with her headache she couldn't exactly call up and say 'oh hey, heads up, our boyfriends are coming' or anything like that."

Ogron thinks to himself _Oh shit. Now I've just managed to tick off the most powerful fairy in a universe because I overreacted. Great, just great._

"Guess I'd better apologize so she won't be mad the whole time." He isn't happy about that, it's not in his nature to back down or apologize, but it's in his benefit to get over himself and apologize to the most powerful fairy anywhere.

Anagan says "That's all on you Ogron, you remember what happened the last time we really saw her lose her temper on someone?"

The remaining Winx, and their boyfriends, look really confused and Techna asks "What are you talking about? When has Bloom recently lost her temper on someone, and why were you four there?"

Gantlos says "We weren't there, she was tied to a stone column with those three witches you say hate you, a guy in a purple coat, and an image of a blonde girl with cold brown eyes talking to her. She said she put a spell on Sky, and then Bloom went pyro-maniac on them all."

Everyone is looking at them in shock now, and Stella says "That must have been right before the wedding was supposed to happen, that's why she was missing."

Anagan says "Yeah, but that was maybe the easiest part to watch – definitely the funniest thing on her part."

" _What?!"_ Everyone screamed that at once, making the collective echo bounce around the cavern again and again.

Aisha asks "How could you have seen what happened to her? We've tried only a few dozen things and nothing works. The shielding in the cell was too strong, combining all of our powers didn't do anything to get through even for a moment."

Anagan says "Sibylla showed us, she saw everything. The shields couldn't stop her sight apparently."

Ogron sighs, and then goes off into the tunnel Bloom went down, and Sky followed after her. He quickly realizes he won't catch up to her though, and even if he did she would likely be too angry to let him get two words out before punching him; likely in the face.

* * *

Deciding he wants to keep all his teeth and not have a broken nose, Ogron stops and mentally calls out to Bloom, hoping she will answer.

 _Bloom. Bloom! Bloom, you have to say something eventually._

He knows full well she doesn't, and he can't sense her mind. He concentrates until he gets a headache, and finally finds the barrier that keeps her thoughts hidden from him and the other Wizards.

He spends a full two minutes mentally pounding on it before she apparently decides to make him shut up.

 _WHAT?_

He can tell just by her mental voice she is extremely pissed off, with every reason to be; and as soon as she dropped the barrier, his entire body immediately felt twice as heavy, with a persistent headache that seems to stab him with each heartbeat. As bad as the headache is, he knows it's only a ghost sensation of what Bloom is feeling.

 _So now you don't trust what I might be thinking?_

Ogron starts, then mentally says _Look, I overreacted, but-_

 _But what? I was supposed to warn you of something I wasn't even aware of until maybe ten minutes ago? In case you hadn't noticed, Nebula pushed me a little far yesterday, and the last thing on my mind was whether or not the Specialists were coming; we'd gotten the date and time maybe twenty minutes before we saw them! I didn't even know they were coming with until Sky surprised me outside my bedroom door. Teleporting here and back would have been a complete waste of magic and effort, and in case you didn't notice, I'm not making any long-distance calls until my head stops pounding in time with my heartbeat._

She has a point, in fact, she's absolutely right about all of it. He can feel her anger, with an underlying current of hurt; he didn't think he could actually hurt her like this.

 _Look, I'm sorry ok? I didn't expect your boyfriends, or Ember, and I jumped to conclusions; now will you stop making me think you're going to turn me to ashes already?_

He doesn't get an answer, because a sudden wave of emotions throws him out of her head before she can answer. He did catch a jolt of surprise at his words and felt her anger draining away, leaving a feeling of being bone-tired in its wake.

Before Bloom could answer, Ogron was suddenly swept out of her head by an intense wave of emotions he knows he didn't trigger, it's like her entire body flipped a switch.

The milder version of her headache fades instantly, and so does the feeling that he needs a very long break; from what, he doesn't know - maybe all the stress and fighting.

They've been around long enough to recognize the signs of too much stress in one person's life, and from what they can tell, Bloom's got bucketfuls of it. Between looking through those ancient curses, fighting them, fighting the Warrior Fairies, and everything else that is dangerous and so far away from normal that it isn't even in sight for her, she has enough stress to justify a year-long vacation from all responsibilities, a spa week - forget day - and a lot of time relaxing and doing absolutely nothing, even though she would be really bored after a while.

* * *

 **AN: And this is what happens when you have Bloom drain herself and then accuse her of being about to betray you the day after - she'll lose her cool for a minute! Not surprising, what with her pounding head and all - you think Sky caught up to Bloom? Find out next chapter!**


	176. Making Up

_**Making Up**_

Bloom is standing perfectly still when Sky catches up to her, and he puts his arms around her waist from behind. "Hey you."

She starts, like she was lost in her thoughts, but immediately knows who it is behind her. She doesn't lean back into him, though he can tell she really wants to. He can feel the tension in her shoulders, she's stiffer than a board.

He leans forward and whispers in her ear "I was being a jealous idiot. I'm over myself."

She doesn't say anything, but now she does lean back into him. He takes his hands from around her waist and starts massaging her shoulders, and a moan that sounds a lot like some of Ember's thrums escapes from her lips. Sky smiles, enjoying this almost as much as Bloom.

"How's your head?"

Bloom mumbles "Hurts." too busy trying not to turn around and kiss him right then.

His hands move up the back of her neck, still rubbing, making her moan and thrum even more - she never said, but that's her sweet spot; she could practically melt right then. And there's a very specific reason she never said: rubbing at the base of her skull to the base of her neck is more than enough to win any argument, it feels way too good to not let it continue as long as possible.

His fingers start rubbing her temples, easing her headache immensely; since she's pretty sure she already burned through the Advil.

Now Bloom lays her head back in the crook of Sky's neck, more focused on his fingers on her head and his breath on her cheek than anything else around them. Her headache is forgotten for the moment, along with everything else happening right then.

"Better?"

A moaned "Uh-huh…" escapes her lips, making laughter rumble in Sky's chest behind her.

"We keep saying you should relax more, Bloom." His breath is hot in her ear, making her shiver from her body turning up the desire another notch or three.

"I'll relax when this is over."

One of Sky's hands starts rubbing her neck again, the other starts running through her hair.

Sky knows he isn't exactly playing fair - he guessed a while ago about her loving her neck rubbed - but he hates it when Bloom is mad at him. He promised himself he wouldn't hurt her again, never again after the Millennium party. And when Bloom gets angry at someone she cares about, it usually means they hurt her first.

"Why didn't you tell me about the parents asking for you to be removed from Alfea?"

A sound escapes Bloom's throat that sounds like a cross between a laugh and a sob, and she says "I didn't want to make a scene, and by then, it didn't really seem to matter. I bet they felt like idiots when they heard I had been kidnapped by the evil wizard they accused me of working with."

He starts kissing her neck, and it doesn't take long before Bloom turns around. She looks tired, like she's been going for too long without a break. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her she gives in, opening her lips under his and kissing him back.

He can tell she is trying not to go wild like on the beach after the Amazon and in the ocean, but he can also tell she is going a million miles an hour under his touch. The fact that he can do this and nobody else can makes him dizzy, but he doesn't care.

Bloom's arms wrap around his neck, and he gets the feeling everything under her shoulders has turned to jelly again. When her grip on the back of his shirt tightens, like she is trying to keep her hands there, he breaks the kiss and puts Bloom's head against his shoulder again. He has to keep her head there, burying his hand in her hair until she stops squirming to keep kissing him. Then he carefully unlocks her hands from around his neck, which might have been one reason she was resisting.

Her lipstick is messed up, and so is her hair now, but she's never been one to care about that, even before she went to Pyros. If he doesn't stop now, he thinks she might explode from skin-to-skin contact with him.

Bloom takes a breath, and he says "Everyone will probably be wondering what's taking so long."

Bloom mutters "No, they probably know." But she pulls away from Sky, both wishing they could stay in this moment forever.

But, Bloom fixes her lipstick and hair with a little magic, while Sky rubs the back of his hand against his lips, getting most of it off.

He misses one spot, so Bloom says "Here, hold still. You missed a spot." She rubs at the corner of his mouth, and her body starts turning on again because she is on tiptoes with no space between their bodies.

She manages to get the spot of pink off before she loses control of herself and kisses him again, and immediately backs up and takes her hand away; even though it feels like her hand is the only part of her body with any feeling at the moment. Her mind is screaming to get a grip, to stop torturing herself and Sky and get on with what she came here to do. But it's only a tiny part of her mind, in the very back, with no real authority over the rest of her at the moment.

And Pyros is no help either, it makes her body turn on even more, sending a truckload of desire into her system, and another load of basic wanting Sky. She manages to not lunge for his lips, though she has to dig her nails into her palms until she can feel blood to succeed.

When Sky pulls away, her body slows down a little, and she takes a breath to regain control.

She heals the cuts in her hands from her fingernails, and Ember nudges her leg right above her knee. She sends Bloom a wave of confusion and concern, wanting to know what is wrong with her. She doesn't know, but hopefully it will stop at some point.

"We should probably get back with the others, before we're late for the trial."

She looks down at Ember as she says this, because all her thoughts vanish when she looks at Sky.

He says "Yeah, your right. Let's go."

* * *

They go back inside the cave, and a few seconds after they get off the bridge Ogron appears out of the entrance.

Bloom isn't glaring, but she really can't deal with him and Sky at the moment. Ogron might not make her lose all her brains with one word, but right now she needs to get her head back on straight; which neither of them can remotely help her with.

So when they get a foot away from Ogron, she simply teleports behind him and keeps walking. Ember breathes out a fireball, making a hole in the air that she passes through, staying by Bloom's feet.

Ogron turns to stare at Bloom's fast-moving form, and asks "What's with her?"

Sky just grins like a fool after Bloom, giving Ogron a very good idea of why he suddenly made a forced exit from her head.

He deadpans "You kissed her, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah."

"And she needs to have a clear head for this, right?"

"Bets are."

Ogron stares at Sky for a moment, then decides to do something only Bloom would do: ask an awkward question so bluntly he has to get an answer. He deadpans "You think I'm in love with Bloom, don't you?"

Sky blinks, then says "Why wouldn't you be? She helped you even after all you four did, and your mental link is not exactly reassuring."

He crosses his arms, and says "I don't. I respect her power, and the fact that she can fight better than anyone we've ever met, but that doesn't mean I love her - especially when it's obvious you're the one she loves."

"So why the mental link?"

"She didn't wake up from a sleep spell for hours, we wanted to know what she was planning. Honestly, I'm surprised I actually got in; if she doesn't want anyone getting in her head, they aren't getting in."

"She got every bit of her father's iron will, and even more when she went to Pyros. When she puts her mind to something, you won't change it if you had all of eternity."

"So, we're good? Because I honestly don't want to risk getting turned to ashes by Bloom."

"Uh, when has she ever tried to do that?"

"She nearly did turn your ex to ashes, of course, she had said she spelled you into breaking Bloom's heart."

Sky stares in disbelief, and Ogron says "Yes, we know what happened to Bloom, Sibylla showed us last night, and it will take far too long to explain."

Sky blinks, and asks "Is that why Diaspro was missing when Stella, Musa, and Flora came to Eraklyon?"

Ogron smirks and says "Yeah, your girlfriend went ballistic when blondie tried to break her. She was knocked out by Bloom with one hit, but the three witches and freaky wizard kept her from finishing what she started; what Diaspro started really. They somehow knocked her out, but we didn't see your ex get up. She even alive?"

Sky laughs and says "Yeah, she was missing for hours, and her wedding dress had a giant burn mark on it like a massive soot stain, but by the time she reappeared Stella had already broken the spell on me."

Sky grins at that, and Ogron repeats his earlier question. "So, are we good?"

Sky looks at him for a second, and says "Yeah, now let's go before Bloom comes back to drag us back by our shirts."

Ogron grins at that thought, he can easily imagine Bloom doing that.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, looks like everything worked out alright now - Sky was being jealous because he's read way too many books where the villain and hero fall in love, and with magic literally anything is possible. One thing everyone in Magix learns is to never assume something is impossible - there's likely a spell for anything and everything, and Bloom's made a habit of doing the impossible. List of impossible things she's done: Destroy the Destroyer at fifteen, escape from her cell under Cloudtower, survive Pyros, destroy the Aether, get a fair trial for these four guys. Does falling for a person really seem so hard in comparison to all that? PS. Read on to find out what happens at that trial! PPS. No, I'm not breaking Bloom and Sky up - I was showing why Sky would be worried about the impossible happening.**


	177. Delay

**_Delay_**

They teleport to Tir Nan Og, and almost as soon as they get their bearings a swarm of crows attack them! They have no idea how to fight a bunch of birds, until one foolish crow lands on Bloom's shoulders and starts pecking at her head. She grabs its leg with one burning hot hand, making it squawk in pain, and then she and Ember let out a massive roar together.

All the birds immediately scatter, sensing Bloom's change from human to dragon and instinctively fleeing from the roar of something so high up on the food chain from them that all of them combined would be a five-second snack to it.

Bloom's head now feels like it could literally crack open, so she puts one hand to the spot where the crow attacked her hard and calls up a little healing magic.

It helps with the sharp ache in the top of her head, but the crushing feeling around her forehead doesn't go away much, that part is from stress.

Nebula flies down, with one of the crows sitting on her arm, like Ember used to before her growth spurts made her too big.

"Ah, Winx. You must forgive the crows of the castle, they remember the Wizards of the Black Circle well. And unlike our queen, they don't have the capacity for forgiveness."

Bloom smiles in a way that seems forced, and says "Yes, well, you must forgive me if I'm a little blunt today. One of your crows tried to crack open my head like a nut, you see. Oh, and that one has a mark in the shape of my hand around its leg, it was trying a little hard."

Nebula isn't looking at Bloom anymore though, she completely missed Bloom's second sentence, having noticed Ember sitting at Bloom's side. "What is that?"

At the word 'that' Ember growls and bares her teeth, not liking being thought of as just an animal.

Bloom follows Nebula's stare to her ankle, and says "Oh, of course, you haven't met. Ember, Nebula. Nebula, Ember."

"You have a _dragon?!_ "

"Yeah. Hatched her, raising her, taught her a few things. Oh, and she can understand every word you say."

Ember does an imitation of Bloom's dangerous grin, showing long canine teeth and a glowing throat.

She growls something and Bloom says "Oh, be nice Ember. We are guests, after all."

 _Keep an eye on her, but don't make it too obvious Ember._

To add to the description, Bloom sends over a feeling of watchfulness, and nobody is aware of the mental conversation.

Nebula says "Yes well, follow me to the castle. The trial will begin shortly."

A flick of Bloom's wings is all that betrays her doubt, but her expression is clear of all emotions. Ember's face is much harder to read, but Ogron could swear he reads disbelief in her stance, as much as he can when she stands on four limbs.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, he is wondering about Nebula's definition of 'shortly' - because they are still waiting on the grass around the castle.

The Specialists are practicing with their weapons, the Winx have changed back into their human forms, and Bloom is pacing back and forth. She doesn't have her knife out in her grip yet, but they can see the tension in her perfectly straight back, and the fact that she is leaving footprints in the grass.

Finally, Stella says "Bloom, you're going to give yourself another headache. Stop worrying for a minute, will you?"

Bloom says "This should have started half an hour ago Stella, Nebula's stalling."

Her eyes narrow in thought, until Stella catches Bloom's elbow and drags her over to the other Winx. She lets herself be dragged, and absentmindedly sits where Stella has her.

They see Stella shoot Musa a look, and the Music Fairy immediately says "How about we rehearse while we wait? It's not like we have anything better to do."

All the Winx agree, and Bloom shrugs but doesn't object. Ogron is sure she wanted something to do besides pace back and forth, but storming the castle and stopping whatever Nebula's plans are, if she has any, was not one of her options.

They all suggest songs, and play 'Waking Up in Vegas', 'Raging Fire', which has a very different meaning when you apply it to Bloom, "My Life Would Suck Without You', 'I Lived', that one was a request from Ember, 'Battlefield', 'When Can I See You Again', and 'It's Always A Good Time'. Ember is sitting next to Bloom, with her head in Bloom's lap.

Bloom relaxes more and more with each song, it's clearly a stress-relief for her; one that actually works.

She suddenly looks over, and sees a group of Warrior Fairies watching them play. It's a pretty good-sized crowd, though they have attracted bigger at the Frutti Music Bar.

Bloom waves them over, making Ember turn and look. The one that was coming forward stops when the dragon lifts her lips a little, but Bloom starts massaging Ember's neck right under her head and she starts thrumming contentedly.

The fairy finishes walking over and Stella asks "What's up?"

"Um, well, it's just, you six are really good!"

The Winx all smile at the compliment, and Bloom says "Thanks. You all want to hear something we wrote?"

The fairy looks dumbstruck, but she manages "Yes! I mean, that would be great." She quickly flies over to the other group of fairies, as the Winx get up, with Bloom putting Ember's head on her forearm.

The Wizards can't believe it, somehow the Winx are getting to the Warrior Fairies; connecting with them despite the Warrior Fairies' best efforts.

As they watch, the Winx play 'Kingdom and a Child', which Ogron realizes with a jolt is based off Bloom's dream of Domino being destroyed. The sight of Flora and Stella on electric guitars is almost enough to make the Wizards laugh, Flora always seemed too shy and it never seemed like Stella was into music all that much.

* * *

Diana comes over while the Winx are having their impromptu performance, and Bloom goes over to talk after they are finished playing.

"Hello Bloom, it's good to see you again. I must admit, I'm surprised you managed this; despite what I said in the forest, I didn't think Morgana would listen to reason."

Bloom grins, and says "It was more Nebula who was being stubborn than Morgana. Speaking of which, where are they? I haven't seen Morgana yet and Nebula disappeared."

A look crosses Diana's face that tells Bloom all she needs to know, and her whole frame suddenly stiffens. It's her giveaway, the sign that means she is expecting trouble from anywhere and everywhere.

Her voice is quiet though, as she asks "Where are they Diana?"

"They're arguing in the palace, I was just inside and came out for some air. That's when I heard you playing, and you are really very good."

Bloom smiles again, but now it looks tired as well. "Thank you, Diana, now I have to have a chat in the palace."

Her expression and tone of voice are calm, but her posture gives away her fury - as does the rising temperature.

She teleports over to the front of the palace in a cloud of embers, and Roxy asks "What's with Bloom? I've never seen her like that before."

Stella watches her for a second, and says "Uh-oh, that's her dragon walk."

"What's that?" Roxy could almost laugh at that, Bloom told her about the 'princess walk' Stella and Aisha taught her.

"It's something she learned on Pyros, and it means don't mess with her or you'll end up with your face in the ground."

"Oh, is it anything like the 'princess walk' you taught her?"

"Sort of, except instead of saying she's royalty, it says she is really dangerous. Personally, I think hers is better."

Aisha says "Yeah, people don't dare mess with you after that message. With the 'royal walk' we had to learn, it just says we can balance three books on our heads and walk in six-inch heels."

Maybe a minute after Bloom walks through the palace doors, which opened with a little magic of hers, the Winx, Nabu, and all the Warrior Fairies outside sense someone inside using magic.

Suddenly, a hole opens in the air, and Nebula is thrown through it by Bloom - and lands with a very loud thud. "You have _got_ to be kidding me Nebula, this is ridiculous!"

Morgana walks through the portal as well, and gets out of the way between the two fairies who look like they are about to have another fight. Bloom teleports between Nebula and the Wizards, keeping her from getting any ideas.

Nebula then launches a tirade of verbal abuse at Bloom, who stands there and lets her finish. By the time she's finished, the Wizards are sure she has just signed her death sentence; Diaspro basically did when she admitted to spelling Sky and forcing him to break her heart - and that was _before_ Bloom became part-dragon. That part of her won't feel any guilt about killing Nebula, it certainly didn't feel anything over Malekith or Kurse.

But, in the most disproportionate response they have ever seen, Bloom starts _laughing._ It's not forced either, she truly finds Nebula's insulting rant about her hysterically funny. The shades of red, then purple, Nebula's face turns doesn't make Bloom stop laughing either, and now the Wizards get why she finds reactions like this funny; Nebula looks like she could burst a blood vessel.

When Bloom finally stops laughing, and can take her arms away from her sides, she says "If you wanted a rematch, all you had to do was ask!"

"A rematch, is that what you think this is about?"

"Well why else would you insult the most powerful fairy in existence unless you wanted to fight her again?"

Her logic makes sense, and Nebula can't find an answer fast enough. "And since we both know you can't beat me in a straight magic fight, how about hand-to-hand?"

Nebula is backed into a corner, if she refuses she looks like a coward and a rude idiot. If she accepts, she has to fight Bloom without magic.

Ogron knows why she's really suggesting a non-magic fight, she wants to save as much magic as possible, and she really doesn't want to pass out here.

"Fine Bloom, no magic. Game on."

Bloom dodges Nebula's first blows easily, even letting everyone see her do it. After a few lightning-fast dodges that nobody could follow, Bloom does a spinning kick that drives the heel of her sneaker into Nebula's side, sending her into the ground a few yards away.

"What? Is that the best you've got?" Bloom's tone is teasing and playful, and it drives Nebula up the nonexistent wall. She rushes Bloom, who simply catches her fist and uses her own momentum to judo-flip her to the ground in the same instant. Next, when Nebula gets up, she does a fluid handstand-backflip, and the toe of her shoe catches Nebula's jawbone squarely. She goes flying, and lands in a very sore heap.

Bloom is barely trying, she hasn't even broken a sweat and doesn't have a mark on her.

* * *

Nebula has had enough of getting tossed around like a ragdoll, and uses magic to trap Bloom is a box. She slams her hands against the wall, but even though it comes close to breaking, the barrier holds.

Ember jumps in front of the Wizards, as Nebula turns to them. She roars, the meaning of 'let Bloom go' being all too clear.

"What? Bloom's pet dragon is supposed to stop me?" Nebula darkens the magical box Bloom is currently trapped in, blocking her view of what Nebula is going to do - they can all tell that gets Bloom mad, the side of the box starts shaking furiously as Bloom pounds on it.

She blasts at Ember, but the dragon breathes a fireball out, making a hole in the air that the blast goes right through, making it hit Nebula! The next attack, Ember uses her wings to send it back at the Fairy of War.

Ogron goes into Bloom's head, and senses a burning pride for Ember, along with the furious desire to get out and end the fight.

Now, Nebula has had enough of this, and sends two attacks at Ember. The first is blocked by a fireball, but the second hits Ember dead-on.

The box Bloom is in suddenly explodes, and a fire-dragon rushes out and slams right into Nebula, sending her about six yards from Ember and she lands in a smoking heap.

Bloom teleports over to Ember, who is sore but alive. Her hands glow blue, and in seconds Ember is healed. The fire-dragon re-enters Bloom's body, just as Nebula's getting to her feet shakily.

Bloom hears her, and immediately stalks over furiously. She grabs Nebula's shoulder in a grip like iron, and says "Hurt Ember ever again, and you'll find out exactly how much I can do without magic." Before Nebula can answer, Bloom punches her in the face too fast to be seen and lets her shoulder go.

Nebula stays upright for a moment, then her eyes roll back in her head and she falls straight backwards – and hits the ground unconscious.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I've totally changed how this episode is going to go - because I refuse to kill Nabu, you won't see me back down on this ever. Yes, I had to do a lot of imaginative writing for how this all works out - but you have to read to find out!**


	178. Trial Wrecked

_**Trial Wrecked**_

Now, the trial can start; Nebula was trying to convince Morgana to break the deal and just imprison the Wizards.

Bloom was right, she was trying something; but Morgana would have none of it, Bloom won fairly and Morgana intended to keep her word. They went back and forth since the Winx, Specialists, and the Wizards arrived outside the palace.

Now, Bloom does look furious that Nebula tried to betray them, and even more so that she hurt Ember - who is sitting beside her legs once again. The young dragon is fine now, Bloom put as much healing magic in her as she could without passing out.

Now, she is drained, fighting Nebula again would put her in a week-long sleep. Her headache returned with a vengeance, and she is calling on Pyros just to stay on her feet right now. She fully plans on eating the Pet Shop out of everything in the fridge, and then going to the Frutti Music Bar to clean out Rick's supply of fruit.

Aurora and Diana are on either side of Morgana, and their followers, along with most of the other Warrior Fairies are spread out to the sides. Morgana is in the center, and Ogron is about to walk up and give Morgana the Black Circle.

But suddenly, Nebula appears in a flash of magic, and casts a spell on the Warrior Fairies.

Morgana, Diana, and Aurora are unaffected, but as she makes a speech Bloom isn't listening to, the rest of the court starts to turn from neutral to vengeful. By the time Nebula is done, all the Warrior Fairies are looking at the Wizards like they want their blood.

The closest thing Bloom can compare this to is a group of carnivorous dragons whipped into a blood frenzy; the smell of blood and the sight of their prey driving them past reason. Nebula knows what she is doing, she is going too far though.

Bloom focuses past her headache, and the air around everyone suddenly darkens.

 _Ember, go find Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman. I need to tell Morgana what I'm doing._

Ember thrums her assent, and bounds off into the thick haze of smoke that isn't there.

It's like the thick, choking smoke that large dragons can make with a single breath, too thick to see through and it smells horrible. It's an illusion, and Bloom added a little bit of volcanic ash to the mix, for that little bit less visibility. The illusion would normally be easy to maintain, but her headache makes it hard to concentrate.

She finds Morgana though, through the haze and bunch of Warrior Fairies looking for the Wizards. "I'm getting them out of here, Morgana."

The Queen of the Earth Fairies nods understandingly, and says "Go then, and know Nebula will not go unpunished for her actions today Bloom. The trial is cancelled, and due to her choices the Wizards go free."

Bloom smiles, and says "Thank you Morgana. I can't let them be killed, not like this, no matter what they've done."

Morgana smiles, and watches as the smoke grows thicker around them all. "I know, it is not in your nature. Go, take them to safety. I fear though, there is nowhere on Earth they can hide though, not until this is sorted out."

Bloom gets an idea, and her eyes flash orange with joy and excitement. She goes off into the cloud of smoke, and stops dead when she hears Ember calling her with a roar. Nobody but her can understand the roar, and while most would either assume she is hurt or angry, Bloom hears 'Come to me!' She quickly sets off, dodging angry and disoriented fairies.

* * *

While Bloom was looking for Morgana, Ember was sniffing out the Wizards, and she suddenly finds them. She throws her head back and call for Bloom with a roar, which everyone will hear.

The Wizards themselves are in a huddle, seriously confused by the turn of events. They knew what was going on right until the air darkened and turned into an apparent smoky substance. After about a second, a figure comes out of the smoke, and its Roxy. "Where's Bloom? She disappeared when this freaky smoke appeared."

Ogron can't believe he didn't think of that, the smoke is an illusion, one kept up by Bloom. But it's an incredibly realistic illusion, the air even tastes vaguely smoke-like and bitter. "No, but I think I know why she's missing."

Before he can explain, another figure comes out of the smoke: Nebula. "Finally, now I shall have my revenge. No-one shall stop me n-"

She doesn't get any further because a person in a blue jacket suddenly jumps on Nebula's back and puts her in a hold that cuts off the blood to her brain - knocking her out in under a minute. The figure does a flip off Nebula as she collapses, and when the hood is pulled back it's Bloom.

She looks to the Wizards and says "Let's get out of here while things cool down here."

Gantlos asks "Where? Where on Earth could you possibly take us where Nebula and whomever she gets behind her won't…find…" He trails off at her smile, which is a mixture of joy and excitement; a look they know they have never seen on her face before.

"Who said anything about Earth?" Ember immediately looks at her, and Bloom nods, and says "Yeah, we are."

Ember's reaction is instant, she throws her head back and spews a massive jet of flames into the air in celebration.

The Wizards all look at one another, but what choice do they really have?

Ember breaths out a fireball into the air in front of her, making a person-sized portal while Bloom focuses on keeping the illusion going.

Anagan asks "And where do you plan on taking us? Because that look of yours is not helpful."

Bloom takes a minute to answer, but it's only a word. "Pyros."

When they look through the hole in the air, it opens to a plain with a stream running nearby and a forest in the background. Its greener than anywhere on Earth, and the air itself even smells cleaner. The breeze floats through, and Bloom immediately focuses on it with Ember.

After a moment of hesitation, the Wizards start going through. Roxy suddenly says "I'm coming with!"

Bloom didn't expect that, and neither did the Wizards, because she only recently stopped ignoring them completely; right after Morgana agreed to the trial.

Bloom asks "What? Roxy, you don't have to-"

"No, I want to. I want to see more dragons like Ember and other creatures in Magix. And I want to know what the 'paradise' you two told me about is actually like. Also, I just decided I want you to teach me to fight like that."

Bloom smiles, she can't really argue with that. "Well, come on then, this won't last long."

Roxy runs through, and then Bloom goes last, and the hole fades like it was never there to begin with.

* * *

The smoke clears maybe a second after the shortcut to another universe disappears, and with the Wizards gone the fairies who are whipped into a frenzy by Nebula's spell stop acting on blind instinct.

The Winx and Specialists weren't affected, but they were disoriented by Bloom's illusion. They regroup, and realize two of them are missing.

Stella asks "Where did Bloom, Ember, and Roxy go?"

Morgana looks around, searching for her daughter, but Flora says "Roxy probably wanted to go with Bloom. She does kind of see Bloom as a role model after all."

They all agree, and notice without comment the Wizards are missing as well. They can guess what happened: Bloom couldn't let Nebula have them slaughtered, so she made the smoke illusion and took them away from Tir Nan Og. She probably didn't plan on Roxy coming with, but there likely wasn't any time to argue. They can even guess where they left, because Nebula is unconscious on the ground and starting to wake up.

Nebula swears she will get her revenge on the Wizards, no matter where they are or how far away.

About half the Warrior Fairies side with her, while the rest, along with Diana and Aurora's followers stay with Morgana. Nebula doesn't question the Winx, they are still there and had nothing to do with the smokescreen or the Wizards' disappearance.

When they get back to the Pet Shop, they immediately text Bloom, asking where she is.

She texts back 'I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did.'

It's a line from 'I Lived' by OneRepublic, and it's also a riddle for them. She takes music lyrics kind of seriously sometimes, and this is an easy riddle to solve. She took them to the one place she goes when there is nowhere else to go: Pyros.

* * *

 **AN: No, I didn't have the Wizards betray the Winx - honestly, I've got them so afraid of Bloom by now that it would be suicide on their part to do that. She can and will beat them to a pup for trying something, so why in the hell would they betray her and bring her wrath on? Also, I said I wouldn't kill Nabu and I meant it - he didn't deserve to die, and I really don't know why the cartoon did that to Aisha and him. How long do you think they'll be on Pyros? You think we're ever going to find out what's going on with Bloom? Read and find out!**


	179. Back to Pyros

_**Back To Pyros**_

When the hole in the air faded, they looked around. The Wizards have never seen anywhere like this on Earth before, everything is greener, the air literally smells cleaner, you'd swear this was a dream.

Ogron remembers the dream Bloom accidentally shared with him, about finding Ember and hatching her egg. Before, she was going through a forest too colorful and beautiful to be real, _this place._

Ogron gets a jolt when he realizes that, and another piece of the puzzle that is Bloom falls into place. The bruises on her hands could have been from living here, or they could have been from her time under Cloudtower.

 _"I won't let Valtor and the Trix get to you, or anyone else. That's a promise."_

He remembers her promising Ember that when she was only a few minutes old, sitting in a massive cavern with a pool of water in the center.

He is pulled out of his thoughts when Ember tackles Bloom's chest, knocks her to the ground and starts licking her face.

Bloom is laughing, and is trying to get the not-small Ember off her chest. "Alright, alright, I get it, you're happy to be back. So am I, but you don't have to knock me to the ground to get the point across."

Ember thrums something, and continues to lick Bloom's face. "I promised I would bring you if the chance ever came up, didn't I?"

Anagan asks "Is that why you brought Ember along?"

Bloom manages to get Ember off her chest and stands up, saying "Partly, but she also wanted to come. She asked, I said yes."

Duman asks "Where exactly are we?"

"Pyros, planet of Dragons. Also known as my own slice of paradise. Follow me!" She starts walking in what seems like a random direction, but suddenly they all hear a roar in the distance, and everyone gets moving.

Roxy was already following Bloom, but the massive roar is all the Wizards need to get moving.

They make it to the edge of the forest in a few minutes, but suddenly a massive dragon appears and lands heavily in front of them.

It is about to fry everyone but Bloom, when she suddenly rushes forward, and uses a nearby tree to springboard onto the dragon's head; completely skewing its aim for the moment.

"Run! I'll handle him, just run!"

Roxy says "But-"

"No, just run, I'll find you, now go already!" As they watch, she whips out her fighting staff and grabs onto the other end on the other side of the dragon's head, making it impossible for it to shake her off.

It spews another stream of fire, this time trying to cook her, but it can't get to her and ends up shooting fire into the air. They don't need any more encouraging, and Ember leads them into the forest at an incredible speed.

* * *

The sounds of Bloom wrestling with the dragon fade in the distance, and after about five minutes of full-out sprinting, Roxy and the Wizards slow down. Ember slows as well, and everyone but the young dragon is very out of breath.

Anagan asks "How…did she…survive?" He means the first time, which by now they have figured out is when she escaped from Cloudtower.

She was even thinner than she is now, almost literally skin and bones. By the time she made her escape, they could look at her and count her ribs, apparently she filled out somewhat when she came here. But how she managed to survive long enough to do that is beyond them.

They take a good look at the forest around them, and the Wizards notice it's the same as in the computer simulation they went into on Bloom's laptop.

Suddenly, Duman freezes, and says "Wait, do you hear that?"

After a second, they hear it too: something is coming toward them in the trees. It's getting closer, and all four Wizards get ready to fight. Roxy grabs a nearby branch off the ground, intending to use it to beat away whatever is coming.

But when the tree closest to them suddenly shakes like something jumped onto it, a familiar head of fiery hair pokes out of the foliage. "Hey, I finally found you, though it wasn't too hard. You all left a trail a hatchling could follow."

They have never been so glad to see her, and they notice she took her sunglasses off at some point, because they are hanging from her shirt. The jacket she was wearing before is now wrapped around her waist, revealing a short-sleeved t-shirt underneath. She has a few scratches on her face, and one arm has a medium-sized gash on it, which she is casually wrapping with some vines and some pulped leaves.

They all sigh with relief, and Roxy drops the long branch she had been holding like a baseball bat. Bloom does a backflip off the branch, landing easily on her feet like seven feet is nothing to her.

Anagan asks "How are you even alive?"

Bloom smirks, and says "What? You think running for my life is all I learned here? That is not the first dragon I've wrestled, and it probably won't be the last."

She finishes tying the knot in the vines with one hand, and then keeps walking. "C'mon, I suggest we get as far away from him as possible. He wasn't too happy that I won that match."

Duman gapes, and asks "How did you not get eaten by that thing? It must have been four times your size!"

"Simple, I got where his teeth couldn't get me. Let's go, before the sun sets eventually." She sets off in the forest, despite the fact that they have no idea which way to go to even get back to the field they were in.

Ogron speeds up to match her fast pace, and asks "How do you even know where to go?"

"I can't explain it, I just do. If you really want an explanation, I have my own form of GPS for this place - but it's not that simple. Think of the hawks in 'Hawksmaid' and how they navigate."

"So, where are we then?"

"Fire-breath forest. We ended up on the wrong side of the mountains, but that's easily fixed here. Then we just have to cross Wing-span Gorge and the Jumping Stones, and go to Boiling Falls."

None of that means anything to Ogron, aside from the fact that they are on the wrong side of some mountains. "So, how long will that trip take? Because we are getting eaten alive and cooked."

It's true, the forest is hot and humid, and even here there seems to be an endless amount of blood-sucking bugs to swat at.

"If it were just Ember and I, a day or so. But since you guys are here, I'd say at least three, and that's assuming we can fly over the mountains. If not, it'd take a week to get around them."

Gantlos asks "Why not just go over them?"

"Alone, that would be an option, but the mountain dragon will tear you four to pieces, likely Roxy as well unless she convinced it not to; and that's not exactly likely, dragons are really stubborn creatures when they are wild." Nobody has a response to that, and they keep walking at a fast pace until the sun starts to set.

* * *

They set up camp for the night in a small clearing in a group of trees and the Wizards insist on a fire, more to keep the dragons away than to keep themselves warm. They collect firewood, while Bloom digs a pit for the fire.

When they get back, Bloom's face is set like she is fighting a headache, but she was fine earlier.

When Anagan asks why the mood swing, she says "I felt that, every broken-off branch. After about the twentieth branch, it went from mildly annoying to sharp and distracting."

All four look at her in shock, Roxy isn't that surprised because Bloom had already told her about her connection to Pyros.

Duman asks "You could feel-"

"Every branch being broken off? Yeah, sort of like my own bones were being fractured, except I can still move my arms without screaming." She resorts to sarcasm to hide her pain, so it's one of her few tells that something is wrong - until she collapses from exhaustion from using all her magic.

Ogron asks "Why didn't you say-"

"Because, it means my connection to the place is waking back up. And I'd have mentioned it if I thought it would actually matter to you four." She's right, they aren't really used to thinking about anyone other than the four of them.

She doesn't say another word about the matter, just waves them over to set up the fire. She puts the sticks up in a teepee structure, and in the middle she puts a bunch of kindling.

Anagan asks "So how are you going to light that? Because we've all noticed you haven't used much magic since we got here." In fact, she hasn't used any, and she just raises her eyebrows like he asked her how to breathe - given her fire breath, he basically did.

Ember breathes out a small stream of fire, and the campfire is instantly alight. Three boxes of Kraft Macaroni and cheese later, and everyone is getting tired.

Bloom just sits back and looks at the sky, which has burst into an incredible array of stars and galaxies.

Roxy whistles, and says "Wow, you don't get a view like that in Gardenia."

Bloom smiles, and says "It's one of the things I love best about Pyros." There are millions of stars, bright white and beautiful, along with galaxies and clouds of space dust of all colors and shapes.

"There are three moons up there."

Bloom doesn't look at the speaker, just says "Yeah."

" _Three._ "

"Still yeah, I'm used to them. Solaria has twenty, so it's not that big a deal."

The light from them is blinding, so it's going to be a really long night.

When Roxy asks what the stars and constellations are all called, Bloom starts naming them, and pointing out planets they all mistook for brightly shining stars. Solaria is the brightest, with Domino and Lynphea close behind.

Roxy falls asleep to the rhythm of Bloom's voice talking, and Bloom isn't far behind. She lets out a massive yawn, and lays down at the foot of an old tree.

"Get some sleep, we'll be traveling further tomorrow. Oh yeah…forgot to tell you…Nebula's actions…dismissed the case…free…"

Ogron asks "Are you saying because Nebula wrecked the trial today, we won't have another?"

They hear a noise that's part yawn, part answer, and part-growl at the end, but all they can make out is the tone of voice: yes.

The Wizards can't seem to find a comfortable spot where they can sleep, even with the good news, but Bloom simply lays her head down on the grassy earth and in minutes they can hear her soft snore-thrum.

Ember is curled up next to her, and one of Bloom's arms is lying over her wings, almost like a kid with a stuffed animal. Bloom herself is lying on her side, with her legs halfway curled to her chest. She put her jacket over Roxy, and her other arm is under her head, like she usually has it under her pillow.

They can just imagine her sleeping with her knife under her pillow, gripping it so she will be ready in case someone tries to take her while she is asleep. Unbelievably, in some ways she's still a kid - you'd just never see them if all you did with her is fight.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, they've been walking and running through the forest for the rest of the day - they'd never survive this place, something one skin-and-bones fairy managed. They'd all be wandering around lost and likely get eaten in the first few minutes without Bloom there - this is why I didn't take them here in the first place, Bloom would either have to stay with them through the whole time or take them to Maia and hope they didn't try anything; neither of which would appeal to her. If anyone's wondering why they ended up on the wrong side of the mountains guarded by a very territorial dragon, Ember was the one who made the hole in the air while Bloom was keeping them hidden. They were more focused on getting to Pyros than any specific area on the planet. And if it had been Bloom - her migraine would've been enough to put them anywhere on the planet's surface. Keep reading to find out how they get to Bloom's cave-home here!**


	180. Traveling Pyros

_**Traveling Pyros**_

Ogron wakes up when the sunlight crawls over his face, the unfamiliarity jolting him awake. He can't remember the last time he and the other Wizards slept outside, when it was safe for them to sleep outside.

He scrambles into a sleepy sitting position, and then recalls everything that happened the day before. The Winx coming to Sibylla's cave with their boyfriends, the trial being stalled and then ruined by Nebula, Bloom taking them to Pyros, and their mad run through the forest. Somehow Bloom found them, and then they kept going until they found the small clearing surrounded by tall trees where they slept for the night.

Ogron gets the feeling that's what Bloom did until she became part-dragon, just kept going until she found somewhere she wouldn't be eaten, and then slept there for a while.

He looks over at Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman, who are still asleep. They were up for hours, trying to find a position where they could forget they were on a planet dangerous beyond imagining - the intense moonlight made it really hard. Eventually, they just fell asleep, too tired to care about the dragons that were likely nearby.

He looks over at Bloom and freezes in shock; _she is fast asleep._

While this wouldn't normally be strange with anyone else, they all figured out she is by no means a heavy sleeper most of the time.

After her time under Cloudtower, it's amazing she gets any sleep at all; and the night she went and worked out in the park until they kidnapped her makes a lot more sense. Her comments about how they had to pick that night take on a new meaning, along with her not being in the mood.

But now, she has a look of peace and contentment on her face, like she could stay asleep there forever and never want more. She usually has a look of either concentration or determination, but right now her face is smooth and peaceful - and the difference is startling.

Ogron gets why Sky would think he liked Bloom, why he would want to hold onto Bloom. Her hair is falling over her face, and one thin arm is draped over Ember's body, which looks like a mass of her fiery hair.

The sunlight creeps over to Bloom's body, and as soon as it falls on her face she bolts awake, instantly alert and sitting up. She looks around, and gets a huge smile of joy and excitement on her face; like a kid on Christmas morning.

She whispers "So it was real…"

She looks around, and sees Ogron is awake and staring at her. "Morning, when did you wake up?"

She sounds unusually cheerful, like being in this place puts her in an unending good mood. She looks down at Ember for a minute, and the dragon lifts her head up, yawns, and looks around with sudden excitement.

Everyone else is waking up as well, except for Duman; who always sleeps like a rock after a hard day.

Roxy moans "Five more minutes, Dad…" and rolls over.

Bloom laughs, and says "Well, I'm not sure which one of these four guys your calling 'dad', but I know it's not me."

Roxy wakes up at that, and her face goes bright red when she realizes who the 'four guys' are. She buries her face in her hands, and mumbles "Tell me I did not just…"

"Yeah, you did. Oh well, stuff happens." She gets up, and unwraps the vine bandage from her arm.

The three Wizards who are awake see she put a paste on the gash, what it was is beyond them, and now it's nearly completely healed.

Gantlos asks "Where did you learn to do that?"

Bloom looks up and asks "The bandage you mean? Here, I learned a lot here."

She shrugs, and pops a leaf from her bag in her mouth and starts to chew it. After a minute, she spits it onto her fingers and rubs it into the cut. "Why isn't Duman up?"

She sounds more curious than impatient, and Anagan says "He's always the last to get up, especially after a day like yesterday. Getting him up is nearly impossible."

"I bet I know how to do that."

She has a mischievous grin on her face, and Ogron asks "What are you going to do?"

In response, Bloom digs around in the pocket that produces an endless amount of food and stuff to cook it with, and pulls out a large water bottle. Holding the bottle in one hand, she climbs up the tree Duman is under like she was born doing exactly that, and after a minute the tree falls silent.

When Bloom is directly above Duman, she uses her connection to the planet to have the tree move its branches and leaves away. She now has a clear view of Duman's spikey pink hair, along with the rest of his head, so she unscrews the cap and pours the entire bottle of water onto his spikes in one continuous stream of water.

Duman wakes up the instant the water hits his head, but Bloom pours the whole bottle out to make sure he won't go back to sleep.

When the water finally stops, he looks around at his friends, who are trying not to smile, and Roxy who is trying hard not to burst out into laughter. Bloom doesn't bother trying to hide her amusement, and starts laughing when he glares up at her under soaking wet bangs in his eyes.

When she finally manages to stop laughing a full minute later, and get a breath in, she says "Oh relax, its water. Water dries."

"Did you have to pour the entire bottle on me?"

"You had to wake up at some point you know."

It's true, but the fact doesn't stop him from sulking and glaring at Bloom. She shrugs it off, and puts the bottle back in her bag.

He looks at Ogron, Anagan, and Gantlos accusingly, and asks "You guys didn't stop her why?"

Gantlos says "You did have to wake up at some point, and we were curious about what she was planning."

Bloom interrupts, saying "C'mon, there's three dragons nearby. They can give us a lift over the mountains."

The Wizards look at one another, remembering their last encounter with a dragon; and the subsequent dash for their lives through a jungle they quickly got lost in. Roxy has no such hesitation, and follows Bloom into the forest, handing her the jacket she used as a blanket.

* * *

They follow, and see the tree branches and vines are actually moving out of her way today; whereas yesterday she was pushing them out of her way with her hands like the rest of them.

After around ten minutes of walking, they are starting to wonder about her definition of 'nearby' when she stops suddenly. They think she is lost, until they get closer and see a clearing with three large dragons.

They are different from the one they ran for their lives from yesterday, they look almost like Ember. Except Ember is smaller and has some different proportions. Her legs are longer, her body is slimmer, etc.

Bloom guesses their thoughts, and says "There are a lot of different species of dragons, both meat and plant eaters. Lucky us, these three are plant eaters, so they won't try to make a meal out of you."

Ogron says "Well, comforting as that is, how does that get us a ride over the mountains?"

"I'll go ask them, if they say no, I'll convince them."

Duman would ask how she plans to do that, except they saw her climb all over Ember when she was turned evil, and they saw her distract the dragon the day before, if only for a few seconds. She takes her fighting staff out of her shirt and jacket back, and confidently marches out into the clearing.

The dragons were eating, but at the sight of Bloom the biggest one growls and bares its fangs. Bloom looks for a second, but doesn't react; having seen all this before.

Instead, she growls back, low and almost conversational. The other two come forward, growling almost agreeably, but the first growls and then roars.

Bloom snarls out something, her grip noticeably tightening on the staff in her hand. The biggest dragon, the one she was talking with, rears its head back and takes in a deep breath. It tries to roast her, but she is completely unharmed when the gush of fire ends.

She then jumps up, swings herself onto the dragon's neck before it can react and hangs on until it stops thrashing around. Finally, it lets out a defeated roar, and then falls to the ground.

Bloom slides off the dragon's neck, which is as tall as she is, and says "Yeah, that's what I thought."

She looks over and yells "You guys can come out now, mister tough guy over here finally agreed."

Gantlos asks "What did you just…"

"Do? Simple, he said that if I could get on and stay on, he would give us a lift. Then he tried to cook me." She looks fine, though she now smells like smoke and brimstone from the dragon's fire breath.

"C'mon, the other two agreed right away." One of the other two is a female, the one who challenged Bloom and the other agreeable one are males, and the stubborn one is clearly older.

Ogron and Duman get stuck riding that one, Anagan and Gantlos are on the other male, and Roxy and Bloom are on the female.

Bloom had to growl something at the older male when he tried to rise at the sight of Bloom leading Duman and Ogron over to his side. He growled something, Bloom growled something back, shortly and almost viciously, and he grumbled but stayed put.

Duman and Roxy are the only ones who notice the older male eying Bloom, like its waiting for her to do something. But she just helps the other Wizards onto the dragons, because they clearly have never gotten onto one before, and then gets in the front of the female.

Roxy asks "Um, how do we ride these anyway?"

"You remember the horses we rode to Batson's farm?"

"Yeah…"

"It's like that mixed with a rollercoaster." Before they can say anything else, Bloom barks out something between a growl and a roar, and all the dragons hunch down, then surge upward in a rush of strong muscle and wind.

* * *

 **AN: And they are off! Why do you think the older dragon was eying Bloom? Read and find out next chapter! PS. Sorry about the wait for this one, we had my brother's birthday party yesterday. Also, the whole shock of Bloom being out cold and not completely drained is because she's ultra-paranoid and constantly on high-alert - and hardly gets a decent night's sleep half the time, which he didn't even think she could do by now. Enjoy, more chapters coming soon!**


	181. Hormonal Issues

_**Hormonal Issues**_

Bloom and Roxy are screaming like two girls on the best roller-coaster of their lives, while the Wizards are trying to hang onto the dragons under them for dear life and Ember follows close behind the dragon Bloom and Roxy are on.

When Ogron looks over, Bloom actually has her arms up in the air, hanging onto the dragon with her legs. He thinks she is truly insane at that, and again when she turns to Roxy and sticks her hand out, leaving a trail of orange behind in the wind.

She looks like she is having a blast, and then suddenly leans forward to whisper something to the dragon.

"Hang on, Roxy!" The dragon suddenly shoots forward, and they can hear Bloom and Roxy's shouts of excitement and wild joy.

Gantlos thinks to the others _Fairies going this fast at this height, should've known._

They all grin, knowing the innate love of flying in all fairies; though Bloom's imprisonment apparently took it to a new level.

The dragon he and Duman are riding suddenly takes in a deep breath, smelling the trail of magic Bloom was leaving with her hands. He lets out a very loud roar, made even louder by the fact that the two are so close to his head, and he shoots forward to catch up to Bloom, Roxy, and the dragon they are riding.

Duman yells _"What the heck?!"_ and hangs onto Ogron as tightly as he can, trying not to fall off.

 _Bloom, whatever you're doing to this thing, stop it now before we fall off!_

Bloom looks backward, just as the dragon goes past.

 _I'm not doing anything! What is he doing?_

She doesn't know, but they just have to last a few more minutes; they can see the mountains coming up fast. The dragon turns around though, and the dragon Roxy and Bloom are on has to fly lower to avoid him. Another roar, and another rush past them, and Bloom has had enough of the games; and so have Ogron and Duman, who look like they might be sick.

"Roxy, think you can stay on her by yourself?"

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

"I'm stopping this, it's ridiculous." Roxy has to agree, and then Bloom jumps off the dragon.

She has her hoverboard ready though, and gets on it and does a flip to regain the altitude. _W_

 _hat the heck are you doing?_

She hears Ogron's voice in her head, but ignores it in favor of the rush of adrenaline going through her.

 _Oh. Never mind, keep doing it._

 _Gee, thanks. Now, what set him off?_

 _He smelled some of your magic, and just took off. What is going on?_

 _Like I know, I just got here yesterday, I don't know what's going on with this specific dragon yet!_

She mutters "If he went nuts on a whiff of my magic, then let's see if I can get him to follow me."

She goes into a dive, then pulls up to get past the dragon, leaving a solid trail of orange behind her. "You want me? Well I'm right here big fella!"

The dragon gets a face-ful of the stuff, and instantly goes nuts trying to get Bloom. He lunges for her, but she drops lower, and goes higher when he tries again.

She manages to get the dragon to follow her across the mountains, and even a few miles past, before spotting a clearing large enough for the three dragons to land in.

She lands, and immediately puts the hoverboard back in her bag pocket, this one on the side.

The other three dragons land as well, and Ogron and Duman immediately get off. Duman is very nearly sick right then, but manages to not barf. "Never again…not if its…always like that."

Ogron agrees, though Anagan and Gantlos had a much easier ride. Roxy loved the ride, erratic dragon and all - of course, hers wasn't the one acting up.

* * *

Bloom growls to the female dragon, keeping far away from the older male; having a very bad feeling about why he suddenly started up. The female growls something, and her face goes sheet white, and then almost as red as Ogron's hair.

"No, you've got to be kidding!"

They don't know what the dragon said, but the tone of her voice is all too clear: something is going on. The dragon growls in sympathy, and then the older male comes closer and moves one clawed hand towards her.

Bloom immediately whips around, whips out her fighting staff, and slams it into the limb with so much force it would break a person's bones. She growls something out harshly, and the meaning is clear enough: 'claws off, I'm taken buster!' She has a very offended look on her face, but the dragon doesn't seem to get the hint to stop trying.

Gantlos thinks _If that's what she does to everyone who tries to hit on her, then I'm glad we used to fight her._

The statement gives Duman an idea, and he starts laughing as hard as Bloom was that morning. "Guys, I think I know what's going on."

Anagan says "Oh yeah? Please, tell us."

Bloom beats him to it, gritting out between her teeth "Think of alligator mating season, then evolve them so they have wings and could eat an actual gator in one bite."

Everyone stares at her, but her gaze never leaves the dragon looking at her unblinkingly. That certainly explains the dragon's behavior, but stuff starts to pile up in Ogron's mind; Bloom's mood swings, the rush of emotions he felt right before he was thrown out of her mind the morning of the trial, the way she seemed to have trouble looking away from Sky when she had them both against opposite walls. The more things he thinks of, the more the idea he is getting makes sense, and he honestly doesn't know what to make of it.

Duman says "Ok, but I think it's not just the dragon here who's affected. And why isn't that one coming for you?"

"Too young, same as Ember, though she has a few more years in front of her than he does." Her glare looks like it could set the dragon on fire, and from the red in her face she knows exactly what is going on.

The rest of the Wizards have already followed Duman's thoughts, and the result would be fairly hysterical if it wasn't playing out right in front of them.

"I'm thinking maybe your-"

"You have no proof. And besides, one small problem with your idea: if I really were being affected, why am I not a mindless hormone-machine around every guy in the area?"

She has a point, but she is human enough to like someone and only them. Duman thinks for a second, then says "Roxy, you have a phone, right?"

"Yeah, I did grow up on modern Earth after all. "

"Got any pictures of Sky on it?"

"Yeah, here." She pulls up a photo of Sky balancing two trays loaded with smoothies.

Bloom turns, after making sure the dragon won't try another move on her for a second. The instant her eyes land on the photo, she stops moving, stops doing anything but staring at the picture of her boyfriend.

The look of desire that paints itself across her face is classic, and confirms Duman's suggestion. When he moves the picture to the side, her eyes follow like a puppet on a string, and back again. Her grip on the staff tightens, but it's not until Roxy is handed the phone back and the picture is out of sight that she seems to regain control of herself, looking away and turning so red they're convinced every drop of blood in her body has moved to her face.

And then they are distracted by the sudden roar of the older male dragon, who leaps forward to get to Bloom.

"I'm gonna kill you, Duman!" She takes off at a full sprint, outrunning even Anagan at his top speed.

Ember follows, and so do the Wizards and Roxy, who have already lost sight of Bloom in the forest. They can only follow the trees and vines, the path cleared through them because of Bloom's connection to the planet.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they still haven't seen or heard from her, or Ember, but they can hear the sounds of creatures moving through the forest around them.

Gantlos finally asks "Exactly how are we supposed to find Bloom? I've never seen anyone move like that; not even Anagan with his magic."

Anagan says "No kidding, I think she would have beaten me in a race."

About five minutes later, they stop at a stream, being really thirsty and not even knowing if they are going in the right direction.

A dragon flies overhead, letting out a now-familiar call. They figure it's just looking for another dragon to mate with - oh boy, Bloom's in big trouble here - and then it flies away.

A few seconds later, Ogron hears _He's not coming back, right?_

 _How the heck did you find us?_

 _Just answer the question, I can't stay here forever._

 _He's gone, now, where are you even?_

The last question is answered for him when Bloom's head suddenly bursts out of the stream, at a deeper part. She immediately takes in a massive gasp of air, and climbs out of the water. Ember comes out of a nearby bush, and goes over by Bloom.

Gantlos says "Now you're just showing off. How did you find us this time?!"

"Long story. Here's an idea: _don't freaking show me a picture of my boyfriend when there is a horny dragon just itching for a reason to get to me not three feet away!_ " She has a very good point, and starts wringing out her hair.

Duman says "Sorry, but that was priceless. And how did you learn to run like that anyway?"

"I said I didn't just learn to run for my life; that was the first thing I learned here."

She finishes twisting most of the water out of her hair so it won't be dripping wet, and then says "Let's keep going, and hope we don't run into any more dragons for a while. " T

hey agree, but after a while they find a clearing with about four dragons, and they don't look like they eat a bunch of plants. Everyone tenses, but Bloom smirks and says "I got this. Watch and learn; this is the second thing I learned here."

She strides out confidently, with her head held high and defiantly; and the dragons take one look at her and bolt.

Everyone is laughing now, the sight of four huge dragons being afraid of Bloom is funnier than anything else they have seen in a while.

Roxy says "You have got to show me how to do that Bloom!"

When they pitch camp for the night, Duman feels something watching them, when he points it out, Bloom asks "Where from?"

She isn't looking at him, but trying to sense what could be thinking of making a meal out of them. He points behind him, at some branches of a thick tree.

"Act natural." She looks at Ember for a split second, and the dragon suddenly jumps up and runs over to a bush near the tree. "Oh Ember, get back here!"

Her tone is relaxed but annoyed, but they all know from experience she can make one very believable act when she wants to. She goes to the bush, and is up the tree in a flash of orange, blue, and pink.

Not a second and a half later, she starts laughing so hard they can imagine tears in her eyes. When the leaves move back, they see her holding her knife loosely, leaning back against the tree trunk, and a bizarre bird is sitting in front of her with a confused look on its face. Her other arm is holding her sides, which feel like they are going to split open.

Duman turns redder than Bloom's hair, while everyone else does start laughing; he was worried about a bird!

Even Ember is laughing, doing that same high-pitched thrum they remember from the night they fought Bloom and Ember in Roxy's house.

* * *

 **AN: And this would be why Bloom's been so moody lately - got this idea out of nowhere and just couldn't not use it, it's hysterical! Yes, it's been going on ever since the Warrior Fairies were set free, but that was just a coincidence - Bloom's got a whole new kind of problem now, seeing as there's such a difference between a person and a dragon. Also, yes, she's basically mindless around Sky at the moment - good thing he isn't here, Bloom would never be able to stop running! Looks like Sky's got a lot more competition than he thought, and Ogron is not part of it - it's every male dragon on the planet that's old enough to breed and is in range of Bloom! Hope you found this idea as funny as I did, enjoy Bloom's time back on Pyros! More chapters coming...**


	182. Finally Home

_**Finally Home**_

It's the third day on Pyros, and they are still walking through this forest that seems endless. They come to a huge gorge, like a ravine that got really fat.

"Welcome to Wing-span Gorge!" They see a bunch of small rocks forming a pathway of sorts over the gorge, they can only be the Jumping Stones Bloom mentioned the first day.

Anagan asks "And how exactly are we going to get across those?"

Bloom says "You think it's hard now? Try it when a dragon is trying to blow you off the stone."

"Pass."

Bloom smirks, and then suddenly jumps onto one of the stones, she gets about halfway in only a few seconds, jumping from one to the next like its nothing.

She looks back and yells "Come on, its easy!" Ember just flies over, having the benefit of wings coming from her shoulder blades.

After a second, Roxy starts jumping, barely keeping her balance on a few jumps.

After ten minutes, they all have made it across, though it was not all easy for Anagan. He nearly fell off one stone, except Bloom shot back out onto the stones and grabbed his jacket to keep him on the rock.

They keep going through the forest, and Bloom is humming 'A Place in This World'.

Gantlos grumbles "How hot can one place get? I'm cooking." The rest of the Wizards are not much better, even Duman who has no sleeves is soaked in sweat.

Bloom says "You four are the ones who decided to wear black all the time."

She has a point, but it would have been nice to know this place was so humid; Anagan would have rethought the jacket, though it does make an excellent pillow.

Duman asks "Are we almost there?"

"Almost, it's a little further."

Gantlos says "You said that an hour ago."

"I could have gotten here a day ago if it were just Ember and I. As for right now, it's less than a day away, and we're making good time. When we get there, I'll tell you, so relax."

Hearing Bloom tell someone to relax is so ironic it could almost make them laugh, except she is relaxed here. She doesn't look around for people who are trying to kidnap her, she seems to be in a perpetually good mood here.

It's so different from her constant vigilance on Earth that it's like she's another person; except her sarcastic comments are as good as ever, and they've seen her lift thick logs out of the way without magic.

The lack of magic on her part is because using it would light up the whole planet, a beacon for any other enemies of hers to come and get her. The Trix, Diaspro, and anyone new; Pyros lighting up like a massive fireball for even an instant would give away the fact that she is on the planet - and the news reporters would come running. They laugh for a minute at the last part, until Bloom tells them how she is constantly swarmed by reporters and cameras whenever she goes into Magix City or anywhere in the dimension for that matter.

* * *

They have been following a river, and suddenly it drops off to a waterfall.

Duman says "Let me guess, we have to go down there."

"Yeah. But I know a shortcut."

Gantlos crosses his arms and says "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Bloom takes a few steps back, and says "This. CANNONBAAAALLLLLL!" She started running forward after the first word, and then jumped off the cliff in a ball. They hear a gigantic splash, and Ember flies down and gets in as well.

They all look down, to see Ember swimming and Bloom's head come out of the water. She starts doing backstrokes, and calls up "Come on in, the water's great!"

Duman mutters "She's crazy."

They are all at the edge of the drop, and Roxy shrugs and says "Why not? LOOK OUT BELOW!" She takes a few steps back, and does a perfect dive.

When she comes back up, she yells "This water is freezing, Bloom!"

"Is it? I don't notice the temperature. My body produces so much heat, it's like I'm an oven."

Roxy splashes Bloom, and then Bloom splashes back, then Ember joins in, using her wings to splash both fairies.

The Wizards go the long way down, climbing down, and it takes about ten minutes.

By then, Roxy and Bloom are in a splash war, and Bloom is winning at the moment. Every time Roxy tries to splash her, Bloom just ducks under water and swims around. She goes so deep, Roxy can't find her until she gets splashed again.

Gantlos has had enough, and when Bloom comes back up he says "You said we were almost wherever we're going hours ago, exactly how long are you planning on-"

Bloom pushes her wet hair out of her face, saying "Gantlos, will you please chill? Its right over there!" They look at where she's pointing, and see the entrance to a cave, much larger than Sibylla's.

Roxy has to cover her mouth to smother a storm of laughter, because the cave is not even ten feet from Gantlos. He looks at it, and just says "Oh."

Ogron, Anagan, and Duman look at it, and then suddenly they recognize it. It's the cave from the drawing of Bloom and Ember, this is the background. And it's also the place they ended up in when they went into Bloom's computer, though they didn't pay much attention to the surroundings.

Bloom does a few backstrokes, thoroughly enjoying the water. Then she gets out and, with her hair still dripping, walks into the cave. Ember thrums happily, she apparently missed this place quite a lot.

The pool of water in the center is faintly orange, confirming this is the place where her egg hatched. "Good to be back, huh Ember?"

Ember thrums again, and goes to take a long drink from the pool.

Roxy asks "What is this place Bloom?"

"I made my home here until the Winx and the Specialists found me, check this out." She goes over to a small opening in the wall, and enters it.

Inside is a long rock shelf, filled with neatly organized piles of leaves. They are dried, they clearly have been here for years, there's also a large pile of wood, enough to build a massive bonfire right now.

Ogron gapes, and asks "When did you get all this?"

"Well, when you have time…" There have to be twenty different piles easily, likely closer to forty, along with stone bowls and flat rocks that could be used to cook something; Bloom clearly made them, or had help making them.

"What is all this stuff?"

"Well, when your alone on a planet like this, and you can't use magic, you learn pretty quick what you need. Then, you either make it, grow it, or gather it. I did all three."

They also see what looks like a mortar and pestle, likely for grinding up some of the herbs as she needed them. She really thought of everything when she was surviving here, they underestimated just how resourceful she could be even after escaping the living hell they watched her go through. The Wizards shouldn't be surprised, even the first time they fought her she showed a resourcefulness and will to survive that most lack.

* * *

The rest of the day is spent in what appears to be a 'moving-back-in' experience for Bloom and Ember, like coming back to a house you lived in years ago. They discover a bed made of grasses and herbs, which looks old and dusty like it hasn't been used in years - no surprise, it hasn't.

What is surprising, is the fact that they can still see an impression in the grasses, and can smell the different herbs she mixed in.

When Duman asks what she ate the whole time she was on Pyros, because she said before she spent two months here, she just points across the river to a gigantic patch of bushes with long vines covered in thorns.

"Wait…that's the weird bush you have in your room!"

"Yep. It's a Thornbush, one Flora spelled to make an endless amount of berries. The one here is wild, and has no such spell on it. You want a berry, be prepared to meet some resistance – and to look in a new spot every once in a while."

She then jumps onto some convenient rocks that serve as stepping stones over the river, and picks a handful of berries from a flower. The vines immediately wrapped around her hand, but didn't even slow her down for a minute. Ember has already had about a dozen flower's worth of berries, but the thorns couldn't get through her scales. The thorns dig into Bloom's hand, but she just pulls them out, not noticing the pain. They aren't really that sharp, they don't even break the skin.

She gets new herbs for her grass pile that she made so long ago, along with more firewood from the nearby forest - gathered from the forest floor, not the trees.

They make a fire that night, and the roof of the cave is so high the smoke is no problem, it'll just fade out eventually. They let Bloom feed the fire, because she doesn't get hurt by fire and the branches are so dry they catch fire easily. She even had a spot ready, a depression in the floor of the cave that was covered in soot and surrounded by a ring of stones; a fire pit in a cave.

She makes a large pot of spaghetti, and by now they have a good idea why cooking meat would be a terrible idea. Dragons can smell food miles away, and every carnivorous creature in a twelve-mile radius would be storming the cave looking for the source of the smell. And because they would smell like the food, everyone would be eaten by a horde of hungry dragons with razor-sharp teeth.

It's not a pretty picture, and all the Wizards - Duman included - decided they could live without bacon and sausages for a while.

When asked why she stopped eating meat altogether though, Bloom tells them about Buddy, and how he ate a bug larvae whole, which completely grossed her out. She decided right then she would never eat another piece of meat again, especially after Buddy picked out a small leg from between his teeth.

They agree immediately, especially Roxy. Roxy then asks if Buddy is the one who taught her about Pyros, and she tells them the story of how he taught her to walk like a dragon. She even imitates his voice, making everyone laugh - and vaguely creeping the Wizards out, as she could likely imitate anybody's voice.

They all found a spot to sleep in, Roxy is on one side of the fire, and Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, a0nd Duman are in a semi-circle around the other side.

Bloom just sleeps in her bed of grasses, which she made far enough away from the fire that they won't burn. It wouldn't hurt her, but Ember is another story.

By the time they all get to sleep, Bloom and Ember are out cold, and Roxy is curled up asleep in her spot on the ground.

Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman stay up for a while, talking quietly. Bloom has ears every bit as good as Duman, and being here has only sharpened them - and even here, they don't doubt she'd wake up instantly. They've gotten used to her eyes being slitted, her glowing throat, all of it.

It reminds them of a book called 'The Princess and the Bear', where there is animal magic which lets the wielder transform into the animal that fits their personality. The former hound, named Chala, is both hound and human, she was born a hound, turned into a human by magic, then turned back into a hound in the previous book, and now she is turned into the human she would have been if she were born a human. They never found an example of this in real life until they met Bloom, who is dragon and fairy both, not one or the other. She won't back down from a challenge, and won't do anything by halves, but she will do anything to protect her own, and apparently anyone who has her word that she will protect them.

They look over at her, curled up much like a dragon would be; they can just about imagine a tail curled up to her nose. Ember is tucked safely under her arm, in absence of a wing to cover her with. She's honest to fault, despite all the head games - she's never once told anything but the truth. And she merely let them see what they wanted to see every time they underestimated her again and again. But, they think they're finally figuring her out: she will do anything to protect her own, and her own freedom. Beyond that, its decided by the circumstances.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I like to read and the book was a perfect fit for Bloom - unbelievable, I know. I also like Taylor Swift, which is why Bloom was humming 'A Place in this World' as she was walking. Next few chapters won't have much action in them, but hey, not everything can be life-and-death - Bloom needs a vacation, she's been getting stress headaches by now, cut her some slack. Action will start up before too long, but be patient!**


	183. Running and Reading

_**Running and Reading**_

When everyone wakes up, Bloom's grass bed is empty - and its cold, so she has been gone a while. The only thing there is her sketchbook, with a well-drawn map and the words 'went for a run. Follow the river fed by Boiling Falls to a lake. Or don't and stay at the cave. Be back later.'

She also left her bag of endless amounts of food, so they would have breakfast.

They didn't eat much while traveling through Fire-Breath forest, more focused on getting to the place Bloom made her home for nearly two months alive. But now, when they aren't going at a very fast pace, even for them, they remember their hunger easier. After eating, the five of them follow the river outside the cave, because Bloom is the only one who knows Pyros and they are certain she wouldn't tell them to follow something they couldn't find.

Sure enough, the river flows into a lake surrounded by trees - and one of them has an unnaturally thick vine hanging from it. When they investigate, it's actually a series of vines braided together, and then the braids were braided together to form one very thick, sturdy rope.

Before they can wonder why it's there, never mind who made it, they hear a familiar sound: trees moving in the distance and a dragon roaring.

They jump out of the way, as a blur of orange and blue comes speeding past them, grabs onto the vine - which is apparently a vine-swing - and swings out over the lake with a huge splash. A dragon lands at the edge of the lake and lets out a roar just as the ripples start to fade, and is apparently searching for something. Ember comes flying out of the forest and roars back at the larger dragon. He lets out another roar, and then flies away, clearly disappointed.

Not two seconds later, Bloom's head surfaces with a gasp. "Jeez, that was close!"

She lays back in the water and does a few backstrokes, calling out "Hey guys, glad to see your finally up!"

Duman yells out "When did you wake up?"

"Sunrise, same as always. Why?"

They all just look at her, except for Roxy. She asks "Isn't your phone going to get wet?"

"Nope, the pocket dimension only activates for me. Water, air, other people, that won't work after a million tries." Bloom swims over, but stays in the water.

Anagan asks "When did you go running?"

"Right after I wrote the note, drew the map, and had a few Thornbush berries. Why?"

"You going tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You want to come?"

"Sure, it's a hobby."

"Along with your magic. Try to keep up." She grins, but they get the feeling its more from her imagining him trying to follow her through Pyros. "You all just gonna stand there watching me swim, or are you going to jump in?"

Five minutes later, Bloom, Roxy, Anagan, and Duman are in the water, fully clothed except for Anagan's precious jacket, with Ember swimming around, while Ogron and Gantlos watch from under a tree.

Anagan has always liked to move around, which is why his magic suits him so well. Duman's animal nature means he won't turn down swimming, because wolfs and bears love to do it. Roxy has always loved swimming, and Bloom just loves anything outdoors; swimming, running, exercising.

Bloom suggests "You wanna see you can hold their breath the longest?"

Roxy says "I'll judge!"

The other three go under immediately, and Anagan is up first. Duman is second, maybe forty seconds later, but Bloom takes four minutes easy. They were actually thinking she was stuck or worse, when suddenly her head bursts up from the water and she takes in a massive gasp of air.

Duman asks "What, you get stuck in some weeds or something?"

"No, we were trying to see who could hold our breath the longest. I didn't need to come up for air until now."

Ogron and Gantlos are just staring at her, along with Duman, Anagan, and Roxy.

"What? You thought I just called up shouts as loud as mine out of nowhere?" She grins, until Duman and Anagan look at one another and simultaneously splash her.

She looks shocked for a second, and yells "Oh, it's on, you two!" They get soaked by a large splash from each hand, and then she ducks underwater as more waves come for her.

The splash-fight goes on for ten minutes - maybe, it's hard to keep track of time here. And Bloom doesn't even try, simply enjoying each moment as it comes.

When they finally get back to the cave, after finally ending the splash war when Bloom made a monster wave that went over Anagan and Duman's heads, Bloom wrings out her hair, and climbs up a nearby tree, after grabbing her bag. She hangs it on a branch, and pulls out a large book.

Ogron asks "More curses?"

"Yeah, I have enough free time on my hands after all." She takes out her phone and it starts playing a random song.

* * *

Hours later, Bloom is still lying on the same tree branch, just reading a different book. She didn't find anything in the three previous books, though she only looked at the pages for a moment or so each.

What they can't figure out is how Bloom can read this stuff while _whistling the songs playing on her phone._ It's hard enough to read a book with music playing, translating magic symbols while whistling songs seems nearly impossible.

When asked, she says "The knowledge was imprinted on our minds in a class, its automatic. As for the music, it helps me keep track of time."

Anagan asks "How do you even know this many songs?"

"You share an apartment with the Fairy of Music for three years and see how many songs you know. The answer is: all of them." They never thought about it that way, but it makes enough sense.

Bloom spends the rest of the day reading spellbooks, and finds nothing. Somehow, she is perfectly comfortable on the thick branch she is laying on, in any position. On her back, on her stomach, swinging her legs back and forth, letting one hang down from the side; it doesn't seem to make a difference to Bloom.

Gantlos asks "How long are you going to read up there?"

"Until I find a way to free Daphne." She gets to the end of what must be her tenth book, and shoves it back in her bag pocket. Her phone is beside her, playing 'Light em Up', randomly picked from the massive list of songs Musa put on there. Bloom deleted some, and a lot more after she got back from Pyros; including 'Monster' both from Imagine Dragons and Skillet, but she still has an insanely long list of music to choose from.

For once, the Wizards don't mind the music; it seems to echo off the trees and bounce around the area, and it's something familiar and passes the time.

When the sun starts setting, Bloom has been flipping through pages of different spellbooks all day. She was going so fast, she barely looked at the pages, turning page after page a moment apart.

When asked, she says that most of them aren't powerful enough, only something extremely powerful could take Daphne's body. She meets four questioning stares, and then sighs.

"Daph was the Holder before me. I might have had the Dragon Flame in me at the time, but she still drew power from it. Whatever the Witches did must have been extraordinarily powerful to take her body."

Duman is getting water from the river, and says "If you want to know what they did to her, just ask her."

It sounds like it should be simple, but Bloom glares at him. "Like that wasn't the first thing I did. I've asked every way I know how, but Daphne thinks the curse will strike me to if I try to break it and fail. So, she won't tell me, and I'm stuck going through every single spellbook in the entire magical dimension; and on Earth if there are any in Tir Nan Og."

It seems like an impossible task, but she faces it head on with her massive amount of determination and sheer stubbornness - only Bloom would keep going this long instead of giving up in sheer frustration, maybe that's what Daphne wanted her to do.

To change the subject, Anagan asks "So, uh, why do you have that gun of yours? The one you pulled in the simulation?"

"It's useful for stuff. And I didn't use it before because I didn't need it. Also, a fairy with a gun isn't something Earth people would likely understand."

Roxy asks "How so?"

"You run out of magic, you don't have enough - and sometimes you just need to save it for later. I put a piece of my magic in it as the power source, and gave it another setting when I first got it."

Gantlos says "The beam thing?"

"Yeah, the beam. It has a blaster-mode, and a laser-mode. And something tells me it'll eventually come in useful. And I got it off one of Malekith's minions after Mother's ceremony. And before you ask, no, I wasn't thinking about why a fairy would need a gun. I was thinking about how I could use it on the Dark Elves and what else I could use it for."

She goes back to her book, a look of near-obsession on her face. They all get the feeling Bloom would literally move a mountain if that's what she needed to do to free Daphne - pick it up with her magic and place it somewhere else, or simply teleport it away.

Duman climbs up so he can stare at her directly, and asks "How long have you been going through those books?"

"All through our third year at Alfea, and the part of the second year I actually spent at Alfea - and the entire time I've been on Earth and Domino. I'd offer a book if you wanted to help, but my father would kill me if any one of these got damaged - and so would about six other people after him."

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom did go on insanely early runs the first time she was on Pyros - now she's just picking the routine back up where she left off. And yes, she's really still going through all these curses even now - Daphne won't tell her how to break the curse or even what the curse is, so that's pretty much what she's stuck with. So now, when she's not helping run the Pet Shop or fighting people, she's going through book after book nonstop - she's got all the time in the world, literally.**


	184. Morning Run

_**Morning Run**_

The next morning, Anagan is awakened by Ember snorting out a cloud of smoke into his face. He sits up coughing, nearly choking on the dragon's morning breath.

He stares at Ember, who motions with her tail in the direction of the cave entrance. When he gets out, he sees Bloom crouching in the Thornbush patch, picking berries out of the endless flowers.

He clears his throat annoyedly, and she looks up. "Morning, hope you're ready."

"Ready for what? And by the way, Ember's morning breath is terrible."

"You want to brush her teeth, it's your fingers on the line; she doesn't like all the cleaners they put in toothpaste so she chews a bunch of mint leaves. As for why we're up, you asked to come with on the run I go on."

Anagan actually forgot, but he didn't think she got up this early - he's practically asleep on his feet! "What time is it anyway?"

"The sun came up a few minutes ago. Why?"

"That's how you keep track of time here?"

"I don't. I wake up when the sun comes up here, and I sleep when the sun goes down. When I first came here, I had long stopped keeping track of time. It's one of the reasons why I stayed sane, but also one of the reasons I have no clue how long I was actually here; I let all the days blur together."

"So, how do you know how many days we've been here?"

"It'll blur eventually, as for now, this the fifth day."

"And things like Ember's birthday?"

"My body knows some things, two days before I came here for instance. I had no idea what day that was on the calendar, but my subconscious knows practically down to the minute unfortunately." She shrugs, and gets a handful more berries, a sign she is done with the topic.

Anagan remembers the night they found her working out in the park, how she said she was not in the mood for anything that night.

 _"_ _You four want another fight? Fine, find me_ _tomorrow."_ He remembers that fight perfectly clear, and now it's a whole lot clearer why she was so off that night.

He doesn't say anything though, and watches in amazement as Bloom does her hair in a single braid so fast her fingers are blurs of speed as she winds her hair and ties it together with a small piece of vine.

"How did you…"

"Do that? It's simple enough, when you know how. Ready?"

"Yeah, why the braid though?"

"So my hair doesn't get caught on all the branches. Let's go!" She takes off at a full sprint, and Ember follows by gliding and landing on the ground.

Anagan has to really try to keep up, but Bloom is leaping over tree roots sticking out of the ground and dodging branches like she knows exactly where they are.

 _Because she does know, great._

He doesn't waste any more time wondering just how deep Bloom's connection with the planet is, focusing on keeping up with her.

Even with his magic, he doesn't think he could keep up with Bloom, because she suddenly kicks it up about four notches and gets easily ahead of him. If he ever needs someone to go on a race, it'll be Bloom, though hopefully he'll have his magic so he might actually be able to keep up with her.

 _Oh jeez, slow down a little, I really can't keep up Bloom!_

He doesn't have the breath to shout it, but she apparently hears, because her pace slows from blurringly fast to professional runner speed.

"Thought you said you could keep up."

"You've got...magic, I don't!"

"I'm not using it though."

"Could you...always go...that fast?"

"Nowhere but Pyros, and that's because I'm not connected to anywhere but Pyros."

They have to stop for a rest, because Anagan is completely out of breath and hasn't run this hard in a while. Bloom hasn't even broken a sweat, and is breathing easily.

"How far do you run? Usually?"

"Usually, I run until I actually break out in a sweat and have to work to get a good breath in. But I usually go a lot faster than before and I don't take breaks."

Anagan says "Now I would say yes to a race with you, with my magic of course."

"Of course. Can you breathe again?" In response, Anagan pushes himself up and starts running, and Bloom easily catches up to him, before slowly pulling ahead.

* * *

 ***Later***

They take several turns, before accidentally nearly crossing paths with a large dragon. Bloom said they are past the halfway point for her, but that was after two more breaks for Anagan.

Now, they are headed back to the cave and the others, but now there is a dragon after Bloom.

Anagan pushes through the feeling that his legs are on fire, trying to keep up with Ember and Bloom. They must have been running for hours, though it doesn't feel that way.

 _Time sure flies when you're having fun!_

He remembers saying that to Timmy right before letting him nearly fall to his death, when he ran up the side of a skyscraper in Gardenia. For Bloom, fun is a lot more physical-based: running, jumping, especially flying and using her magic. He gets that, the rush of power that comes when he uses his magic when he runs is nearly addictive, and she is the most powerful fairy in existence at the moment.

Soon enough, when he is out of breath, drenched in sweat, and almost too weak to stand, he suddenly hears the familiar sound of falling water, and the river fed by Boiling Falls is suddenly right in front of him.

Bloom dives in at once, not losing any of her momentum, and maybe a second after the ripples stop the dragon that was behind them crashes in. He looks around, at the fairy and three Wizards who are frozen in place, then takes a deep breath in, searching for the one being he was following.

When he scents her trail leading here, he lets out a roar. When that doesn't work, he sticks his head in the water and starts looking around.

 _Make him go away, make him go away, make him go away!_

They can all hear Bloom's voice clearly, and Gantlos asks _Where are you down there anyway? He hasn't found you yet._

 _I'm hanging onto one of the stepping stones, trying not to float up, now make him leave before I need air! I have no wish to be knocked up on dragon eggs!_

They could laugh, except with the dramatic size difference the experience would likely kill Bloom as well. She knows this, there is no way she couldn't know this, but making a dragon leave is a little more daunting than facing Bloom, part-dragon or no.

Roxy marches up though, and yells "Go, shoo, she's not here!"

Ember roars something, and the dragon takes his head out for another call for Bloom. When she doesn't answer, he disappointedly takes flight and leaves.

A minute after he vanishes from sight, Bloom's head surfaces downstream, and she looks at the three Wizards who are staring at her. "Not one word. You hear me? Not one burning word out of you three."

Duman asks "What about Anagan?"

"He's too worn out to say anything right this second." She's right, he is out of breath and barely standing.

Gantlos asks "What happened, she go a little faster than usual?"

Anagan gives him an incredulous stare, and then says "You could say that…"

Bloom smirks and says "I go too fast for anyone - that's why you'll never find me with a running partner, nobody else has stamina like I unwinds her hair from the braid it was in, to let it dry while she reads.

They all hear her phone start ringing, playing 'You Belong With Me.' It's no surprise when she pulls it out of her pocket and starts talking to Sky. She is laying back on the tree branch that is her usual spot since yesterday, staring up at the leaves and the impossibly blue sky past them.

He tells her about what's been going on for the past few days, Nebula is on a planet-wide search for them.

Bloom laughs and says "Good luck with that."

He tells her how Morgana has about half the Fairies on her side, and its apparently a civil war among the Earth Fairies right now.

After about ten minutes of talking, Bloom says "By the way, I think I know what's been up with me lately as well…"

 _Yeah, what's that?_

"Well, this is gonna sound insane but…"

Bloom's face goes bright red, as she explains. The dragons can smell her magic when she uses it, but they don't recognize it as magic. To them, she's literally the most interesting dragon in the world.

 _So, they see you, and they go crazy trying to get you?_

"Um, yeah, more or less…"

 _Guess now they know how I felt when I first met you, except they aren't thinking about dating._

Bloom lets out a sputtering laugh, and then says "No, they aren't. They really aren't."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom tries to go past her limits - which the Dragon Flame heavily extends, passively in this case. Anagan didn't think of that before he agreed to go running with her why? Or that she literally wakes up at the crack of dawn here on Pyros? Honestly, it's pretty hilarious - and yes, this is Bloom's routine: wake up, eat some Thornbush berries, go running 'til she's drenched in sweat, jump in the river fed by Boiling Falls. That's her version of going for a two-mile run or something, and then she reads more spellbooks this time to try and find the curse the Three Ancestral Witches used. Yes, I know, it's the SC, but Bloom doesn't know that and Daphne is trying to protect Bloom. Annoying, I know, but it'll work out in the end. Enjoy the rest of what is basically Bloom's dream vacation! PS. Yes, this is actually what Bloom would probably be doing if she ever got some time off from all the adventures: she's still paranoid, still gets nightmares at times, and where do you think she'd go where she wouldn't have to worry about hurting someone?**


	185. Flying and Fun

_**Flying and Fun**_

Five days later, and it appears mating season is over, because Bloom hasn't been chased by any more dragons and her mood swings stopped.

She hasn't had any company on her morning run ever since Anagan tried, but she really doesn't mind. She likes the quiet, having nobody but herself and Ember around for a while. She can listen to the forest, hear all the sounds of life going on around her, even while she is going through it as a blur of fire and clothing.

But today something is wrong; she feels antsy and cagey; her skin is too tight and the feeling is slowly driving her crazy. The runs in the morning help, but it's not enough now. The sun is shining beautifully, and the wind is practically begging her to go flying; but if she uses magic, Nebula and the Warrior Fairies might find them - the rest of this universe certainly will.

That morning she woke up covered in sleeping baby dragons, it was the first night she had slept outside on the grass again. The contrast between the planet-wide network of living plant and cold, dead stone was a little too noticeable that night, so she went outside and slept on the grass.

That was the best night's sleep she's had in a while, but unknown to everyone, including Bloom, a recent mother dragon had made her nest in the nearest cavern over, which is connected to theirs through a network of tunnels that Bloom and Ember explored once - and the baby dragons were endlessly curious about the presence they could sense in the neighboring cavern. the system seemed endless, so Bloom and Ember made their way back to their own cave all that time ago - though, it was excellent for getting away from the Water Stars' power.

Now, it appears they, Roxy, and the Wizards have some new companions. Fortunately, they are of the plant-eating variety, and fortunately for Bloom and Ember the Thornbush patch is massive, fast growing, and is filled with bright flowers full of berries.

But now, the small clearing the cave entrance is settled in is rampant with about ten dragons as small as Ember used to be. They jump around, sometimes wrestling with one another in a dragon-pile. Its adorable really, but Bloom is still searching for a way to free Daphne.

The song 'Touch the Sky' from the movie 'Brave' plays on her phone, making her skin feel stretched tight over her shoulders as she involuntarily thinks of flying. It's getting really hard to focus, between the wind blowing through her hair and the feeling of needing to move faster than even the forest on Pyros will let her.

She rolls her shoulders about five times, and Roxy asks "You alright Bloom? You've been kind of distracted ever since you got back today."

Bloom sighs and rolls onto her back on the branch, a feat the Wizards are still unsure about. How she manages to get in different positions without falling off is beyond them, especially with her phone there as well.

"Yeah, it's just…the wind is practically calling my name. But I can't transform and go flying; if it didn't draw Nebula, it would certainly draw a bunch of news reporters - along with Diaspro, likely." She has a point, but her body is giving her another argument - she _really_ wants to go flying.

The mother dragon, who came out when Bloom went looking down the tunnel with Roxy and Ember, thrums something, and Bloom's head immediately whips around to stare at her. She growls something back, and from the tone, it's a question. The answering growl from the large dragon sends Ember into a trill of happiness, and Bloom immediately flips off the tree branch.

"Would I? Yes, yes, yes! Come on Ember!"

Roxy asks "What's going on?"

"She just offered to let me ride her! You want to come Roxy?"

The squeal from the Animal fairy says it all. Bloom jumps on the mother dragon's back, landing in the dip between her broad shoulders and where her wings sprout from her back. Roxy clambers up, and grabs Bloom's hand with both of hers.

It takes maybe two seconds for both fairies to get comfortable, and then Bloom growls something at the dragon. A moment later, the dragon is up in the air and the Wizards can hear their roller-coaster shouts from here.

* * *

Up in the air, Bloom and Roxy are having the time of their lives, and the feeling of Bloom's skin being too tight vanishes; torn away by the rushing wind. Last time she was on Pyros, she rode a dragon whenever she wanted, it was good practice for Ember as well.

But now, with the Wizards and Roxy along for the trip, she couldn't exactly just run off, find a dragon willing to give her a lift for a few hours, and come back when the sun set.

But this is perfection right here, and the only thing that could possibly make it any better is Sky sitting behind her.

Either way, this is exactly what she needed, and when they do get back, she is a lot less restless. Ember flew beside the mother dragon all the way through, staying right beside Bloom's leg.

When the dragon lands, all the baby dragons are still in the small clearing, which is good because Bloom had a few doubts that the Wizards of the Black Circle would be decent dragon-sitters.

The mother dragon lands, and Bloom and Roxy are on what could well be a high from flying. In fairies, flying releases a bunch of hormones; the same thing happens with running, except with flying they are released from the wings and the brain.

So, flying for enough time will literally give a fairy the best high ever – especially if she uses magic at the same time. It's not unlike drugs, except its completely natural and harmless, and the only danger is flying for too long and missing something important.

Something similar happens with magic, since it's in their blood; it goes to the brain, and when activated, it's like the ultimate high. It activates all throughout the body, resulting in the feeling of it spreading, but when it gets to the brain it's like a wave of pure bliss - the reason why Bloom sometimes just calls on her magic for the feeling of warmth through her whole body. It's a few minutes of doing nothing but relaxing and when she calls on her healing powers - which make the feeling twenty times better easily - she can almost feel the magic smoothing out knots in her back and soothing muscles in the back of her neck and shoulders.

They get off the dragon's back, Roxy saying "That was the best ride ever!"

"I know!"

"We have to do that again!"

"I know!" Ember thrums in agreement, having been wanting to stretch her wings for a few days now.

Duman mutters "Fairies on a flying high. At least they can take over baby-sitting duty."

The other three agree, and Anagan points over to Bloom, Ember, and the baby dragon's mother. "Go on, go swarm them now."

All the dragons follow where his hand is pointing, and immediately go and jump on Bloom. It turns into a mock-wrestling challenge, with Bloom joining in on the wrestling.

The Wizards would never have thought it, but Bloom is a lot more of a kid when she is relaxed then they would ever have thought.

Gantlos says "And she's ruthless in a fight how?" They get what he means, this is the side of her that is reserved exclusively for when she is relaxed and not feeling threatened or watched.

Roxy starts laughing, and jumps into the mound of wings, tails, and scales to join in on the fun.

* * *

After around five minutes, the dragons apparently get bored of wrestling, and one thrums, getting the others' attention.

Roxy asks "What's he saying?"

Bloom answers "He wants to play Dragon and Prey."

Ogron remembers that from the building they set on fire. "That's a real game?"

"Oh yeah, a little bit like Hide and Seek. Instead of finding a place to hide and staying there though, all the 'prey' run around and try to stay alive."

Gantlos asks "How's that go?"

"Like this. _Scatter!_ "

All the dragons and Bloom run off, except for the biggest one, who immediately runs after one of its clutch-mates. One by one, all the dragons are 'eaten' by being nipped sharply or whacked with a tail.

As the dragons are caught they go and sit in a pile on the ground, thrumming and trilling for the remaining 'prey' - which at the end is Bloom. She is a blur of speed, going around the area from tree to tree and not stopping.

Eventually though, she lets herself be caught, and gets a small scratch on the arm for it. "Oooh, he ate me!' she theatrically cries as she throws her body on the ground.

She can barely stop laughing as she borrows a scene from 'Zootopia' where Judy pretends to have blood squirting from her chest. She cracks up immediately after, and Ember does to, along with Roxy and all the baby dragons.

"You saw that movie to Bloom?"

"Yeah, and the scene was too funny!"

Anagan can't help laughing as well, and all the dragons look at him immediately.

Bloom says "Uh-oh, they started a new round!"

She jumps up and runs, yelling "Run Anagan! They think you're playing to!"

"What?!" He gets the hint though when the dragon whose 'it' comes for him.

They all get caught again, and Bloom suggests something to the dragons before they start the next round. They all apparently agree, and they all scatter an instant later.

Bloom runs up to a tree and swings up expertly, calling down "Catch us if you can, Anagan!"

He can't believe it, buts its better than getting chased by them. He gets the feeling he has to play, or face the wrath of ten angry dragons, babies or no.

He actually manages to catch all of them, but Bloom is too fast for him. She leads him on a merry chase around the area, and stuns him speechless, along with everyone else, when she runs _up_ the truck of a tree, does a double back-flip, and lands on the ground in a roll behind him.

He is staring at the spot where Bloom was, and then turns around when he hears her behind him. She's got a grin on her face like she is having a blast, and says "You gonna let me escape or are you going to chase me some more?"

"You win, I'll never catch you here."

"I escaped!" She repeats it in a growl, and all the dragons thrum and trill, and fly up to her and jump her.

She is on the ground laughing now as the lick her arms and legs and neck. Ember actually looks like she is pouting, even though she joined in on all the rounds.

"Ember, are you jealous?"

Ember growls low in her throat, making a dejected sound.

"Hatchling. Like I'm ever going to forget about you. Now get over here!"

Ember bounds over and licks Bloom's face hard, and then Bloom pulls Ember into the pile of wrestling dragons.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I made Dragon and Prey a real game - and it's funny as heck! Maybe that's what Bloom was playing when the Wizards were spying on her that time in the Pet Shop when she started chasing the pets. Either way, enjoy more of Bloom's vacation! More chapters coming soon - got a lot of homework to do, so that's why updates haven't been so fast.**


	186. Ember Growing

_**Ember Growing**_

One day, Ember wakes up extremely sore. She was fine the day before, but now she can hardly move, her entire body screams in protest.

Bloom doesn't go on her run that morning, doesn't sit on her tree branch and read the latest spellbook from Domino's library, which she has been going through so fast lately that they wonder if she's actually reading them. Of course, it's even harder to tell because to everyone else the symbols look like gibberish.

When they wake up, Bloom is crouching next to Ember, who is whining and crying. Who knew dragons could cry?

When Roxy asks "What's wrong with Ember?!" everyone else looks.

Bloom says "She's growing, and it's going to be big this time." She then takes her bag and turns it upside down, closing her eyes and thinking of every fruit she knows of.

A gush of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, and just about every other fruit from Earth pours out, and Ember scarfs it down so fast they can't believe her jaw didn't unhinge like a snake's.

Duman gets down on one knee to look at her. "Jeez, why is she this sore? Most creatures don't eat nearly that much when they grow, or get so sore…"

"Well, most creatures don't grow a few inches to a few feet all at once either."

He blinks and looks at her. "Yeah, didn't you wonder why she was suddenly much bigger when you broke into the shop than the last time you had seen her?"

Duman says "Yeah, but we had other things to worry about, mainly not getting clawed up by her."

Anagan asks "How big is she going to get?"

"About the size of the baby dragons' mother."

All four Wizards' plus Roxy's eyes get huge, Ember is going to grow that much?

"She used to be as small as the hatchlings were, she'll get as big as they will."

Ogron just shakes his head in wonder, asking himself how Bloom plans to feed Ember when she is that big.

* * *

That day, Bloom doesn't do a thing, just picks Ember up and sits down beside the Mother dragon. She is stretched out at one side of the clearing, making a boundary her clutch can't pass no matter how hard they try. The other side of the clearing is stopped by Boiling Falls and the cave entrance, a small area for the dragons to call home.

Now, Bloom sits against the dragon's side, holding Ember in her lap. She got a bowl from the stuff she made, and filled it with water. She boiled it with some of an herb, about ten leaves. Ember gulped the stuff down, and then almost instantly fell asleep. Bloom just picked her up and carried her outside, despite how big she is already.

She took her bag and brought out a thick book. It's called 'Blood of Olympus' and she cracks it open near the middle and starts reading.

A few hours later, Ogron goes into her mind, because she is sitting there motionless with a group of baby dragons sitting around her. He finds she is turning the words on the pages into images, running the story in her mind and sending to Ember that way. She's softly growling the story out to the other dragons, who are soaking it up like a sponge.

Ember turns in her sleep, letting out a low moan, and Bloom runs her hand along her scales, stopping the story and whispering to her. When that doesn't work, Bloom puts the book back into her bag and takes her phone out.

She puts on 'Safe and Sound' by Taylor Swift, and Ember stops moving after a few words. All the dragons start yawning, and curl up around Bloom and Ember.

When the song ends, Ogron happens to glance over and sees Bloom asleep as well, sitting up with her eyes closed and leaning fully against the dragon. The large dragon curls up around the group, just as Duman walks out.

"What happened there?"

Roxy looks over and shrugs. "At a guess, I'd say nap time happened and Bloom ended up asleep as well." It is really hot, it's easy to see how you could just sit down and drift to sleep. With Ember sitting in Bloom's crossed legs, the girl has done nothing but sit there and read; instead of running or wrestling with the other dragons or doing anything at all.

At least four hours later, the baby dragons wake up and jostle Bloom awake as well. They are full of energy again, but Ember doesn't so much as stir.

The long nap from the dragons apparently let her slip into a deeper sleep, or maybe it was because Bloom wasn't reading to her. Either way, Bloom lets her sleep after making sure she is still alive.

She puts her headphones in her laptop, which she has taken out a few times before, and turns it on. She pulls up a show and starts playing it from where she left off.

Ogron asks _What are you watching?_

 _Buffy the vampire Slayer. I'll loan you my phone if you want to watch a few episodes._

Ogron laughs for a minute in his head, and asks _Why are you watching that show, of all the shows out on TV?_

 _Because, she's a girl with the weight of the whole world on her shoulders while still growing up. I can relate._

 _Oh, right._

One thing it's easy to forget about Bloom, she's still a kid. A nineteen-year-old kid who has been through way more than anyone should have to go through at once.

It's no surprise that she is paranoid to them anymore, not after what Sibylla showed them. The real shocker after seeing that was the part of her that's still a kid, having fun with baby dragons and swimming in the river for the fun of it. They can see who she used to be, underneath all her armor and protection that she built up to keep this side of her safe from anyone else who would try to break her.

That night, Ember doesn't look much bigger, if at all, and Bloom just says "Wait 'til tomorrow and you won't say that."

Sure enough, when they wake up the next morning, Ember is a few feet longer, looking around the height of a growing horse instead of a baby horse.

Soon, she won't be able to hide in the Pet Shop, she'll be too big. She must be getting the length of an alligator now, and is easily taller than them when they are sitting down. If she lays down, she comes up to their chests, which is really worrying when they think about how big she is going to get.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, another one of Ember's massive growth leaps - the kind of thing that would be absolute torture for most anything or anyone. Bloom doesn't want to try using healing magic because it could seriously mess with something - like stopping the growth or making it worse or something. So, she makes Ember a tea from the herb that works as the best painkiller in the universe and Ember sleeps through it all. She'll be back to normal by next chapter everyone, enjoy!**


	187. Bad Day on Pyros

_**Bad Day on Pyros**_

It's been weeks since they came to Pyros, but to Bloom it only feels like a few days at most.

Bloom's skin has turned the golden shade it was when she last came to Pyros, which faded immensely when she went back to Alfea. She holed herself up in her dorm room, too paranoid to go anywhere outside most of the time. Its only when Sky talked her into lunch or the movies or something that she would agree to leave the dorm.

But now, she doesn't think about that - she is almost through with all the books in Domino's library. She has to be, she looked at a few of the books near the end, one day on Domino, just to see when she would hope to nearly be finished, and found one of them in her hand when she pulled it out of the pocket. She is getting desperate, there has to be something in one of them somewhere.

She's gotten calls from the Winx every day, has always taken them, and sometimes Rick would interrupt to make sure Roxy was still alive and alright. Bloom would put Roxy on, and she would talk to her dad for a while, before he would finally hand the phone back to its owner. Most of the Warrior Fairies have come over to Morgana's side now, because Nebula is seeming crazier and crazier by the second in her search for the Wizards.

As for the Wizards themselves, well, they seem different from when they first came to Pyros as well. Like they have left kidnapping fairies for their power behind. It was probably still their instinct when they surrendered, but after so long on Pyros it's a distant memory. Especially after watching Bloom teach Roxy a little about fighting.

She even sparred with them, using two branches instead of her own weapon and a branch. Ogron went for a sword-sized branch, Anagan chose a long branch as a staff, and Duman picked a short branch the size of a knife. She sized them up for a second, and then broke a branch off from a tree. It only hurt for a second, but still, they know she felt it.

The first time she sparred with them, she backed Duman up against a tree, holding the branch under his chin. Ogron, she disarmed with a fast flick of her branch, too fast to track, and caught the branch with her other hand, holding one behind his head and the other in front. Anagan, she just knocked his feet out from under him and put the end of the branch over his nose. Since Gantlos is super strong, he opted to go hand-to-hand, and she easily grounded him. In about two moves, his face was in the grass and the dragons were laughing at him.

After three tries with basically the same result, Bloom knocked him down and threw him into the water. He lost his precious hat in the river, so Bloom dove in and got in in under ten seconds. He had turned around, when something soaking wet hits him in the back of the head. He immediately turned around to see Bloom floating on her back with her hair fanning out under her head. It looked exactly like a halo of fire, and he asks "What did you just-"

"Your hat, it's at your feet now." It's true, the hat was sitting at his feet, still in one piece if soaked through.

As for Roxy, she's shown the Animal Fairy how to flip someone over her shoulder, how to hit the nerve cluster in the wrist to make them let her go, along with a few more moves to be used in emergencies only. She went to keep reading her spellbook, which they noticed she has been getting more and more into. Now, she's almost through them all, but she has no answer for what the witches used to curse Daphne.

* * *

Later, maybe an hour - though it could be four, she has no clue anymore - she puts the book she was flipping through back in the pocket, and digs around with it, waiting for a new one to appear; but none does. There's no spine of a book waiting in her hand, and she waits for a full minute. "No, no, no, you have got to be kidding. There has to be something else!"

Everyone looks at her, but she doesn't care. She gets her computer out and start furiously typing on it, pulling up pages of stuff she has already seen. They let her type away, because there is a somewhat desperate look on her face that is entirely new and not exactly comforting.

Her phone starts playing the song 'You Don't Know Me' much to Bloom's chagrin. She looks at it, then says something none of them hear and answers the call. "What now?"

They can't hear what is said, but Bloom says "So, my father had you call me instead of taking a few minutes to call his daughter himself?"

The Wizards all look at one another, this is clearly building up to something fast. "I don't care whether he's busy, guess what? I've been busy in the past few months since I left Domino as well, yet I manage to pick up the phone for people. If he wants to tell me something, over the phone or otherwise, he can tell me himself!"

Duman mutters "Uh-oh. I bet I know where this's heading. It's not good."

Bloom's voice turns deadly, reminding everyone listening that she isn't just a kid having fun and living her life, as she says "You get my father on the line right this second, or so help me, I'll-"

 _Alright, I'm going, princess!_

They all heard the poor guy's response this time, his voice was raised in panic. They don't wonder why, Bloom's voice had a tone they've never heard in it before; like she was giving an order and expected it to be carried out. Of course, Pyros helps her with that, filling her voice with strength and power; magical or not.

She keeps typing on her laptop, while her phone waits on hold. A few minutes later, they hear a man's voice, annoyed and slightly angry.

 _Bloom? Answer me._

She picks the phone up and puts it to her ear. "So now you deign to speak to me yourself? You've had people watching how far I've been getting through the spellbooks in Domino's library?"

After a moment, she says "Look, I said I'd free Daphne somehow and I will, but I can't do that without knowing what curse the witches used. And before you say anything, I've tried asking her, only about a few dozen times. She's as stubborn as anyone else in my family, blood or otherwise."

They can't hear what her father is saying, but the way the conversation is going does not give any good guesses. "I'm not stopping until I give Daphne her body back, no matter what anyone says. Look, this isn't some political move, I want my sister to have a life, have her body back. She saved my life, I can at least give her back hers."

Daphne is a sore spot for Bloom, so her father isn't exactly talking her down at the moment - of course, she did say they don't agree on some stuff.

"Look. Instead of getting drilled on rules and customs of every planet in the Magical Dimension from age five, I was taught how to fight, how to read people, how to let them see what they want, how to take care of myself. So, excuse me if I'm a little more comfortable in a fight than in a dress I can't breathe in and trapped in some conversation where it's all too easy to offend someone!"

Suddenly, she sits up ramrod straight, and yells "Well I don't _care_ about your stupid lessons! I am not some pampered wallflower princess and I'm never going to be one! " She then rattles off an intricate and, they get the feeling, very colorful string of words in the ancient language of Domino.

At best, she is telling him she's not going to go to the lessons, which she's already told them are a waste of time in her opinion; and they don't even want to know what 'at worst' would be.

After tying the long string of words off, she angrily slams her finger into the 'end call' button, and then closes her laptop, puts it away in her bag, and lets herself fall backwards onto the branch. She is glaring up at the leaves, the first reminder of the fairy they used to fight so much in Gardenia.

Maybe ten seconds later, Bloom's phone starts beeping, receiving about twenty texts at once. Finally, she picks it up and looks at it. "Stella, Aisha, Flora, Techna, Musa…Stella, Stella, Stella…"

She so can't deal with anything else at the moment. Not news about Morgana and Nebula, not Rick asking after Roxy, not a thing. She sighs, and Ember stands on her back legs, reaches up and licks the side of Bloom's head comfortingly.

Roxy asks "You okay Bloom? That was some argument. And what did you mean when you said you learned to fight at a young age?"

Bloom thinks _That was as bad as my brother and I used to argue when I was young._

She doesn't send the thought out, but Ogron hears it because he was cautiously looking into her mind.

She sighs and says out loud "Where I grew up, well, let's just say they think being able to defend yourself is important. You ever feel like your life is a sick game being played to see how much one person can take until they break?"

"No."

"Lucky you Roxy."

Her phone starts ringing, receiving a call from Stella that Bloom can't handle at the moment. "You talk to them, I need some time alone."

"What'll I say when they ask for you if it's really Stella?"

"Say I went for a run and am likely too far away to find." She jumps down and starts walking away.

Gantlos asks "Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a run, so you won't be lying to them."

Ember leaps toward her, but Bloom kneels down. "Not this time Ember, I need to be alone for now…"

Bloom suddenly hugs Ember, who buries her face in Bloom's hair. Then, Bloom is off, running in a blur of speed.

* * *

By the time Roxy figures out how to answer Bloom's phone, which is far more advanced than anything on Earth, Stella's voice screams out of the device.

 _HOW COULD YOU HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM US BLOOM? DON'T YOU THINK MAYBE WE'D WANT TO KNOW YOU WERE PUT THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! THEY FREAKING TORTURED YOU AND YOU DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT LITTLE PIECE OF INFO TO TELL US?_

"Um, Stella, I'm not Bloom. Also, we're both alright, and so are the Wizards."

 _Roxy? Where's Bloom?_

"She went for a run, and since she's the only one who can find her way to and from anywhere here, we just have to wait 'til she gets back."

 _Have her call us when she does, I'm going to chew her out so badly there won't be much left of her for the others._

"What are you going to chew her out for anyway? That was a little much."

 _We went to Sibylla's cave today, and asked her to show us what happened to Bloom. It's horrible, they held her prisoner and put her through living hell._

"Oh, but why yell at her for it? After the test, you said _…"_

 _I'm going to chew her out until there's nothing left of her because she never even said that they put her through so much stuff and she didn't want to talk about it! She could have just said it was too bad to remember, but no, she just clammed up from the start and avoided everyone's questions with no explanation._

"Okay, um, I'm gonna have to let you go, she's been using this thing so much the battery must be nearly dead by now."

Roxy immediately start pressing buttons, and finds the one to stop the call right before Stella says the batteries run off their owner's magic.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom's having one terrible day today - sorry! But I had to cut off her search in the hundreds of spellbooks at some point and she was never going to be very happy without that answer. And the rest of the Winx and their boyfriends are not happy with her as well, after seeing what she went through under Cloudtower.**


	188. Worse Night

_**Worse Night**_

Bloom took off at a full sprint, and ended up racing through the forest to a clearing too far away to them to hear her or have any hope of finding her.

She has the distinct feeling that life itself is sentient, and has a very twisted sense of humor - and that it enjoys throwing obstacle after obstacle at her, just to see how much she could take before she breaks completely. She is reminded of a line from the book the Serpent's Shadow, when Carter imagined Apophis was throwing impossible odds at him, along with some deadlines, emphasis on the word dead.

 _Oh, you're not a quitter? How about now? What if we give you a few more impossible tasks? Are you a quitter now?_

It's exactly how she feels: life is toying with her, giving her something to do that is impossible to do, but something she has to do no matter what. Because that's how she views freeing Daphne: a necessity, something she has to do at some point.

She stops dead in her tracks, feeling despair and hopelessness wash over her in wave after wave. Diaspro, the Trix, and any other enemies of hers would love to see her like this, close to breaking and ready to just give it up and have a total meltdown. But if she does that, her magic will more than likely unleash, revealing her location to the entire dimension and more than likely Nebula as well.

Instead, she just screams until her voice is raw.

She wants to blast something, preferably whatever or whoever decided that one fairy's life should be so damned difficult. So what if she's the most powerful fairy in the universe, all the Dragon Flame seems to bring her is pain and trouble; her planet was attacked for it, her sister was cursed for it, she's been kidnapped and imprisoned for it multiple times. The strength it gives her to fight back doesn't seem like much of a fair trade at this point, not when she can't even use it to free her sister and restore her body.

It's not her call though, it's never been her call. The weight she felt when she saw through Sibylla's illusion feels heavier than ever, almost literally crushing her under its weight.

If Sky were here, he could take her mind off the pain, off the torment of her burden. But he's not, she's all alone - like she always is.

She doesn't know when she started hitting the tree in front of her, but her knuckles are bleeding and raw, and a patch of bark is missing from the trunk at her chest level, and there's tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

When she finally goes back to the cave, it's just ahead of a storm building up. All the time they've been on Pyros, the weather has been bright and sunny, reflecting Bloom's mood. But now dark clouds are building up and they promise a downpour.

Bloom gets back minutes before the rain starts, and nobody says a word, remembering the look on her face like she was breaking from the inside. "C'mon, storm's coming. Let's get inside."

Nobody says another word, as the first few drops start coming down. The mother dragon and her babies are at the far side of the cavern, and they all watch as Bloom gets an armload of firewood and builds the fire wordlessly. They haven't actually made a fire in weeks, because it was so warm all the time and there was no real need for one. But now, with rain coming down in sheets, a fire seems like a good idea.

Ten minutes later, Bloom is sitting on her bed of grass, which hasn't been used in a long while, while Roxy sits halfway between her and the fire, and the Wizards are in a semicircle on the other side. She looks out at the cave entrance, which shows a depressing downpour. The lack of wind makes the large amount of water fall straight down, matching Bloom's mood exactly. She forces something born of a laugh and a sob out of her mouth and says "Well, this day sucks."

She doesn't get any further because her phone starts chiming. Its playing 'Story of Us' by Taylor Swift, and she ignores it at first.

 _This is looking like a contest of who can act like they care less, but I liked it better when you were on my side. The battle's in your hands now, but I would lay my armor down if you say you would rather love than fig-_

That line breaks her, and she snatches up the phone and presses accept. "Yeah?"

She sounds drained, like all the fire and life in her has been put out. "Oh, hey mom."

The Wizards look at one another, 'mom' isn't a word they have ever heard her use. "Yeah, we argued earlier."

After a second, she shocks everyone in the cavern. "He hates me."

"It's been half a year! How could he not 'know what to make of me'?" She actually sounds close to tears, but they can't see her expression.

"Even so, where does he think I got all my stubbornness from? Because I might have learned how to use it from my brothers, but I already had it by then."

Whatever she hears apparently calms her down a little, her shoulders drop a little. "Yeah, I know. I should probably apologize the next time we talk. But I still say those stupid lessons are a complete waste of everyone's time. Theirs and mine."

She lets out a choking laugh that's also part sobbing, and says "Really? At least I'm not the only one with that opinion. Bye mom, I love you."

She ends the call, and then sighs dejectedly. She lays down on the grass, facing the rock wall beside her. Ember sits beside her, and then walks over her body and lays down next to her. Bloom's bottom arm is being used as a pillow for her head, but the other arm goes around the dragon, whose head ends up on Bloom's neck comfortingly. It's always weird to see the two sleeping next to each other, girl and dragon, without a care in the world.

* * *

The rain doesn't stop, and eventually Roxy, Duman, and Anagan fall asleep as well.

Ogron and Gantlos stay awake though, and talk quietly. "What do you think happened with the weather Ogron? It's been clear ever since we came here, yet now it pours like the sky opened up."

"I think it's because of Bloom. The weather reflects her mood. Just being here put her in some incredibly good mood, but…"

"But now the rain reflects her sadness."

"Yeah."

They can imagine why she might be depressed, she has been working on finding a way to free her sister for years, long before they came along and started the Winx's latest adventure. But now, she finds out there might not be a way to free Daphne, one of only a few things Bloom truly wants to do. Two years of work for nothing, it's enough to make anyone get down for a bit.

Bloom moans, and turns over in her sleep, the first sign of any dreams they've seen in all the time they've been on Pyros. She moans again, and turns over, waking Ember up.

She sniffs Bloom's face questioningly, and licks her cheek to try and wake her up. Ogron and Gantlos watch for a second, but are distracted by the campfire.

Its leaping and raging in front of them, and the rain outside suddenly picks up, being driven sideways by a sudden wind.

"Nooo…let me gooo…" Bloom's moan drifts over to them, as the fire forms an image that is all too familiar to Ogron and Gantlos.

It's a square room, made of bricks, with a large door with bars in the middle of one wall. There aren't any colors, but they can imagine the dark stone, the near-total darkness, and Valtor's face behind the bars. They don't have to imagine hard, its playing out in front of them in the fire.

Roxy wakes up from the shadows flying all over the cave, saying "Who's messing with the campfire?"

It's neither of them, the fire is messing with itself. Roxy watches the fire with them, and a scene the Wizards saw before in a different perspective plays. It's Valtor and the Trix showing her the destruction of Andros by the Omega Portal.

As they watch, a tiny Aisha tries to save her planet and fails, so Techna goes instead. She earns her Enchantix, and closes the portal. As they watch her fall in the closing portal, Bloom sits up with a scream that sounds like it was torn from her throat _"Techna, nooo!"_

The scream is ragged and ear-piercing, and anyone who wasn't awake before sure is now. Bloom is breathing like a stricken animal, and after a second she scrambles off the grass bed and sprints out into the sheet rain, which is still coming down sideways and harder than ever.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Boom's having one terrible day on Pyros, and the night doesn't bring any relief apparently. Guess what day it is, I dare you. Find out next chapter! PS. Sorry about the late update, had classes all day and have been working on school stuff for most of the day afterward and in-between. More updates coming though, keep reading!**


	189. Emptiness and Cold

_**Emptiness and Cold**_

Duman and Anagan are looking around, Bloom's scream having torn them from their dreams quite cleanly. The fire is back to normal now, no images or three feet high flames when the fuel is collapsed on the ground in a pile. Roxy goes out to see if Bloom is alright, and Ogron follows after a minute.

Bloom is pacing back and forth, and suddenly goes to the river and splashes some water on her face to rid herself of the flashback.

"Bloom…"

She whips around, her knife in her hand before she can think of who the voice belongs to. When she sees the owner, looking really nervous at the sight of the weapon, she sighs and drops her arm. "Roxy…you nearly just gave me a heart attack."

She sheathes the knife, and tries to calm her racing heartbeat, which feels like it's trying to beat its way out of her chest. She turns around, and then a hand lands on her shoulder, far too big and heavy to be Roxy. _"Valtor!"_

She doesn't even think, just grabs the wrist with both hands and judo-flips the unfortunate person into the raging river in front of her. She spins around fast at the sound of someone coming out of the cave and kicking some loose stones. Its Anagan, and she realizes what happened.

The sound she makes is not human in the slightest, but has the universal tone of 'oh you have got to be kidding me!' She whirls around and jumps into the water, with a very loud splash and as big a wave.

Maybe three seconds later, Ogron comes out of the water like he was thrown out of it, which he literally was. He lands on the bank shaking; the water is even colder than normal from the wind and rain. And the wind isn't helping one bit, it's going right through his soaked clothes, making him feel like he is freezing.

Suddenly, they hear another splash, and Bloom's voice. "What is wrong with you Ogron? After everything you know about me, why in all of creation, forget Earth, Magix, or any other one place, would you think coming up behind me is a good idea?"

She gets out of the river, looking angrier than they have seen in a long time. "I could have freaking killed you! I have a knife, sword, fighting staff, gun, and a martial arts fighting style imprinted on my muscles, and you get the harebrained idea to sneak up on me after I wake up screaming from a nightmare? Do you have some kind of death-wish, or did you just misplace your brains sometime tonight, because honestly that was about the dumbest thing I have ever seen or heard of you doing!"

Sometime in her yelling Ogron figures out that she is yelling at him because she could really have hurt him, not because he freaked her out; at least not specifically because he freaked her out.

"Inside, now. Before anyone else gets thrown into the river and I have to fish them out." She grabs onto Ogron's sleeve, and drags him back into the cave.

She gets a giant load of firewood, and immediately puts about five pieces on the fire.

* * *

Five minutes later, she is sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.

She is perfectly still, unlike Ogron who is shaking hard from being so cold. But she's already stopped dripping, and her hair is falling around her like a curtain of fire.

Before, she had a fire in her eyes, now, they seem empty, like she's draining herself as her body shuts down from her fight-or flight response; though they think in her case it should be fight-and-flight. Ember is wrapped around her, trying to get her to do something besides sit there and drain everything away.

Gantlos asks "Alright, what's going on? Nothing like this has happened before."

"Hasn't it though?" It's the first thing Bloom's said in five minutes straight, seven if you count getting the wood and feeding the fire.

Anagan asks "What do you mean? Of course this hasn't happened before!"

"Welcome to my bad nights, inside scoop."

All four Wizards go still, remembering the night they found her working out in Gardenia Park. They thought she seemed a little off, but then they attacked her and had to focus on staying alive.

Duman asks "That's what this is? And why you were in a park that night?"

"Yeah."

Gantlos says "Ok, I'll ask again, what's going on?"

"It's today, it happened today."

Roxy asks "What happened?"

"Techna…she earned her Enchantix…" Everyone falls silent at that, because they weren't expecting that.

Anagan asks "And, in the park?" "They knocked me out as I tried to warn the witches, I woke up in a tiny cell with a suffocating blanket of magic."

Oh. Again, not what they were expecting, but that would be one very bad night.

She stares into the fire some more, with eyes empty of anything. Ember nudges her again, trying to get her to do something, anything. She seems to get an idea, and goes over to the pile of sleeping baby dragons. She nudges them awake, and tells them something - and they all rush over to Bloom and jump on her.

She falls onto her back, laughing because they are all licking her and it tickles. "Hey, quit it already! Alright, alright, you've all cheered me up! Now let me up! I need to breathe!"

It's true, she managed to get the words out after pushing off three of the dragons and her face was bright red from all the laughing. They all freeze and look at her, and she presumably repeats it in the series of growls and thrums that comes out of her mouth.

Ember jumps onto her as she sits up and starts licking her face. "Okay, okay Ember, your plan worked. You've forced me to not be all depressed the rest of the night." When she finally gets Ember to stop licking her face with her tongue like sandpaper, she looks around.

Roxy is wet and a little cold as well, but not nearly as bad as Ogron, who is shaking from severe cold despite being between Anagan and Gantlos. They are right next to the fire, which Bloom built up large.

"Sorry, for yelling, for throwing you into the river, for waking everyone up."

She doesn't look at anyone as she says this, but it's for everyone; especially for Ogron, who she threw into the river and then yelled at. They honestly didn't think she would apologize, but they assumed a lot about her before Pyros to.

Duman suddenly says "We know what hap-"

"I know. I've known since I walked into Sibylla's cave and saw the looks on all your faces."

They don't say another word, of course she would know they knew what happened to her; she can read people like open books after all - without looking at their auras. She looks around again and sighs.

Then she apparently gets an idea and turns to the baby dragons. She emits a long series of thrums, growls, and rasping, and points to Ogron and Roxy.

* * *

All the baby dragons pounce on Roxy, but Bloom says something and about half of them reluctantly go to Ogron and lay on him. His shivering stops almost immediately, and soon he hardly notices his wet clothes.

 _So this is what it's like to be Bloom: warm enough to make your own heat bubble._

Bloom looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and Ogron gets the thought that she's reading his aura again - or at least his thoughts. He has no idea how many times she's done that - definitely when they went to find her at Alfea, and when they were on their couch at the Pet shop - but she just rolls her eyes at him and lays on her back.

Out of nowhere, they hear the song 'Safe and Sound' by Taylor Swift play - must be Bloom, especially since she relaxes more and more as it plays. Somehow, she's asleep after about ten minutes - they thought she wouldn't get a bit of sleep after all that, maybe she finds the song comforting. Of course, she's been sleeping from when the sun sets to when it rises over their area on Pyros - she's not usually awake right now.

It takes everyone else a lot longer to get back to sleep - and Ogron has to keep arranging the young dragons around him. Roxy simply laid down and they went where she asked - one of the perks of being the Fairy of Animals.

Ember's lying next to Bloom, with her head tucked between Bloom's shoulder and her cheekbone. Bloom's got her closer arm around Ember's body, and her other arm is under her head and her palm is under Ember's head. It would almost be cute - except Ember's a dragon, Bloom's got a layer of muscle over her bones, and they are in a stone cave on a deadly planet and are still being hunted by Nebula and whatever fairies she has.

They would be a lot more worried about that if they even remotely thought they were in any danger of being found though. They sensed all the magic in this universe when they were looking for Bloom - it made her near-impossible to find, and she has the Dragon Flame! Finding four guys and two fairies who haven't used their magic at all in this place is virtually impossible; which is why they haven't thought about it once in weeks.

They do wonder about the song that played from thin air, but they figure Bloom will explain if asked - though, they aren't so curious that they're going to risk prying into this topic. Last time they did that, they got threats on their lives instead - not so surprising a reaction now that they know what actually happened, unlike when Duman joked about her succession of nightmares.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Bloom's only terrible day on Pyros is finally over. And this time the Wizards know enough to not joke about her nightmares or pry into the topic - they already know what happened anyway, so...yeah. Anyway, keep reading to find out what happens next! Will Nebula finally find them? Will she be beaten and the Winx and Specialists call up and say it's safe to come back to Earth? Read on to find out! PS. Bloom didn't just leave them on Pyros like at Sibylla's cave because they would never survive without her there, vegetarian dragons or not, she's got the bag with the endless supply of food, etc.**


	190. Old Enemies

_**Old Enemies**_

The next day, Bloom sleeps for hours after everyone wakes up, and they see dark circles under her eyes that weren't there yesterday. When she finally does wake up, she just jumps in the river, does a few laps, then gets out and eats Thornbush berries for about ten minutes.

She gets a call from Stella, who is a lot less loud now, but still makes Bloom yank the phone away from her ear. After about five minutes, the furious yelling from her best friend stops, and Bloom puts the phone back to her ear.

She tells Stella that the search through all the books in the library is a dead end, and then gets told that Chimera was let out of the Solaria dungeons early on good behavior. Bloom laughs without any humor and says "I doubt that shallow brat could fake 'good behavior' if she had all the time in the world, which she did."

 _I bet Cassandra pulled what few strings she had left, not that those would have been a whole lot to begin with._

"True, but its who she might team up with that worries me."

After that, she climbs into her usual spot on her tree branch, and takes out her sketchpad and a massive pack of colored pencils.

* * *

She draws for hours, free-handing a sketch of the ten baby dragons that must be the human equivalent of toddlers by now. She draws the clearing, even putting in the tree with her lying on it. Ember is under the tree with Roxy, watching the group of baby dragons mock-wrestle. The Wizards are on the other side, doing their own things.

She finishes her drawing, then Gantlos suggests they spar for a bit. Bloom looks over and says "You're on. How about four to one? Evens out the odds a little."

Roxy doesn't see how the four Wizards against Bloom is fair, until she remembers Bloom gets faster, stronger, and a lot more ferocious when she calls on Pyros in a fight, and that's without being _on the planet._ Now, she is probably faster than Anagan with his magic if she really tries.

Her silent prediction turns out to be completely true, because Bloom throws all four into the river nearly at once. They go four rounds, and Ogron only wins the last one by sheer luck.

Bloom had just thrown Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman in in quick succession, and had Ogron on his back and was gripping his shoulders.

She was going to roll backwards and throw him into the water as well, when suddenly her head whips up and stares into the forest. Suddenly, she grunts in pain and grips her left shoulder, the one that took the dart from Diaspro so long ago. Ogron uses the distraction to kick her in the stomach with both feet.

Amazingly, she goes flying into the river, making a wave that soaks the other three Wizards all over again. They don't care though, someone finally beat Bloom in a match!

Roxy says "Hey no fair, she was distracted!" She doesn't sound all that concerned though, Bloom will no doubt whip his butt twice as hard the next round to compensate.

Bloom suddenly surfaces, looking shocked and angry. "You've got to be kidding…she picks now to shove her nose in…"

They think Bloom is being an uncharacteristically sore loser, until she pushes herself up and says "I've got to go, someone else's now on Pyros."

Everyone goes still, and Duman says "Who? You said-"

"That this place is widely known as a death sentence? Yeah, it is. Except Diaspro followed the Winx and the Specialists here when they found me the first time, she knows I can survive here. What she doesn't know, and what I'm going to keep her from knowing, is that I'm connected to the place. The first time could be considered desperation, coming here when I had no other options available; but now, when I haven't been kidnapped and have brought _five other people with me_ , that's not desperation by any means. Don't follow me, whatever you do."

She shoves her sunglasses on her head and takes off at a full sprint, disappearing into the forest. Everyone looks at one another, and then they all go after her.

Ember follows, to make sure they don't get themselves killed and to make sure Diaspro doesn't get too far into the forest to find anything - anything like the cave they've been using as their home for the past while.

When they get to the Jumping Stones, she is already over them and disappearing into the forest.

They make it over in maybe five minutes, and by then the only trail to follow is Bloom's footprints. They finally catch up to her at the edge of a clearing, but stay behind the tree line to stay hidden.

* * *

They see Bloom facing two girls, a blonde and a girl with skin even paler than hers was and long black hair with a scepter in her hand. They apparently know each other, because they exchange barbed comments back and forth.

The blonde asks "What are you doing back here Bloom? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like it here."

"Better question, what are you doing here Diaspro? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like coming to find me and getting your wings handed to you." The blonde, Diaspro, looks angry, both at Bloom's comment and the casual tone she said it in.

The black-haired girl says "You impudent, little-"

"You're one to talk Chimera. This coming from the girl who just got out of the Solaria dungeons for transforming Stella into a frog-creature and spelling King Radius; it's almost laughable."

Now, both are angry, and Chimera says "Alright, enough talk. Diaspro, let's do this already!"

Bloom moves faster than either girl can track, dodging their attacks easily. "You two want a magic-fight? Fine, Charmix!"

She is surrounded by fire for an instant, and Chimera gloats "What, that's the only transformation you've got?"

Diaspro grits her teeth in anger, knowing full well Bloom has Enchantix at least.

"You wish Chimera, I just don't feel like wasting the magic." Bloom then flies up a foot in the air and blasts the black-haired girl five feet away, landing her on the ground in a smoking pile.

"Grr, take this!" Bloom does a flying backwards summersault, avoiding the mess of magical attacks aimed for her.

Roxy whispers to the Wizards "Why are they so mad because Bloom transformed?"

Duman whispers in her ear "It's an insult among fairies to not use your strongest transformation. It's basically saying they're not worth the trouble."

"Oh." Roxy nearly bursts out in a storm of giggles at that, but catches herself in time.

Bloom whips them easily, hardly using magic at all. But the two grasp hands and do a convergence spell, aimed straight for Bloom.

She rolls, avoiding the hit completely, but unfortunately she was between the two fairies and Roxy and the Wizards. The spell hits Duman square in the chest, sending him painfully into a tree trunk.

Bloom doesn't give any hint that something is wrong, just knocks the two evil fairies out instantly. She wipes their memories with a spell, and sends them back from wherever they came from, hopefully away from each other.

* * *

Duman is unconscious now, and is starting to heat up. He is moaning, and Bloom immediately marches over. "What the hell? I said don't follow me!"

Ogron says "Yeah, we know. We wanted to see who would be so stupid as to come here alone. Look, Duman got-"

"Hit by that last spell, the sudden pain in my back kind of told me that." She still seems furious, but kneels down to Duman.

She puts both hands on his chest, and they swear her eyes glow bright blue instead of orange. Duman doesn't wake up though, he starts struggling. Bloom's eyes narrow, and her body catches fire as she concentrates.

Suddenly, Duman's body glows a sickly green mixed with nearly blood-red - and he basically explodes, sending Bloom flying backwards onto her side. "Oh, that didn't feel too good."

Roxy helps her up, and Bloom changes back into her human form. "This is why I said not to follow me."

Duman is starting to burn up with a fever, and groans in pain. Gantlos says "Look, can you do something or not?"

"No, Diaspro and Chimera used some curse I don't know."

 _"What?_ After all the time you've spent looking through curses-"

"I was looking for the curse used on my sister, not a curse to short-circuit someone's powers!"

The other three Wizards stop dead in their tracks, and Bloom says "Yeah, Diaspro truly hates me, and Chimera hates me by association with Stella. This is why I said not to follow me! People end up hurt or dead when their in a fight meant for me!"

"You're the most-"

"Powerful fairy in the magical dimension, yes I know. And you know what, sometimes I wish I wasn't! But that's not my call to make." She turns around and lets out a loud roar before they can respond to that, that they can hear echo across the forest. She then turns around and starts focusing hard.

After about three deep breaths, she collapses like a marionette with its strings cut.

Ogron and Roxy rush over to her, while Anagan and Gantlos stay kneeling next to Duman, who is quickly getting worse and worse. Bloom is stone cold, like every bit of heat and magic left her body.

After maybe a minute of no response, her fingers twitch, and then she sits upright with a large gasp.

Ogron asks "What just happened to you?"

"I bought us some time from Nebula. Thanks to Diaspro and Chimera, they know where we are. I, shall we say, 'convinced' her to wait until tomorrow before attacking." She takes out her phone and tosses it to Roxy.

"Call the Winx, call the Specialists. Call anyone but my parents, tell them Nebula knows where we are." She puts her hand flat against the ground, and focuses. A wave of orange emerges from her hand, like a giant ripple in a pond.

After maybe a minute, she opens her eyes just as a dragon lands in front of them.

Gantlos asks "What are you doing?"

"I can't break this curse, but I know someone here who can: Maia. She helped me before when I needed it most, she's the Head Elder of this planet; as I only found out after the Winx found me. I trust her with my life, and she's the only one I can go to for help."

Anagan asks "What about-"

"Who? Mrs. Faragonda? The headmistress of the _college for fairies?_ No, you four are famous for being fairy hunters after all. My parents on Domino? Mom might understand, but Father would have a heart attack, right before he did some royal thing and yelled at me for a complete lack of judgement. No, besides, they're all on different planets, Maia isn't." She kneels down and picks Duman up, surprising everyone once again at her strength; you honestly wouldn't know she could do that at first glance, muscles or not.

* * *

She is about to get him on the dragon, which is helpfully bending lower, when Ogron says "We're coming with you."

"No, not again."

Gantlos says "Like you would know what-"

"What it's like to be with someone for so long they stop being friends and start being family? Yes, I would. I may not have spent nearly as much time with the rest of the Winx as you four have spent together, but that doesn't mean they aren't my family." She turns around, but stops when she sees their faces.

She doesn't say anything, just stares at them like she's reading something new. After a minute, she sighs and says "Fine, but do exactly as I say. And no complaining about how fast this ride will be."

She gives Ogron a boost up, then puts Duman right behind him. Gantlos goes next, and then Anagan.

"Ember, lead Roxy back to the cave. I'll let you know when we're coming back."

Ember thrums in assent, and Roxy says "Good luck."

Bloom nods, and jumps up onto the dragon's back. She leans forward, and whisper-growls something to the dragon. The next thing any of its riders know, they are in the air.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the spotty updates - been busy with school and stuff. also, about four different ideas for stories popped into my head one day so I started them all - I know, it's crazy. Anyway, updates will still be coming out regularly, so don't give up and think I'm abandoning the story! Never going to happen, promise! Also, can't wait for the new Thor movie - Hela, Goddess of Death! Oh joy, now Bloom gets to fight a goddess! PS. please send over any ideas for Asgardian myths - season 6 material, collection already started. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!**


	191. Curing Duman

_**Curing Duman**_

At least it's a straight flight this time, instead of getting spun around like a roller-coaster. But it's faster than even Anagan has ever gone, they can feel G-Forces working on them.

After maybe three minutes, the dragon starts to slow down, but Bloom desperately growls something to it. They can't understand the words, but the meaning is clear: faster! The dragon roars something back, and Bloom immediately lays forward and wraps her arms around the dragon's neck. Her body starts glowing orange, and new strength floods the dragon's wings as they're surrounded by fire like a comet.

In maybe ten minutes, they land on solid ground, everyone but Bloom feeling shaky and like they could puke. "Get Duman down, I'll go talk to Maia." She runs into a nearby cave entrance, holding a ball of fire in her hands. She took off her sunglasses, but they didn't notice at first - but this Maia must know about Bloom's connection to the planet.

Duman is moaning in pain much more now, despite the fact that Bloom shared her strength with the dragon to get them here faster. He is burning up now, and they can barely keep a hold of him because he is thrashing at their grips. They put him on the ground, hoping that he'll at least be comfortable enough to stop wearing away at his strength.

A few minutes later, Bloom marches out. "C'mon, she'll help."

All three get up, but Bloom says "Only Ogron, that's what she said. I didn't question, I just came back out."

All three look at one another, and Bloom says "Look, if something goes wrong, I'll teleport everyone out, but nothing's going to go wrong. So sit tight, we'll be back once Duman is cured."

Ogron nods, and Anagan and Gantlos slump back down. Ogron picks Duman up and Bloom leads him into the cave.

* * *

When they get to the part of the cave Maia has made her home, it's the back of the small cave. There is a large cauldron in the middle, many shelves lined with bottles and herb piles, and a stone bed at one wall.

Maia herself is the same as Bloom last saw her, brown-skinned, long white hair, white dragon-shaped staff. Her eyes are as kind and wise as ever, and she says "Put him on the bed so I can look at him." Ogron hesitates, but Bloom nods.

 _Maia knows what she's doing, Ogron._

To think that Bloom's actually reassuring him, the irony would be enough to make his head spin in any other situation. He puts Duman down though, laying him out on the stone bed.

After a few minutes, Maia says "I recognize this curse," both red-heads hold their breath "and I know how to reverse it."

Ogron sighs in relief, but Bloom asks "How?" She sounds respectful, she clearly looks up to Maia; maybe as a mentor.

"It's complicated, but I have everything we need here."

"Let's do this then."

Bloom motions for Ogron to stand back, and he ends up in front of Duman while Bloom gets various bottles and herbs from the many stone shelves on the wall. There are also different stone items, bowls, mortar and pestle, etc. Bloom uses them to crush, mix and grind herbs together as Maia instructs.

Soon the large cauldron is bubbling with a potion, which Bloom is stirring hard.

"Bloom, there are two things left for this to work. One is the blood of a dragon."

"But a dragon's blood is deadly!"

"Yes, it is too acidic for people, but its powerful enough to break the spell, which is why only a few drops are ever used."

"Maia, I don't think there's time for me to find a dragon willing to shed a few drops of blood for Duman."

"No, but your blood…"

"My blood…my blood is a mix. Dragon and magic."

"Yes, with a balance of your powers, your blood could be a substitute."

Bloom doesn't say anything else, just gets her knife out and takes a deep breath.

"Focus Bloom, the balance must be perfectly even."

After about three deep breaths, Bloom puts the knife to her hand and pushes down, then holds her hand over the cauldron. She doesn't flinch, doesn't say a word, as the blood drips from her hand and into the liquid. She focuses, and her hand glows bright blue for a second.

As Ogron watches, the cut closes without so much as a scar to show it had ever been there. "What now Maia? You said two things."

"Yes Bloom, but this is the hardest part. For the potion to work, we need an immense amount of power. The kind of power that would normally amount to ten people working together, and exhausting themselves."

Bloom simply says "The Dragon Flame. This need its strength."

"Yes, it won't be easy, but you have to channel your power into the potion Bloom."

Ogron says "Wait, what? Bloom has to-"

Bloom cuts him off, saying "Ogron, shut up. It's the only way to save Duman's life."

He can already see the orange leaking into her irises, and the fire surrounding her body. She turns around and after a second yells "Dragon Essence!"

A massive fire-dragon emerges from her form, and dives into the potion. Ogron would have expected it to spill everywhere, but it just boils and turns different colors.

Once the potion stops reacting to the sudden magic, Maia helps Bloom sit down - because she is nearly completely exhausted from doing that. She motions for Ogron to stir the potion to keep it from boiling down; because now they only have one shot to do this.

"Thank you Bloom. The potion is ready now." Maia gets a large vial, and fills it with some of the potion. "Now, he has to drink this."

Ogron looks at her, then at Duman's unconscious form. He's not waking up any time soon, and if they try to get this stuff in him right now he'll thrash and struggle.

Bloom apparently has the same thoughts, because she gets up. "You hold his legs Ogron, I'll get it in him."

Ogron raises an eyebrow, she hasn't tried getting Duman to do anything while unconscious.

"Hey, I've wrestled dragons before, and not baby dragons either. I know what I'm doing here." Ogron holds Duman's legs still, while Bloom pins his arms between her legs to keep her hands free. He's burning up and covered in sweat; and as expected, he struggles immensely when she pours some of the potion into his mouth.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Duman is sleeping peacefully, having finally swallowed enough of the potion for it to work. Bloom and Ogron are out of breath and exhausted, because he didn't stop struggling until they finally got his survival reflex to kick in and make him swallow.

Bloom teleports off him, ending up back where she was sitting before. "Next time you get the hare-brained idea to follow me and watch me fight someone, tell me; I'll smack you upside the head and remind you of this."

He has to grin, knowing full well this is Bloom's way of telling him not to do something so dangerous again. "Very funny, Bloom."

He looks at Maia, who is filling the vial back up with what's left of the stuff in the cauldron. "Have him drink this when he wakes up. Or the spell might start again."

Ogron says "Thank you."

Bloom stares at him, then just shakes her head in wonder. After a minute, Bloom pushes herself to her feet by her knees and Ogron picks Duman up. "Thank you, Maia, for everything."

Maia smiles, and says "Any time, Bloom. Tell Faragonda I say hello."

Bloom smiles tiredly, nods, and then leaves the cave. When they get outside, Anagan and Gantlos are going crazy worrying.

Anagan says "You said soon, it's been an hour!"

Bloom says "It has? Didn't…notice…"

Gantlos asks "What happened to her?"

"I cured Duman. Took all my strength though."

Ogron shakes his head, warning Gantlos not to say anything else. "So, he's-"

"Fine. Sleeping, but fine. Maia said he'll wake up in the morning." She climbs onto the dragon, who was sleeping. The others get on as well, and the dragon takes off.

This time the flight is slow, like they are taking the scenic route.

Anagan looks over and asks "Did she seriously fall asleep on this thing?"

"What…and miss…the view?" Bloom's mumbled rhetorical question nearly makes them all laugh, and she says "Like I'm gonna miss this for anything."

Maybe twenty minutes later, they land in the clearing, and Roxy and Ember are waiting. "Hey, finally! Is Duman alright?"

Bloom basically falls off the dragon, which was lying low to the ground thankfully. "Yeah, he's fine, under the circumstances."

She doesn't get off the ground, and Ember bounds over to sniff her. The Wizards get down, and when they look over Bloom is out cold on the grass. How she can fall asleep that fast is anybody's guess; especially when she is on hard ground.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, they cured Duman! Honestly, you think she's going to let Diaspro and Chimera get away with something like that? She said she'd protect the four guys, and nobody's dying on her watch! Either way, the vacation's over for Bloom - Nebula knows where they are! PS. last chapter, Bloom sent her mind over to Tir Nan Og and did a spell so the crazy fairy of War would attack tomorrow - giving them time to cure Duman. Read and find out how Nebula's attack on a planet full of dragons goes!**


	192. Nebula Comes

_**Nebula Comes**_

The next day, they all wake up to find Bloom still passed out in the grass beside the cave, exactly where she got off the dragon the night before. Ember is curled up next to her as usual, but she wakes up when they walk out of the cave entrance.

Duman is still asleep, but he hasn't so much as twitched all night. He's still breathing, but he isn't waking up until he's ready apparently.

Anagan mutters "She's sleeping in two days in a row, what are the chances?"

Ember nudges Bloom's cheek, trying to wake her up; Bloom doesn't even twitch. Throwing her into the river is a funny idea, but with her so out of it she might actually drown.

After maybe five minutes of useless attempts at waking Bloom up, because she can sleep like a rock when she gets exhausted, Ember just closes her eyes and goes still. A second later, Bloom sits upright holding her head. "Ouch, jeez Ember, could you have been any louder?"

Ember shrugs and thrums, and then licks Bloom's face with her sandpaper tongue. "Ok, ok, I'm up already."

She yawns, and then jumps into the river for a few laps before going to the massive Thornbush patch for breakfast. She's been living on a steady diet of Thornbush berries, and they could swear she actually packed some muscle on her frame; so instead of looking half-starved, she looks like a professional runner or like she works out a lot. There isn't an ounce of fat on her, just a hard layer of muscle that stands out when she is anything but relaxed.

Gantlos says "Care to explain you collapsing and 'buying us time' from Nebula yesterday?"

"You know how when your unconscious, people with magic can talk to each other or see things that are happening around them?"

Anagan raises one eyebrow, that's basic stuff. "Yeah?"

"Well, I learned how to force it. Used to take me by surprise, I'd fall asleep and see the Trix planning an escape of Lightrock for instance. But I can separate my consciousness from my body when I need to, though I don't do it often for obvious reasons."

Roxy asks "Why not? And also, that sounds like the perfect way to get away from being kidnapped."

The sound that comes out of Bloom would be called a snort in anyone else, and she says "Right, the mind escapes and the body stays behind. Perfect!"

She absently picks a few thorns from her hand, and they hear Duman groan and yawn. "Oh, what hit me?"

He stumbles out of the cave, and Bloom brightly says "Diaspro and Chimera, with a curse meant for me. Next time you want to follow me and watch me fight, go jump off a cliff instead - I've found it would likely be a lot less painful."

Her way of saying not to do something so stupid again, and Duman just blinks. "Ohh-kay, what was it supposed to do?"

"The curse short-circuited your powers, oh, and someone has a vial of some potion your supposed to drink."

Gantlos grabs it, and hands it to Duman; who looks at it like they are asking him to drink mud. He takes a sip, and immediately gags on it. "It's like drinking fire!"

"Hate to break it to ya, that's the one thing that I don't react to. Try something else with me Duman."

"Alright, it tastes terrible."

"Pretend its alcoholic. From what I can tell that stuff tastes pretty terrible to; yet somehow people drink it 'til they pass out."

She's back in the water, doing backstrokes, and Duman says "You made this, didn't you?"

"I helped; a lot."

"What did you put in this?"

"Drink it and I'll tell you." She gives everyone else a look, and they don't say a word.

"That's not a good sign."

"Nope! Now, knock it back like you're at a bar already." Roxy nearly laughs; for someone who doesn't drink, Bloom knows a lot of funny references.

Duman does exactly that, not even breathing until the vial is empty. He tosses the container to Bloom, who rinses it in the river and sends it back to Maia with a little magic. Duman raises an eyebrow, and says "I thought you weren't using your magic."

"I am after yesterday. Nebula and whatever followers she has left are coming thanks to Diaspro and Chimera. The whole planet lit up like a beacon, thankfully most people don't pay attention to the rest of the universe most of the time. It only lit up for a second or two, when I transformed, but that was more than enough for Nebula. So, I stalled her until today."

Duman says "Let's get out of here. Great as it's been-"

"No, no more running. I'm strongest here out of anywhere in creation. A battle can be decided before its ever fought if you choose the battleground; and I chose here. I'm not going to run from planet to planet. I say, this ends now."

They can see the logic behind her thinking, but Anagan says "Even if you can beat all them, the instant they see us…"

"They won't, I've got a plan. The same way I had a plan when I escaped from you four, and the same way I followed you maybe twenty minutes after you left. Now c'mon, let's get this show on the road."

Bloom teleports them to the tree line near a field, and sure enough a few seconds later Nebula and maybe ten Warrior Fairies appear.

Bloom murmurs "Not even gonna break a sweat. Stay here. _I mean it, stay._ "

A large dragon quietly slinks out beside Bloom, who whisper-growls something to her. She nods, and lays down between her and the Wizards. "You said they would attack as soon as they saw you, well, they'll have to see you first; and then they'll have to get to you."

They all grin, Bloom thinks of everything when it comes to this stuff. Ember is right beside her, and Bloom does one last check to make sure she has everything. Phone, knife, sword, staff, bag, sunglasses - which she sadly puts on her face - jacket; she's all set to leave.

Roxy climbs the tree beside her to get a good view, this is something she doesn't want to miss for anything.

* * *

Bloom strides out, shocking all the Terrestrial Fairies. "Look what the dragon dragged in, no pun intended!"

Nebula growls "Bloom! Where are the Wizards of the Black Circle?"

"Safe from you, and your mindless revenge."

One of the Warrior Fairies whispers to the others "I don't think this was such a good idea, have you heard the stories about this place?"

"Yeah, it's full of dragons!"

Bloom says "It is, and it's a death trap for almost anyone."

Nebula says "So why would you take the Wizards here? To keep us from finding them, or to let them die by some dragon?"

"If you honestly think I would take someone anywhere only to kill them, you don't know anything about me. And why are you here? To find them on a death trap of a planet to anyone who doesn't know how to survive?"

Nebula nearly growls, getting more and more frustrated with every second. "Alright, if she won't tell us where they are, we'll make her!"

"One final fight then? I'm game. I win, you _give it up already._ The has honestly gone on for far too long. You win, I'll point you in the right direction."

If the Wizards and Roxy start laughing now, they'll be heard. One of Bloom's loopholes: she'd point them in the right direction, that doesn't mean she'll call off the dragon that is lying around them. It is curled in a circle, with its tail meeting its head. They are waiting in the space in the middle, a little island of grass.

Bloom made the vegetation close in when she walked forward, completely blocking the dragon from view; along with the fight from them. They don't see Bloom fighting, but they hear a lot of bodies being slammed into the ground, grunting, and Roxy's expression tells the rest of the story. She's got both hands over her mouth to hold back a fit of laughter, and her whole body is shaking with the effort.

Ogron takes a massive risk that Bloom would probably kill him for if she knew about, and peeks through the layer of vines. He sees Bloom tossing Earth Fairies left and right, and she runs up a nearby tree, does a double-backflip and finishes the move by grabbing the unfortunate fairy's shoulders and throwing her into another.

Now, Nebula is left standing, and Bloom quickly takes her down, and has tree roots come up from the earth and wrap around the fairy's body. It's far stronger than the time she pinned Anagan to the ground at Batson's farm and covers her just as much. The only difference between then and now, is Nebula has wings to pin to her back and is covered in tree roots; and the fact that Anagan could move a little under the vines, Nebula can hardly breathe!

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom's lost none of her skill fighting by staying here - and yes, she actually did gain some muscle while on Pyros for so long. Between her morning runs and the fact that she wasn't using her magic so much, she actually managed to build some muscle on her frame - so now she looks like she works out for a living - you'd think that alone would give people like the Wizards or the Warrior Fairies a hint that she's not easily beaten.**


	193. Pyros in Danger

_**Pyros in Danger**_

Just as Bloom finishes trapping Nebula securely under tree roots, which she'll have to put back later, she feels something familiar and very much welcome. Its Stella's magic, transporting herself and anyone else she chooses straight to her - probably with the Ring of Solaria.

Unsurprisingly, the Winx and the Specialists appear, along with Morgana and Diana; what does surprise her is the fact that Rick came as well. He and Morgana are side by side, and there's a look on his face she is sure he didn't have the last time she saw him; wonder and love. He loves Roxy, she's sure of it, but this love is for Morgana. He whispers to Morgana "Wow, so this place is real? I've never seen anywhere like it."

"Indeed, neither have I, Rick. And from what the Winx told me before, it's extremely dangerous for anyone who isn't on Bloom's good side."

Sky marches over to Bloom, and before she can say anything he grabs her by the shoulders and kisses her freezes for a split second, because he took her by surprise; but then she immediately kisses him back. Her arms wrap around his neck, and thankfully she doesn't lose control of herself this time; dragon mating season being over and all. Sky breaks the kiss after a minute, and whispers "The next time you get kidnapped, I'm breaking down every door until I find you Bloom."

Bloom blinks, not understanding what he's talking about. "I wasn't kid-"

Sky's grip on her shoulders tightens, and he interrupts, saying "Yes you were Bloom, we watched you get taken by the Trix. Why didn't you-"

This time its Bloom's lips that meet Sky's, stopping him from finishing the question. When she stops kissing him, she whispers "Please don't."

Stella comes over and whacks Bloom on the back of the head, saying "Next time you decide to clam up about something, choose something we could scry Bloom!"

Rick and Morgana walk over, making a distraction for one very grateful Bloom. "Hey, I hate to break up the reunion, but where's Roxy? I'd really like to see my daughter after a month of her being another universe away."

Bloom laughs a second, and says "Oh yeah! Hey you five, you can come out now!"

The grass wraps around all the Warrior Fairies' weapons, effectively disarming them without using a drop of magic. At the same time, the vegetation that was hiding the dragon guarding the Wizards clears away, revealing them and the blue dragon behind them.

Roxy jumps down from the tree, yelling "Mom! Dad!" She practically crushes them in a hug, which they return wholeheartedly.

As for the Wizards, they walk out to the group, avoiding the Warrior Fairies, and staying well away from Nebula. She starts struggling when she hears their footsteps, but the tree roots tighten slightly when she does.

Anagan thinks to the others _Jeez, I forgot how scary Bloom can be when she wants._

Duman adds _Yeah, I'm just glad Nebula's the one under there, and not any other Warrior Fairy._

Diana looks at the roots, and then asks "That's your doing, isn't it Bloom?"

"Oh yeah. I've got my own connection to nature here."

"I can tell, I can feel your power in the plants themselves."

Musa asks "You fought Nebula again?"

"Hey, third time's the charm, right? And this time there isn't really anything she can do about it." Nebula starts struggling even harder at that comment, but Morgana declares what was in essence a civil war among the Earth Fairies over. The remaining Terrestrial Fairies agree, and switch over to Morgana's side. Bloom releases the Fairy of War, at a signal from Morgana.

The roots, which had to be two feet thick easily and strong as a dragon's grip, unwrap from her and slide back into the ground. "Grr, Bloom, you'll pay for this!"

"Oh, for Magix's sake Nebula, _it's over._ Give it up already!" In response, Nebula shoots a blast from her hands.

Bloom thought it was headed for her, but no; Nebula's target was Ogron.

* * *

He throws his hands up automatically, a reflex to protect himself. The blast hits his hands, and sends him flying into the ground.

Bloom throws a blast at Nebula, landing her on the ground in a smoking heap.

Ogron pushes himself up but notices something very bad: the Black Circle, which he never got the chance to give Morgana at the trial, is wiggling and shifting on his finger. He has been wearing it all this time, he honestly forgot about it. But now, its glowing dark purple, almost black as the color of the ring. They put a bunch of traps on it in the beginning, in case the Earth Fairies ever got it somehow and tried to destroy it; but they took them all off before surrendering!

With a sick jolt, he remembers the most ancient one they put on, the very first trap: if it encounters a concentrated blast of magic against it, the ring will open the Black Gate and suck anything in the area in. He rips the ring off his hand, and throws it as far away from everyone before it opens. It makes it about ten yards, and then it explodes into the Black Gate.

Bloom makes her way over to him, stumbling against the wind and pain, and yells "Ogron, what the heck is going on here?"

"Nebula, her blast, it hit the ring, did this."

"Why didn't this happen when I was wearing it? Or one of the times we fought?"

"It could only happen if someone was trying to destroy the ring, I forgot about this trap when we took them off."

"When did you put this on the ring?"

"It was the first trap, we took the rest off before we surrendered; but we forgot about this one."

"Great, how do we stop it?" She's getting paler by the second, and he remembers her connection to the planet. She felt some branches being broken off a few trees like her own bones were being cracked; this must be agony.

Ogron shakes his head, and says "You can't. The spell makes it so the Gate can't be closed. And even if it didn't, you'd need a magical object as strong as the circle."

"Does it have to be a physical object?"

"No, but what do you have that…" He suddenly gets it, and what she's saying is enormous and deadly.

Sky comes over to her and says "Bloom, I know what you're going to do. I'm not losing you again. We'll find another way, or we'll get everyone out of here, but I'm not going to let you get yourself killed."

There are tears in Bloom's eyes, as she says "Sky, you can take me to the other end of creation, but it won't make a difference. I'm too connected; if Pyros dies, I die." She grabs his shirt and pulls his face to hers, kissing him passionately.

Ogron remembers a question of Roxy's: when did Bloom and Sky first kiss. The answer was in a deserted Magix City, right after she saved his life from three creatures of the dark. All three schools were being attacked at Alfea, and she kissed Sky like they didn't have a care in the world. Now, she steps closer to him, with her free hand around his neck. He notices her pinkie flick out, making a hole in space that opens up in front of a tree.

Sky's arm is around her waist, and he has to take a step backwards, and then another to keep his balance. She backs him up into the tree, but he doesn't care. Its only when she breaks the kiss that he notices the vines that she's wrapping around his waist.

She whispers "I love you, I always have. Take care of Ember for me Sky." She kisses him again, and then steps back through her hole in the air. Sky tries to follow her, and realizes the vines are too strong for him to push through. He starts pulling at them, but more just wrap around his wrists to keep him there.

Bloom closes the hole before she breaks completely, and yells "Sophix!" When she has transformed, Ogron can almost literally feel the power coming off her in waves; they wouldn't have stood a chance against her like this, here and now.

Bloom takes a running start, pushing through the pain getting worse and worse. It's like she's being torn apart from the inside; which is exactly what's happening.

She makes a ring of fairy dust like fire around the gate, and everyone is watching her. Then, she starts glowing bright orange, like another sun in the sky, and lets loose a massive fire-dragon, wrapping it around the gate. As they all watch, the portal is literally squeezed shut, and as soon as the connection is cut for a second, the spell is over.

* * *

Ogron looks around, and sees Sky still desperately working at the vines, trying to free his hands to free himself, he goes over and starts pulling at one of the vine-shackles.

"Why are you-"

"Shut up, your girlfriend's a suicidal miracle. Now pull back on this vine." He manages to tear one of the vines away from Sky's wrist, and starts on the other one. "She chose you, you think she could live with herself if you got hurt or killed for her?"

They don't see the massive explosion that follows the Gate being closed, but they all feel it - it's like an entire earthquake happened in a split second.

The vines around Sky suddenly go slack; and when they look back, its total destruction.

Flora and Diana are holding their heads in agony, and Helia is trying to help Flora while Anagan is keeping Diana upright. Aurora stumbles into Gantlos from the earthquake happening, and the Wizard pulls her to her feet before she hits the ground. Roxy nearly falls to the ground, but Duman grabs her shoulder before she hits the grass and yanks her back up to Rick and Morgana. The ground has been torn up, trees were uprooted, everything is a mess.

And to top it all off, there is a crater where the Gate was, like a meteor hit the spot.

Sky runs into the crater, and finds Bloom on her hands and knees in the exact center. Everyone else goes to the edge, and Sky slides down the slope.

Bloom's arms are shaking, her hair is undone, and she spits blood. That alone is the most worrying sign, they've seen her cut and scraped but she's never actually been seriously hurt before; not as long as they've known her.

Bloom feels like throwing up, or passing out; maybe both. She is sick with pain, she can literally feel everything Nebula just did to Pyros; all the destruction that happened because of a single spell. She whispers to herself "Whatever strength I have left, I give it all to Pyros. Eternal Flame…"

A massive fire-dragon bursts from her again, flies upward and enters the ground through her. She collapses as soon as the spell is cast, transforming back into a regular girl. She doesn't seem to be healed at all, but Flora and Diana look like they are in less pain.

Flora says "We need to finish what Bloom started, heal the planet."

Techna says "And doing that might heal Bloom as well!" The Winx all transform into their Sophix forms, and promptly use most of their magic to restore the planet.

While they do, Ember glides down to Bloom's form, whining sorrowfully and nuzzling Bloom's cheek and neck. She lets out a mournful wail, full of grief and despair. She starts licking Bloom's neck, specifically the spot where her pulse beats. She suddenly sniffs her face, and then one of her hands.

She takes something from it, and flies up to Ogron, and when he holds out his hand she spits the Black Circle into it. Anagan, Duman, and Gantlos all stare in wonder, they all thought Bloom had destroyed it.

Sky kneels down beside Bloom, making sure she is still alive. When he picks her up, she moans, answering that question.

Techna does a scan of her body using her ladybug scanner, and the results are not good - once again, Bloom's at more than a little risk of dying.

Rick says "She should go to the hospit-"

 _"NO!"_ everyone but Roxy and the Wizards shouts immediately.

Stella says "Trust us on this: Bloom is a terrible patient. Last time something as remotely bad as this happened, we could hardly get her to stay on the bed for five minutes. Her waking up somewhere with an IV in her arm and a bunch of strangers around? Bad idea, in fact it's the worst idea any of us have ever heard."

* * *

 **AN: Why is it that Bloom keeps leaving Pyros when she's seriously hurt and possibly going to die? Girl's got the worst luck with that. And no, the Wizards never planned on betraying the Winx - they're too scared of Bloom to even think about betraying her! They were smart enough to make a spell that protected them from all the Earth Fairies' attacks when they first started their hunt, you'd think they'd be smart enough to know who to not betray. In this story, they are - if only out of a sense of self-preservation. Wonder if they'll ever make another appearance after the Winx's next adventure starts? Wondering what that next adventure will be? Keep reading to find out!**


	194. Badly Hurt

_**Badly Hurt**_

Moment one: Bloom regains consciousness. Moment two: She's hit by an all-consuming pain and is wondering why she isn't dead yet. It feels like every single fiber of her being is hurt, which isn't surprising given the memories that barrage her.

Pyros being destroyed, her own body being torn apart from the inside, using Sophix for the first and only time on Pyros, closing the Black Gate, using all her remaining strength to restore Pyros. The black oblivion she slips into whenever she uses all her magic has never been more welcome, especially since her way of dealing with pain is what's causing the pain. She just calls on Pyros and stubbornly refuses to back down, but Pyros is what's causing her agony. She moans, and the sound hurts her throat.

Something shifts beside her, and she feels a hand caress her face.

"Hey Bloom, glad your awake." Sky, she'd know his voice anywhere.

She turns her face, and finally opens her eyes. "Ngh, what…?"

Sky puts a finger to her lips, quieting her. "Don't try to talk Bloom; and moving isn't a good idea either. Nabu healed the worst of it, but he was exhausted by the time he was finished. Also, that was a few hours ago."

She starts twitching muscles, feeling an answering jolt of pain from each twitch. "What happened after-"

"After you closed the Gate?" She tries to nod, but that hurts, just breathing is enough of a challenge. "The rest of the Winx transformed and used their Sophix powers to heal Pyros as well, thinking that it might transfer to you through your connection. But when you didn't wake up, Techna did a scan using her ladybug device. You were bleeding internally, even though healing Pyros had made the injuries start to close. We took you here, your room in the Pet Shop, and Nabu spent an hour healing you. But he said you'd still be extremely sore, and you shouldn't try to do anything."

Bloom twitches her hand, and then groans at the resulting fire racing up her entire arm. She's never felt pain like this before, nothing has ever come feels something running down her face, and after a second she recognizes it: tears. The pain is making her cry despite herself.

Sky kisses her face, kissing away the tears. After about five kisses, he whispers in a choked voice "I'm so glad your alive Bloom. Please, promise me you won't ever do something like that again."

Bloom groans, but he can't tell if she said anything or just voiced her pain again. She tries to roll over to face him, but is stopped by a cracking sound in her chest and a burning pain that ignites the rest of her body.

"No Bloom, roll back. C'mon now." Sky grabs her shoulders and gently rolls her back into her original position, while she just struggles to get any air into her lungs.

The burning pain in her chest dulls into an aching throb in time with her heartbeat, but she can't use any healing magic to cool it. She hears Sky pick something up, and say "Bloom, this is for the pain. Flora made it, but she said it's going to taste awful."

"If it makes this torture stop, I'll down it right now." He holds it to her face, and she is assaulted with a barrage of herb scents. The only one she can identify is the one from Pyros, and the smell alone dulls the throb in her chest immensely; though that could just be a placebo effect. She takes a few sips, and then a gulp as the potion soothes her throat.

"Bloom, I'm really sorry, but I have to do this. Hold still, this is gonna suck." The potion has to know what to work on most, or it'll just heal the first damage it comes across.

Sky gently places his hand over Bloom's ribcage, and then presses down slightly. The resulting bonfire prevents her from screaming or roaring and snarling. She can only fist her hands into the sheets and squeeze her eyes against the tears flowing down her face. Almost immediately though, the potion goes to work, and Bloom's agony is over in maybe a minute. It felt like an eternity though, and when it's over she is left gasping for breath. At least now she can breathe without the air being heated up by the burning in her chest.

She moans, and he holds the bowl up again, and she eagerly gulps down a mouthful, relaxing as it works on her throbbing head, and her twitching shoulders. Sky kisses her forehead again, feeling powerless to do anything to help her. "Bloom, I wish there was something I could do…"

She moves her hand, and he takes it in both of his. "Stay…"

"I'm not leaving your side if I get a summons directly from my father." She has to grin at that, which sends a spasm of pain across her face. Another drink from the potion, and a weak attempt at a joke from Sky, and smiling doesn't feel like it'll rip her face in half.

* * *

Bloom steels her nerves, and says "Sky, I really need you to do something for me, no matter how much it'll hurt."

"What? What are you planning Bloom?" Sky's voice sounds fragile, like it could break at any moment; her pain is killing him and her both.

"Give me the entire bowl full."

He holds the bowl up, and she drains it fast, not even breathing between gulps. "Alright, but why would you want me to do that?"

"For this." She has to do this now, before she loses her nerve and the potion. She swings her legs off the bed, and stands up, receiving a massive wave of pain that knocks her down instantly.

" _Bloom!_ Why would you do that?" Sky picks her up and puts her back on the bed, having caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Because I didn't want to put it off."

Sky cups her cheek with his hand and kisses her, and after a minute he breaks it and says "Next time, just wait until your ready Bloom." His voice sounds like it's breaking right now, and he says "I can't lose you again, not after our second year. I was going crazy imagining things when I learned you'd been kidnapped, and it only got worse and worse as time went on. When we learned you were maybe free, it was the first spark of hope I'd had since waking up from a five-day fever with a set of fuzzy memories about the Millennium party. If I could change it all, undo what had happened, I would in a heartbeat Bloom. And after learning what happened to you during that time…"

Sky trails off, his voice choking in his throat. He feels a warm hand on his cheek, and turns to see Bloom looking at him lovingly.

"Sky, if I had stopped loving you, I would have gotten away. I wouldn't have cried for a week, and the Trix wouldn't have stood a chance."

"It's because of me that you were taken. If I hadn't trusted Diaspro…"

Her hand moves to cover his mouth, and she says "It's because of Diaspro that I was taken, and Valtor. You couldn't have known she was buddy-buddy with them. You couldn't have stood a chance against Valtor's magic Sky, nobody in the entire dimension could have. Not even me, the strongest out of everyone there. So please, don't tell me you've been thinking this stuff all this time as well - I will whack the idea out of your and Stella's heads, hurt or not, because it's madness and you know it."

Sky gently moves her hand off his mouth, and he whispers "How did I get so lucky to have you Bloom? You're the best person I've ever known. You're brave," he kisses the palm of her hand "and kind" a kiss to the back of her hand "and you never give up or break your word." He kisses her lips, grateful to anything and everything that he still can. "You'd give your life to protect the people you care about, and somehow I got so incredibly lucky to be dating you." He kisses her again, and she props herself up to kiss him back.

She's still sore all over, but it's by far a thousand times better. She can sit up, she can probably walk a short distance, and she can definitely kiss Sky back.

She can feel the tears that ran down Sky's face, from painful memories and worry both. "I'm not going anywhere Sky, not if all of creation tries to keep us apart. And I'll never stop being head-over-wings in love with you."

Ember slinks in, puts both front paws on the bed, and then proceeds to lick Bloom's face off.

 _Alright Ember, I get it. Your happy to see me to. I'm glad to be alive, but I'm still sore._

Ember's tongue is like sandpaper, and her skin feels hypersensitive from all the pain before. So getting licked by Ember right now feels like her skin is being scraped off roughly. Ember gives her one last, long, dry lick across the face, and then jumps up and curls up around her.

She says "How about we go find the others? I'm sure Stella's been talking everyone's ears off by now. What day is it?"

"Same day Nebula went to Pyros to find you, and we followed. Why?"

"Just wondering, so nobody's probably gagged her yet. Also, it's the day I came to Pyros two years ago."

Sky blinks, and then blinks again. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing a day to two days after Techna fell into Omega, I made my escape to Pyros."

For once, talking about what happened to her doesn't make her want to fly away - though that might be because her wings are temporarily clipped because of Nebula.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I know, a lot of fluff between Bloom and Sky - she nearly died again, cut them some slack. Anyway, Bloom's still too stubborn to give up and die, no matter how badly you hurt her. Between all the Winx's healing on Pyros, Nabu healing her directly, and the Dragon Flame, she's a really fast healer - which is why she's awake now. Flora's potion had it's work cut out for it though, no surprise given how stubborn Bloom is - they really weren't kidding when they told Rick she would hardly stay in the Infirmary bed once she was strong enough to take a few steps, and even before that. More chapters coming soon, enjoy!**


	195. Recovery

_**Recovery**_

Everyone else is in the living room, in various spots and positions. Nabu is trying to copy Bloom by eating a massive amount of food, mostly ice cream. They quickly found it's great for getting an energy boost when they are low, and right now the only person who could need it more is Bloom.

The pets, minus Ember who walked into Bloom's room, are flying around except for Belle - who is sitting on Roxy's shoulder dejectedly. Suddenly, they all get the shock of their lives when Bloom walks into the living room and nearly collapses onto the couch.

Sky was right behind her, and caught her just before she could hit anything. He says "Bloom, maybe sheer stubbornness isn't the way to go right now."

"Oohh, I got that point."

Everyone just stares, and Gantlos breaks the silence by asking "How the heck were you just walking?"

Bloom doesn't even open her eyes, and mutters loud enough for them to hear her "Stubbornness and a bit of impatience. Along with a potion from the best roommate ever."

Flora asks "You drank it all?"

Sky says "Yeah, and then she stood up."

Everyone stares at Bloom, and Musa and Stella both smack their palms to their foreheads.

Techna asks "Bloom, why would you try that? It would work in theory, but doing so would have made any normal person pass out from the pain."

"I wanted to get it over with. If it makes it any better, most of the potion was still there when I drank it all."

Stella mutters something about being stubborn as a dragon, while Sky sits on the arm of the couch. She still can't use her healing magic yet, she's too tense and sore.

* * *

So ten minutes later, she is still on the couch making an illusion of a butterfly. It lands in her hand and crawls up her arm, and Roxy asks "How're you doing that Bloom?" Roxy goes to touch the butterfly, and her fingers pass right through the small creature.

"It's an illusion Roxy, nothing too hard."

"When did you learn to do that?" Despite telling herself it's not real, Roxy's brain insists it is; the butterfly looks perfectly real and alive.

"I've been doing this since I was a kid Roxy."

"What? You said you didn't know about your powers until you were fifteen."

"No, I said I didn't know what I could really do. I didn't know I was a fairy with power over fire, I did know my active imagination made for some really fantastic illusions."

Everyone is gathering, curious about the conversation. Roxy asks "So, who taught you to do illusions in the first place?"

"One of my brothers, though I figured out little tricks like turning invisible on my own."

Techna starts typing on a little handheld computer, and asks "Um, Bloom? How could one of your two brothers teach you illusions? Humans can't do anything besides visual tricks on the brain."

"Because," she eyes the entire room minus Sky " I grew up in Asgard."

Everyone stares at her, and Techna quietly takes out her scanner.

When the ladybug scanner flies over to her, Boom annoyedly says "Techna, I'm fine. I'm not sick and I know exactly what I'm saying." The butterfly vanishes, and Bloom props herself up with her arms.

Musa says "But, Asgard doesn't exist, it's just a bunch of myths."

Bloom laughs derisively, and counters "Yeah, and humans would have said the same thing about fairies before we came to Earth."

She makes an excellent point, but Stella asks "When would you have even gone to Asgard anyway?"

"I was sent by Daphne when Domino was attacked by the Witches. She was doing a spell to send me to the strongest source of magic in the specifications, which, irony of all ironies, would likely have been Tir Nan Og. They interrupted her though, before she could put the final symbol down; so instead of being sent to the strongest source of magic on this planet, I was sent to the strongest source of magic in this universe - which happens to be the Bifrost."

An old piece of paper appears in her hand, with a sketch of symbols around a circle; and the same circle with the symbols in reverse on the back with instructions in handwriting that is a lot like Bloom's.

Techna says "So you grew up in a culture that revolves around fighting and glory in battle?"

"Yeah, along with feasting in celebration of said battles. Guess who my brothers are."

They all think for a minute, and Roxy says "No…"

Bloom's eyes flash orange with amusement, and she says "Yeah, Thor and Loki. How else would I be so good at illusions?"

* * *

The questions and answers go back and forth, she was closer to Loki than Thor because he was always focused on the throne, she discovered she was a fairy when Thor was banished to Earth and she found out she was adopted, she first teleported on instinct and guesswork, no magical training or idea where she was going, the list goes on and on. She'd fight with Thor a lot, and Loki would always talk her down; usually by making some ridiculous joke that she had to laugh at, explaining her wicked sense of humor.

Musa asks what kind of music there is, and Bloom says "None, unless you count the sound of swords clashing together in the training ring. Asgardians aren't really big on anything other than fighting for glory. Of course, five thousand years gives them plenty of time for that."

Anagan says "Wait, what?"

"Yep. By Asgardian standards, you four are toddlers, and everyone else here is basically a newborn. Which means even though my brothers know I can handle myself, they still see me as about knee-high; it's kind of annoying sometimes."

She tells them about adventures she's had with her brothers, and with the Avengers, and it would be pretty hard to believe if it didn't actually explain one or two things left about Bloom; including the creatures in the field they had to fight - and the fact that on Pyros she said she was more comfortable in a fight than in a dress, likely due to the fact that Asgardian culture revolves around fighting and she said there were no parties like they know and the only celebration was the feasts.

They all piece together what must have happened to Bloom's mother, and Flora gently broaches the subject. "So, when you said you were destroying the Aether…"

"Yeah, the Dark Elves wanted it. Their leader, Malekith had made it himself before the Convergence over five thousand years before, he wanted to turn the universe back to darkness. Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster, had somehow found the Aether by way of a wormhole caused by the last Convergence during summer break two years ago. It awakened the Dark Elves, what was left of them anyway, and called them to find it. I was taking the Aether out of Jane when they got into the palace, but mother was distracting them. We used a piece of Jane's hair to make a dummy that would draw them away from the two of us to buy enough time for me to destroy it. But Malekith had something already inside the palace: Kurse. The giant thing that was beside him in the field. Mother beat Malekith, but Kurse went behind her and disarmed her. She didn't say where Jane was, so he killed her, had Kurse run her through with her own sword." The regret and guilt is thick in her voice, but now they have all the pieces.

Flora says "It's not your fault Bloom, you were-"

"Saving the entire universe, as usual. That's all I ever seem to do. And then, they somehow found us; but moments too late. The Aether was gone, but I was too drained to do anything but point out the fact that if they killed us, they'd never know what I did to the Aether. I don't remember anything after that until I managed to separate my mind from my body, just in time for mother's funeral. Then, the next day, I helped Thor get Loki, Jane, and get out of Asgard."

It's hard to tell, but they think her eyes are glowing blue; and Ember licks Bloom's arm in comfort. She takes a breath, and then suddenly says "On a more cheerful note, last person at the Frutti Music Bar pays for everyone's drinks!"

Everyone stares for a minute, and then unfreezes when she jumps off the couch, revealing she has been working her healing magic through the whole explanation, and runs to the stairs; sliding down the handrail.

The Winx all yell " _What?_ " Stella shouts down "Hey, get back here Bloom!"

"Gotta catch me first, Stell!" Everyone runs down, including Ember and the pets.

Gantlos mutters "Someday, she's gonna get herself killed."

Duman whispers "No kidding, but I just hope we don't meet her family any time soon."

Anagan says "Well, I'd hate to get on her brothers' bad sides."

Ogron says "If she's more relaxed in a fight than a party, I'd hate to try fighting people that have never done anything but fight for 5000 years."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom finally told her friends - guess what's going to happen next? What are the Wizards going to do now that their pastime for the past few centuries has been given up? Read on to find out! Enjoy!**


	196. New Adventure

_**New Adventure**_

They finally catch up to Bloom, who made it to the Frutti Music bar in record time. Soon, the Winx are at one table, the guys and Roxy are working, and the Wizards are at a nearby table.

It feels strange to be back in Gardenia now, after all the time on Pyros. Pyros seemed too quiet at first, the bar seems too loud by comparison.

The noise and the crowd seem stifling, but Bloom seems to be getting the worst of it. She keeps looking around, and a look like homesickness is on her face half the time. She misses Pyros, it's almost literally calling her. The loss of connection to the planet is jarring, and even the air in Gardenia is sharp and salty compared to the place.

Bloom tries to take her mind off it, mainly by ordering a lot of smoothies and not focusing on anything.

A few songs later, Andy's band takes a break, and he spots Bloom. "Hey Bloom! I haven't seen you around in a while, where'd you go?"

"Let's just say…I've been out of town, Andy."

"For a month? Where'd you go?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You guys done playing for now?"

"Yeah, you girls want to go up?"

They all look at one another, and then maybe a second later the seats are empty. They play four songs: 'Counting Stars', 'Dark Horse', 'Love Story', and 'One Thing'. The crowd goes wild, dancing everywhere.

Bloom disappears after the performance, but nobody would seriously be stupid enough to kidnap her from such a crowded place.

The rest of the Winx are ordering another round of smoothies from Sky, when a guy in a hoodie sits down. "You six are good, but where's Bloom?"

All five fairies stare at the total stranger, and Stella says "Sorry, but do we know you? Or are another fan looking for an autograph?"

Sky is tense, his hand is straying towards the pocket where he keeps his sword hilt.

There's an amused tone to the man's voice when he asks "What, she hasn't told you about me?" He has the same accent they all noticed in Bloom's voice, but that would only mean he came from Asgard – not likely, that's supposed to be a very long way away.

The man takes the hoodie down, and Sky instantly relaxes. "Oh, hey Thor, you want a smoothie?"

All five girls are staring at him in total shock, and even the Wizards are turned around.

"What? She said she tried to tell you about us. And, no, thanks. I drink something other than smoothies."

Flora is the first to find her voice, and says "You're Bloom's brother?"

Thor shrugs and says "One of them. Where is she anyway?"

Stella manages "She usually goes for a walk on the beach, but why are you in Gardenia? She said you were on Asgard, protecting the other realms or something."

"I usually am, but trouble's been brewing here on Midgard. Haven't you heard?" He's looking around at the crowd, hoping to spot Bloom's distinctive hair among the crowd.

Stella says "C'mon, she likes it outside. Let's go find our friend again." They all make their way through the crowd, which is focused on the next band playing.

* * *

The scene they find outside is not quite what they would expect: a bunch of men in military-like uniforms are lying unconscious on the ground and Bloom is fighting four more with ease. She isn't using her powers, but she also doesn't need to - she said she was comfortable in a fight.

She does a few spontaneous backflips, knocks one out, throws another into one of his friends hard enough to knock them out, and then pins the last one to the ground with his arms twisted behind him. The noise from the Frutti Music bar completely drowned out any sounds of fighting, so nobody would have had a clue if they hadn't walked out.

As they watch, she puts a truth spell on the man and he tells her everything she wants to know: who they are, why they attacked her out of nowhere, what they're planning, etc. When he is dry, she knocks him out fast, and teleports them all back to wherever they came from.

All the guys are out here now as well, and Bloom looks up at the sound of approaching footsteps. When she recognizes who it is, she breaks into a huge smile and yells "Thor!"

She crushes him in a massive hug, and she starts asking questions, wanting to know everything that's happened since she last saw him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on Asgard; or is this a getaway with Jane?"

"No, unfortunately it isn't. Trouble's been brewing Bloom, S.H.I.E.L.D. is disbanded, HYDRA is back-"

"And so are the Avengers, right?"

"Yes. And something else was lost: the spear."

"What? How could they lose-"

"Rogers says Hydra grew within S.H.I.E.L.D. and corrupted it from the inside. They must have gotten the spear secured sometime before Rogers discovered what was going on. So now it's in their hands, and we need to get it back."

"I'm guessing their weapons are the results of experiments then, like Fury and the Tesseract. Why can't people just leave well enough alone for a change?"

Techna asks "Um, Bloom, what are you two talking about?"

"You remember how I said Thor was an Avenger?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I was at New York for the Invasion, and I kind of met the rest of them."

Anagan asks "How? You were at Alfea for-"

"It was Spring Break and I didn't have teleporting down quite yet. I was trying to go back to Asgard, but the night before we all sensed Loki traveling from one end of space to this planet. My mind was a little distracted, and I ended up in the crater he ended up creating. Then I ended up in Germany to discover that the brother I had thought for nearly a year was dead was, in fact, alive."

They can just imagine the yelling he got from Bloom, when she finally got the chance of course.

She says "I'm guessing these guys are Hydra then? Because you guys wouldn't attack me, the mercenaries were probably too scared of me to seek me out and attack me, and no other organizations on Earth really have any connection to me; or the rest of us for that matter."

Thor chuckles, and says "Good guess. They are, and from what we can tell, they've been targeting people who could possibly stop them."

"Ok, but they seemed to be targeting me specifically; not all of us. If they wanted to take us down, keep us from stopping them…"

Suddenly, a woman with hair as red as Bloom's comes out of nowhere and says "That's because they were targeting you Bloom."

"Hey Romanoff, how's it going?"

"You know, the usual. But you've been busy lately. The planet freezing over and then suddenly thawing all at once? This whole city sprouting giant plants? The six guardian fairies of Gardenia?"

Bloom grins, and says "You keep track of everything, don't you Natasha?"

A man with a bow and arrow on his back walks over, and says "No, not all the time. We watch the news, and you all have been on it quite a lot."

"What's new with you Clint? Aim as good as ever?"

* * *

Everyone else is wondering how many other people are going to show up, but Bloom turns to the Wizards. "Sorry to cut this short, but, do you four have any idea where you're going now? Nebula's on Tir Nan Og again, hopefully they can find some way to get her to see reason. And seeing as you gave up being Fairy Hunters, I have no clue what you're going to do. But I do know things here on Earth are going to get crazy again - figures."

All four men look at one another, and shrug noncommittally. Ogron says "We don't know. You talked a lot about the forest near Magix City, maybe we'll go there."

Bloom shrugs, and says "Great, just don't go near Lake Roccaluce. Daphne is almost as strong as me, and she doesn't know you surrendered. Also, I'll hunt you down for going near my sister."

They roll their eyes at this, knowing it's her way of saying she cares a lot about her sister. She opens a hole in the air, leading to a forest that isn't on Pyros. "Here, but a word of advice: don't let anyone from Alfea see you. Retired or not, fairy hunters are not exactly good news when it comes to a school for fairies."

She has a point, but they had no plans on going there anyway. Before the hole in the air closes, Thor says "You hurt my sister-"

Anagan finishes "And you'll come for us, right? Somehow, I don't think there will be much left of us if you actually made it here. Your sister is deadly you know."

Bloom just rolls her eyes, and the hole in the air fades. She turns to the three people standing there, her brother and his friends, and asks "So, when do we leave?"

Natasha and Clint blink, and say "What? Your agreeing just like that?"

"Yeah, Stella said they called Mrs. Faragonda while I was in my room, Roxy is safe, the Earth Fairies are back, and she even said she is going to Alfea next year. So, I guess it's time for a new adventure to come our way."

Both people stare at her, and Thor laughs and says "I said she was different. Also, she makes for an excellent sparring partner; I recommend going all out."

Clint laughs and says "You make it sound like she can take on Cap."

"There's a reason for that Hawkeye: I probably can. In case Thor didn't tell you, I've changed a little since New York."

Natasha asks "He did, and he also mentioned you have a small, vegetarian dragon with you."

Bloom smirks, and after a second a fireball bursts out of thin air. Ember runs through, and Clint and Natasha can only stare. Thor breaks the silence by saying "She got big! What have you been feeding her?" She stands up on her back legs and starts licking Thor's face, like, making Bloom sputter a laugh and Clint and Natasha stare in shock.

"So, we're all set then?"

Thor asks "What?"

"Well, if I'm coming then so is everyone else! They've been dying to meet you guys."

Nobody can argue with that, and Bloom shocks the heck out of all of them by teleporting them all straight to Stark Tower. She then has to get over the strain - the more people your teleporting, and the farther away the destination is, the harder it is to do it.

* * *

 **AN: Ok, the next adventure has started - no rest for the weary, huh? And Roxy isn't going, she still had to work - it was the guys' last night anyway, Rick said they could leave when they wanted; on good terms, I promise! How long do you guys think HYDRA was looking for Bloom anyway? Nobody knows, but now it's time to start that fight! Enjoy, more chapters coming soon!**


	197. Sibling Argument

_**Sibling Argument**_

It's been weeks since they all came to Stark Tower, and Techna and Timmy have been working on upgrading his suits with a combination of Techno-magic and creativity. He is fascinated by the tech from Magix, especially Techna's inventions. Tony and Bruce showed them the lab, and Techna and Timmy immediately went to work.

Bloom shocked them all at once when she asked if they really wanted to see just how she had changed; and when they said yes, she took her sunglasses off. They all stared, but apparently her dragon eyes weren't the craziest thing they had seen.

Of course, Rogers had seen a man whose head was a skull colored red and was still alive somehow, Banner had the Hulk, Clint was mind-controlled using the spear they are currently trying to track down, Romanoff rode a Chitauri bike through the air, and Stark went through the wormhole navigating a nuke to the Chitauri Mothership; they all have some experience with 'hard to believe'.

But it's when Bloom gets another one of her nightmares and spends all day in Stark's simulator room that they figure out she's changed a little bit more than she let on.

When Thor tries to get her to talk; or at least not clam up and change the subject as always, the rest of the Winx all look at one another.

Flora goes up behind him and quietly says "Um, Thor, there's something you need to know."

He turns around with a frustrated look on his face, a look that clearly says he knows exactly how stubborn Bloom can be when she wants. "What? Is it about-"

Stella finishes the question, answering it in the process. "About Bloom, what happened to her when she was kidnapped. Sibylla showed us while she was on Pyros."

"When did she go back?"

"About a month before you guys found us in Gardenia. That was actually the day she came back to Earth."

Sky comes around the corner and asks "Hey, is Bloom still in the simulator room? I was looking for her."

Thor says "Yeah, and she isn't coming out anytime soon."

"Okay, I'll try to talk her out. You coming Thor?"

Stella says "No, we've got something to tell Thor. It's what Sibylla showed us."

"Oh, good luck." He walks into the room, and the rest of the Winx drag Thor a few rooms down.

* * *

Around two hours later, he marches over to the simulation room but when he goes in she isn't there. When he asks Stark where in the tower Bloom is, J.A.R.V.I.S. says "Sir, Ms. Bloom left with Ember a while ago by way of the landing pad. That was about an hour ago."

"My thanks." Thor goes to the landing pad, where Ember is missing, and Sky comes out.

He puts a hand on Thor's shoulder and says "I'm coming with. I know what you're thinking and confronting Bloom just makes her clam up - or possibly lash out."

Thor nods, and then spins Mjolnir fast enough to get some momentum going.

After maybe an hour, he spots Ember flying over a forest with a small figure beside her. Its Bloom, it has to be, but in her Charmix form. He catches up to her, and tackles her mid-air; forcing them into a crash landing that makes an impressive gouge in the ground.

Thor has Bloom pinned to him, and she is struggling to get out from his arm.

"Bloom, stop fighting me." He practically growls out, and Bloom freezes for an instant.

"Thor?"

"Yes, now hold still." He sits up, and pulls the Haler top up from her back and starts looking for bruises; like there would be anything left on her skin from so long ago.

"Thor, what are you doing?"

Her wings keep flicking against his hands and arms, getting in his face and nearly making him sneeze. "I'm trying to - stop hitting me with your wings Bloom!"

"I can't help it if you make my wings twitch, Thor. You're the one who's touching my shoulder blades and wings."

After a minute or so of searching, he is apparently satisfied that there's nothing on her back and pulls the top down again. He starts combing through her hair to find something on her head.

Sky flies over on his hoverboard, and lands easily. "Finally, you know how hard it is to find you?"

He looks at the giant gouge in the ground, and puts two and two together. "You think maybe forcing a crash-landing might have been a bit extreme Thor?"

"Well, if she wasn't so stubborn, I would have tried to convince her to land."

Sky gets down on one knee so he can get closer to the two siblings. "You okay Bloom?"

Bloom looks up at him and says "Yeah, I'm alright Sky."

Thor jerks her head back, and growls "Stop saying that Bloom. You haven't been alright in years."

 _So that's what this is about, you have to be kidding._

She tries to lean forward, saying "Thor, stop, there's nothing there."

She pushes herself to her feet before he can stop her, and gives Sky a hand up. Thor grabs her other wrist and starts inspecting her palm, looking for any kind of burn mark or scar. After about two minutes of searching, Bloom pulls her hand out of his grip, but he just takes the other one and resumes his search.

When he is apparently convinced he won't find any kind of physical scar, Bloom asks "Are you finished, brother?"

"No, why didn't you tell us what happened to you?" He picks her up by the shoulders and holds her up to a tree.

She tries to twist out of his grip, but Thor's grip is like iron; and she really doesn't want to use magic on him unless it's for a really good reason. "Why the heck does everyone think it's such a fabulous idea to hold me against something? Honestly, this is getting old."

"Bloom, that's not an answer. I swear right now, I will tie you up if I have to and drag you back to Stark's tower for everyone to question you. Now, why didn't you tell anyone what those four did to you for so long?"

She tenses up, and starts trying to get out of his grip again; this time calling on Pyros to help. He just holds on tighter and while she struggles in his grip.

"Thor, stop already! If my friends told you what happened, then-"

"They didn't tell me; they _showed me._ Bloom, they-"

"I know what they did, I'm the one they did it all to. And if you saw everything, then you should very well know why I didn't want to talk about it; about any of it!" Tears are streaming down her face, and Thor just crushes her to his chest in a starts angrily trying to make him let go, mainly by beating against his chest, but after a few seconds, she slows the pounding and just leans into his arms and cries.

After a second, Thor lets her go, and Sky pulls her to him gently. One of his arms goes around her shoulders, the other wipes at her cheeks. Her head goes to rest against his shoulder, and she unknowingly transforms back into her human form.

Sky puts his chin on Bloom's head, and throws Thor a look that says she's pretty much at her limit right now. He gets the hint, and backs off the subject for a moment.

Sky starts running his hand down her hair, and rubs a spot between her neck and shoulders in a circle. It works, her shoulders drop and she relaxes into him. After a second, Thor says "Swear you won't hide a secret like that again Bloom."

Bloom doesn't say anything, and after a second Thor adds "Bloom…please…"

She takes a deep breath at that, and says "Thor, I can't promise that. If something like that happened again…"

"Well, don't just keep it to yourself Bloom, don't just make us wonder and worry about what happened to you."

She doesn't say anything; which Thor stubbornly decides to take as her agreement. She doesn't say another word as she teleports them all, Ember included, back to Stark Tower.

When asked, she says they worked things out in typical Asgardian fashion.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, when two incredibly stubborn people go head-to-head, nobody wins there. Thor had to know Bloom wouldn't take the whole thing well, Bloom had to know Thor would find out sooner or later from her friends what Sibylla showed them. Anyway, enjoy! What do you think the rest of the girls will do after this? Read on and find out!**


	198. Dressing Room

_**Dressing Room**_

Stella drags Bloom out to the mall in Magix City, the day after her whole relapse with her memories. She drags Bloom by the wrist into a dressing room and locks the door; and Bloom doesn't know whether to sigh in relief because nobody can get in without both of them noticing, or tense up because now there's no way out for her if something happens. Stella didn't get her way when it came to her belt though - Bloom insisted on it coming with, saying Stella wouldn't get her off Earth without the belt around her waist.

Stella finally sighed and agreed, because the mall has over a hundred floors of dresses and makeup and is usually loaded with people - not the ideal situation for Bloom's nerves. Her weapons being in arm's reach soothes Bloom's nerves a bit, though it won't be too good if someone accidentally startles her. So it was definitely a relief - if not a total one - when Stella herded Bloom into a virtual dressing room.

The last time she was in one of these, she and Stella were picking out new dresses for her Princess Ball - which was ruined by a dark wizard she happened to pass on the stairs. The memory, even though she didn't know who he was or what he was going to do, still makes her skin feel tight and her breathing hitch.

Stella notices, and sits down next to her. "Bloom, stop going back through your memories for a bit. We're here for a new dress for you, so focus on that and not on old memories that are just going to give you a panic attack."

"I was thinking about the last time I was in one of these Stell. We were looking for a dress for your princess ball."

Stella can see the straight line to Bloom's mess of troubling memories, Bloom told her once that she passed Valtor on the stairs in Solaria a few hours before the party. "Well, this time there's no enemy we're fighting, no crisis anywhere, and we're finding a dress you look amazing in before we leave this room. Now, onto the platform already!"

Bloom steps up onto the circle in the middle of the room that will give the appearance of the dress, and Stella starts it up.

* * *

Five hours later, and they are still in that dressing room.

Bloom absolutely refuses to wear anything with a corset, because they make her feel like she can't breathe right - and they give her the feeling that she is wrapped in something and someone could simply tighten it and trap her. "Come on Stella, it's been hours! How can this place have a _virtual dressing room_ and it still take this long?"

Bloom can feel a rising desperation in her, borderline hysteria. She tries to force the feeling down, but she's been doing that for the past half hour and it's starting to overflow. She's sitting on the bench again, holding her head in her hands and resting her elbows on her legs. She takes about five deep breaths, trying to quiet the feeling that she is never going to get out of this small room.

Stella sits down beside her, not saying anything so she doesn't say the wrong thing. Bloom's fidgeting has long since started, and now it's more like a nervous jerk towards her belt. Except, after about the fifth time, Stella had Bloom take the belt off and hang it on a hook in the wall.

The absence of the weight of her knife and sword is distracting and nerve-wracking to Bloom, Stella might as well have tied both of Bloom's hands behind her back.

"Bloom…take a deep breath." Stella's hand is on her shoulder, when did she put it there?

Bloom does as she's told, taking thirty seconds to completely fill her lungs with air. "Now…let it out slowly." This takes a full two minutes, Bloom's really good at dragging out a long breath. As she lets the air out, some of the tension in her back drains away; along with some of her desperation and anxiety.

 _You can wrestle a dragon, fight ten people at a time, and save the whole universe multiple times - but you can't handle a few hours in a dressing room?_

The voice is hers, pointing out the fact that's she's done plenty of life-threatening things in her life.

 _You try wearing a dress so tight it's cutting off your windpipe for a change, mental voice._

After a minute or so, Stella drags her back onto the platform, and when the device works, she gasps. Bloom looks down, to find herself in a strapless mermaid dress that's the color of her fairy dust pendant. There is a see-through glittery orange covering over the whole dress, making it look like she's covered in fire when she moves. Stella has her spin around, and it looks like fire is swirling around her. "Bloom, you look fabulous, we have to get it."

Fortunately, the dress doesn't have a corset. Unfortunately, it is strapless; meaning it is body-tight and will still constrict Bloom.

Stella won't take no for an answer though, and says "Bloom, think of the look on Sky's face when he sees you in that! He won't be able to think, you have to get it."

The orange covering is glittery and in a design of flames and dragons; old Bloom would have loved it immediately. Of course, old Bloom would be fine in this room for hours with Stella. But old Bloom was shoved in a tiny cell and tormented and tortured for two months, she isn't around anymore.

Bloom pulls the belt over to her, wrapping it around her waist while Stella looks up the dress.

Bloom thinks buying the dress will be the end of it, but once they have the dark blue fabric in hand, Stella pushes her from behind into the makeup department.

"No, Stella, you know I'm not one for makeup!"

"Bloom, you wear makeup every time we transform! This is the same stuff!"

"Transforming is one thing Stell! And when we do, I'm a little more concerned about not getting hit in the stomach than how my face looks!"

Stella grabs Bloom's shoulders, and pushes her forward into the department. "Bloom, you don't even own a stick of lip gloss! You're getting some makeup to go with that dress whether you like it or not! And if you ruin it, I will drag you back for more!"

"Stella, you own enough makeup for twenty people! Don't you think that's enough for all of us?" Bloom could almost let out a high-pitched whine, except she always has to be careful not to make any kind of dragon-noises in public.

So, Stella sits her down in a chair in front of a table that has an endless amount of makeup, and the makeup changes according to what you're looking for.

Two hours later and a lot of hassle, Bloom is balancing what she thinks is a century's worth of makeup on top of the dress. After paying for all that, Stella steers her into the shoe department.

The desperation from the dressing room is coming back full force, how long is Stella going to keep this up?

"Stella! Please tell me this is the last store!"

"Almost Bloom. You need shoes and accessories for the dress, and we're not leaving until we have them."

Bloom gets maneuvered over to a bench, where Stella floats boxes of shoes over. She absolutely refuses to balance on six-inch heels that make her feet hurt just by looking at them; and goes with a pair of flats that Stella finally agrees to.

That's another hour and a half gone, and it must be getting close to dinner - because Bloom's pretty sure lunch has passed by now. Something to do with the way her stomach keeps growling loudly like an angry dragon.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Stella has some blue barrettes for Bloom's hair, and Bloom could nearly eat someone if she wasn't off meat forever.

"Stella, can we please get some food? Preferably with all our friends?"

"Fine Bloom, let's go. We've got everything." Bloom teleports straight back to her room in Stark Tower, dropping everything onto her bed and going to the minifridge. She grabs three slices of cheese pizza, a Powerade, and a massive bowl of fruit and starts eating.

"I'm headed to the training room after this Stell. If you want me to try something on, get a hologram from Techna." As soon as she is finished eating, she teleports out the door and practically runs into the training room.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, _never_ go on a shopping spree with Stella - she can literally drag it out forever if she wants. Bloom's not the best shopper either, not when he confine her to a small room for hours on end and make her balance in ridiculous shoes. Asgardian upbringing aside, she's not been one for dresses ever since Cloudtower - thinking of Stella's Princess ball didn't help matters either. Hope you've enjoyed Stella's wish of dragging Bloom through a department store once again! More updates coming soon enough!**


	199. HYDRA Raid

_**HYDRA Raid**_

Months later, they finally found Loki's spear. After several HYDRA-base raids, and a few hundred casualties on the enemy side, they have finally found the main HYDRA base where they are housing the spear.

Bloom finally got the location by interrogating a member of HYDRA, using a spell to keep him from killing himself and then a truth spell to make him sing like a bird. She took both spells off when she got the info she needed, along with the specs for every weapon they designed based on the spear's power. As soon as she stopped using her magic to hold back the poison from the capsule he bit into, he frothed at the mouth and died almost instantly.

The base is near a small German town called Sokovia, its located in a large building which was abandoned for years before they took it over. Now, there is a forcefield around the building and the HYDRA troops have weapons and defenses that for outmatch all the other bases; the soldier's info was correct.

Stark, Techna, and Timmy are flying through the air, Bloom and Sky are riding Ember - who has grown to massive proportions since coming to New York - and the rest of the Winx are with their boyfriends. They haven't killed anyone, except for Bloom, but they have gotten very good at knocking their enemies out and deflecting gunfire.

Bruce is currently the Hulk, and Hawkeye is shooting soldiers with his custom arrows. Thor, Rogers, and Natasha are beating soldiers to the ground in their various ways, bashing, throwing shields, and ninja-hitting soldiers left, right, and center. Techna disables the force field around the building, gaining entry for herself and Stark.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye shoots at a HYDRA soldier and hits him in the throat. The next one he shoots at, though, never gets the arrow he knows he shot, and as he lines up another shot he is shot by the man's gun. He has no idea why the first arrow never made it to him, but now he has a hole in his side that is gushing blood.

Natasha calls for backup, and Bloom hears and teleports over. Hulk comes charging through and hits the unfortunate soldier with a giant fist as big as sixteen bricks side-by-side. Bloom is healing Hawkeye, his side regenerating as Romanoff watches. Soon, the only sign Clint was even hurt is the blood on his shirt and Bloom's hand.

She gets up a little dizzily, healing something like that is no small task, she had to replace a few pints of blood he had lost as well as repair his muscles and skin and reconnect the nerves. So it's no surprise to her that she might be a little tired, and the fact that she is suddenly knocked to the ground while Romanoff is leading Clint back to the jet is a little more annoying.

"I don't know how you did that, but it rocked." She looks up to see a boy with bright white hair and a smirk. "What? Didn't see me coming?"

This time, when he moves, Bloom is ready. She calls on Pyros, and manages to land a good hit on him. He can move even faster than Anagan though, and he avoids the worst of it. She can barely keep track of him with her sense of heat, and only because it's like his entire body is on fast-forward. The last thing she remembers is him knocking her out hard, with a series of lightning-fast blows to her head, and then Ember's roar of rage as she flies over.

* * *

Pietro manages to escape the fireball that lands nearly directly on top of him and the fire-headed girl.

She moved almost as fast as him, and had a look of defiance and courage in her eyes he can respect. He was almost sorry to knock her out, but the sight of a dragon, with a boy riding it, swept the thoughts right out of his head.

He has to find Wanda, she'll never believe this. Heck, he hardly believes it, and he's seeing it now.

As he watches from behind a tree, the blonde boy picks up the girl with hair like fire and sapphire eyes and climbs back onto the dragon; which he now notices matches the girl exactly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the HYDRA base, Stark, Techna, and Timmy have secured the base.

Timmy is keeping an eye on the soldiers, with a small, highly advanced handgun that can stun them all with a single shot. Techna stopped the memory wipe of the servers, recovering all the data with a simple spell.

Stark may not have a truth spell to get the leader of HYDRA talking, but he does have a scanner in his suit; along with a small rocket that pops out of the top of his shoulder. He has J.A.R.V.I.S. do a scan of the whole building, and finds a massive cavern underneath the building; along with a strong source of energy. It's the spear, it has to be.

Stark goes down, but when he gets to the underground room where they had been doing research on the spear, he finds something else just as shocking: one of the massive creatures from New York. He had to get eaten by one to blow it up from the inside, because they were nearly impossible to kill. How they got their hands on one is far beyond his imagination; but it creeps him the heck out either way – and he can't even imagine how they got it down here.

Suddenly, he gets what he can only describe as a vision: everyone defeated and dead and Rogers telling him it was his fault and he should have done more to stop it.

He doesn't notice the girl standing behind him, with long, straight, brown hair and a pale face. She's Wanda Maximoff, one of the twins that HYDRA had experimented on. They had volunteered, along with many other people, but only they had survived the tests.

Her brother can move faster than light, faster than she can describe, and she can enter people's minds and manipulate matter. She just showed Stark his deepest fears, the ones he wouldn't even admit to himself, and saw it as well. Pietro comes up behind her, to watch as Stark comes out of her induced vision.

As the twins watch, he grabs the spear from its holder, which was electrified. Pietro had also taken down Captain America, but he hadn't stuck around long after the dragon came back with a vengeance. Wanda smiles, and they leave; their work finished for now. He beat up the Avengers a little, she planted the seed of doubt in Stark's mind that could well destroy the whole group.

Natasha finds Bruce, still the Hulk, and gets him to change back. She does this using something they came up with, a lullaby of sorts. It usually works, and right now it works really well. He changes back into Bruce Banner almost instantly, shrinking and his skin turning from green to pink.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, the movie has started! How long do you think before Wanda Maximoff tries to get into Bloom's head? What do you think she'd show Bloom? Read and find out more! Enjoy!**


	200. Comples Networks

_**Complex Networks**_

Later, they are on the jet back to Stark Tower, along with Stark's Iron Legion. Sokovia was getting hit by stray blaster fire, so he sent the AI-controlled suits to warn the inhabitants. Unfortunately, the suits were not exactly met with a warm welcome; stones and rotten fruit more like.

Bloom is still out cold, that kid hit her really hard and really fast. Sky won't leave her side, and Thor is pacing worriedly. He knows she can take care of herself, and that her head is as hard as his, but she's still his little sister.

Bruce is guilt-tripping about turning into the Hulk earlier, but Natasha is trying to bring him out of it. "Bruce, if the Hulk hadn't been there, I would have lost a very good friend, don't beat yourself up."

"Yeah, well, try telling the Hulk not to beat someone else up."

"Thor, status report on the Hulk today?"

Thor grins and says "The gates of Hell are filled with the screams of his enemies."

Bruce groans, and Sky laughs for Bloom, saying "Thor, I'm pretty sure that wasn't what he was hoping to hear."

"Well, they're mostly groans and whining really. A few whimpers…" Bloom would be laughing right now, this is exactly her sense of humor.

Clint is still feeling his side, trying to find any kind of difference between his stomach and where the blaster hit him; nothing.

When they get back to the Tower, the Iron Legion goes for repairs while everyone gets off. Stark called up a colleague, Dr. Helen Cho, who is a specialist at synthesizing living tissue and making it work in the body. He thinks she might be able to do something about Bloom, who is still unconscious after fighting Pietro Maximoff.

They do a neural scan of her whole body, and discover she has the most complex neural network they have ever seen. Cho has to do a scan for every patient, so she can see where and how to connect the nerves for the regenerated tissue - she was going to try and heal Bloom, but she's just sleeping from the looks of the scan. She says "Thor, your sister has the most complex neural network I have ever seen. Even the nerves in her limbs are more complicated than in any other person I have ever scanned. It's like she had to learn to use all her nerves, all her muscles without even thinking about it. This goes beyond martial arts, beyond anything I've ever seen before. And by the way, she's fine. You can see parts of her network firing even now - meaning she is very likely completely fine and is just sleeping for now."

Thor sighs, and says "Thank you. But how would she have gotten a mind so complex?"

"The brain can wire and rewire itself a hundred times over depending on what you do. Apparently your sister uses her muscles far more than an average person, along with her mind. Most minds are not nearly as developed, of course most people are not your sister and know the Avengers. I saw her on the news once or twice, with her friends. Your sister leads an interesting life; and quite possibly a dangerous one at that."

Thor laughs derisively, and says "There's no possibly about that, Bloom's life is as dangerous as it gets." They put her in a room that functions as a medical wing, while Banner and Stark examine the Spear.

* * *

Stark discovered something extremely interesting inside the spear: what looks like an AI inside the blue gem.

J.A.R.V.I.S. is the most advanced AI in the U.S. maybe even the world, but the system in the gem is easily as good, if not better. It instantly reminds both scientists of a brain, thinking and firing constantly.

Stark convinces Banner to help him with an old idea: Ultron. It was the idea of something that could protect the world from another threat like the Chitauri invasion.

Stark imagines a suit of armor around the small blue and green world they live on. Banner says "That's a cold world Tony."

"I've seen colder. We can download the AI, but only while the spear is here. That gives us three days to get this, three days to change the world for the better."

He finally convinces Banner, with the idea of him sitting on a beach turning tan instead of green, of all of them finally getting back to their lives instead of going on these world-wide trips trying to stop threats like this.

* * *

Back with Thor, he is talking with Rogers and Sky, when suddenly an alarm goes off; the one for the room that got turned into a medical wing. Sky and Thor run over, only to find Bloom sitting straight up with the IV out of her arm, the IV pole in her hands like a weapon, and giving the poor guy who went to check her vitals the deadliest glare he has ever seen.

She threw him into the wall when he was checking her pulse, and even with a lump on her head and sitting up in a hospital-style bed, she can give the best look of 'don't-even-think-about-it-or-I-will-turn-you-into-a-pile-of-ashes' they have ever seen. Sky runs over to the side of the bed, thoroughly distracting Bloom from her glare that's cornered the poor man - who runs out of the room as soon as her glare leaves him for an instant. "Sky, where the heck were you? And why was there this tube in my arm?"

Thor gently takes the pole from her hands, noticing it's not exactly a feather-weight. "I'm guessing you're alright then, Bloom?"

"Yes Brother, I'm fine! So he got a few lucky hits in, big deal. I learned hard-headedness from the best."

Steve looks at the end of the IV tube, which looks like it melted. "What did you do to this? And how did you get it out of your arm?"

"Simple, I took the thing out. As for what happened to that, I channeled my not-so-human-side and it turns my blood really acidic; the deeper I go, the stronger it is. So, it kinda dissolved in my blood in about two seconds. Sorry. Here." She snaps her fingers again, and the end is fixed. "Now, can I get up, or are you three going to try and stop me from walking to the fridge?"

Sky laughs and says "Only a crazy person would try that Bloom."

* * *

About ten minutes, and a lot of food, later, Bloom is outside with Ember, making sure she has plenty of food. "Hey girl, I know. Your bored out here, but if anyone saw you…"

She cast a spell on Ember months ago, making it so ordinary people can't see the dragon sitting on the large landing pad on Stark Tower. Bloom leans into the hollow right beside Ember's front leg. She fits into the space where Ember's knee bends in front of her side perfectly, and is immediately wrapped in warmth she can't feel as anything other than energy to either absorb or ignore for the moment.

The fact that she can physically feel the cold, sort of, when her body starts shaking, but can only describe it and heat in terms of energy in the air doesn't usually bother her, but right now the fact does. Others can complain of getting cooked or frozen through, but all she has to do is call on her magic a little to solve the second problem. Another way she's different from everyone else in existence: she isn't affected by simple things like dying of heat stroke or freezing to death.

She turns around and slides down to the ground, and Ember's tongue slides across her side. It's not unwelcome, and Bloom doesn't mind the roughness that's like medium grain sandpaper. "Oh Ember, I'm always different. Even when I was a kid, long before Pyros or even Magix, I was different. I always knew where people were, I could influence the torches on the walls, I could do things nobody else could. When am I ever going to find somewhere I fit in? Somewhere I belong?"

A thrum rumbles in Ember's side, saying 'You belong here.'

Bloom says "Yeah, I know. You don't mind, I've always been like this, for as long as you can remember. But you've also seen my memories, of growing up, of my family, of my time in Magix before Valtor came and turned my life upside-down and inside-out. I don't even know why I'm thinking of this now, it's never bothered me before. Not noticing heat or the lack of it, knowing where everyone else is, it's just always been my life, nothing new or strange. But, I know it's different, I won't deny it. And sometimes, its lonely being different. Like I'm the only one who knows what this is like."

Ember's tongue runs along her side again, and then the dragon's head lays itself down in her lap. Bloom rests her cheek against Ember's nose, looking into one large eye almost as big as her face.

Ember puffs her breath out, trying to comfort Bloom. "Yeah, I know, I guess I'm just in a weird mood right now." She uses both hands to massage the base of Ember's head, the spot she always used to beg for - the same spot that always makes her melt whenever Sky rubs it.

Sky comes out and sits beside her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "Hey Sky, how's it going in there?"

"It's going, but I was looking for you." He looks at her, puts a hand on her cheek, and kisses her lips.

* * *

 **AN: Ok, lesson learned: never put an IV in Bloom's arm unless she's on the brink of death or something - and even still, it's a terrible idea usually. How do you think things will go from here? Keep reading to find out! Enjoy! PS. put the whole thing about the neural network because I kind of felt like it - learned about how the brain can learn different skills, thought 'hey, that's kind of interesting - wonder what a girl who's half-dragon and can fight blindfolded would look like in terms of this.'**


	201. Makeup Diversion

_**Makeup Diversion**_

Three days later, Stark and Banner finish the download of the AI system in the spear. They have been trying hundreds of different setups, and finally one works!

J.A.R.V.I.S. says he'll finish the actual download of the system from the spear while they go throw a party in celebration of getting the spear back from HYDRA, and of secretly getting the AI from the spear itself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sky is feeling incredibly nervous a few hours before the party, and Brandon tries to calm his nerves some. "Sky, chill out. You said she asked you to take care of Ember back on Pyros?"

"Yeah…and then she tied me to a tree and nearly got herself killed."

"Well, man, here's my opinion. If she trusts you enough to ask you to take care of the dragon she hatched and raised, forget the question of whether she loves you or not. Considering the amount of times I've seen Hawkeye walk out red-faced from walking in on you two kissing somewhere, then I'm pretty sure she's going to say yes."

"Yeah, but…"

"Sky, your overthinking this. Take your advice to Bloom for a minute, and relax."

Most of the Winx walk in, but Bloom is nowhere to be seen. Thor comes in looking for her, and immediately notices Sky's anxiety. "You look worried. Something go wrong with Bloom?"

"No…not yet anyway…"

"Not yet? What do you mean not yet?"

Stella shushes him and looks out the door for Bloom. She gives them all a thumbs-up, and Aisha says "He's going to propose to Bloom, or he's going to try."

"You're asking her to…?"

"Yeah. Except the last time I tried anything like this was the Millennium Party, and that was just introducing her to my parents and announcing we were dating."

"Oh, good point." Thor knows what happened next: Sky got spelled by Diaspro, and became her human-puppet. "She'll say yes Sky. But hurt my sister, and I will come find you."

Sky weakly smiles, reminded of Bloom. "Thanks for the warning Thor, but I have no plans to hurt Bloom; I never have."

Bloom suddenly walks in, wearing her t-shirt and skirt.

Everyone jumps a foot in the air when the door slides open and she walks in. "Did I miss something?"

The silence is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Stella suddenly says "Bloom! You're not ready for the party!"

"Um, yeah, it's not for a few - hey! What the heck?!"

Stella grabs her by the wrist and says "We need to get you ready, now! Come on, and no complaining!"

They can hear Bloom saying "Stella, chill, there's plenty of time before the party!"

Flora and Musa watch Stella drag Bloom into her room, and put a locking spell on the door. "Well, that will keep Bloom distracted for a while, if nothing else would."

Thor asks "What? Why would…?"

"Because, Stella can take forever when she wants to doing someone's makeup and picking out a dress."

Musa adds "I just hope she doesn't do so much that Sky stops thinking about anything when he sees her!"

* * *

In Bloom's room, she is sitting on the bed in a tank top and shorts while Stella goes through her wardrobe. "Stella, why the big rush? We have hours, the party's not 'til tonight and its barely three in the afternoon!"

Stella doesn't answer, asking "What did you do with the new dress I got you, Bloom? Don't tell me you burned it!"

"I didn't do anything to it Stell, you're the one who put it in there!"

"Found it!" Stella triumphantly pulls out the brand-new dress, shimmering deep blue with a see-though veil of fire over the whole dress.

Stella pulls Bloom to her feet, and magically puts the dress on her, adjusting it as she looks.

"Stell, will you please explain what's going on now? And hey! Easy on the back there, I need my lungs to hold air you know!" Stella pulled the strings of the dress tighter around the middle, trying to distract Bloom; and it worked.

After loosening the strings enough so Bloom can breathe comfortably, Stella says "There, now sit down in this chair right now, Bloom!"

"What? Why?"

Stella grabs Bloom's shoulders from behind and sits her in the rolling chair, saying "Because friends do each other's makeup, that's why!"

"We can do that in seconds with magic you know; you taught me that spell!"

"Not the point, Bloom! Now sit still already!" Stella insists on doing Bloom's makeup by hand, taking her sweet time with it to.

Bloom starts fidgeting about two-thirds of the way through, twitching her hands at first. That evolves into foot tapping, and finally she starts looking around and fidgeting. Stella turns her face back to the mirror, saying "Hold still Bloom, I'm almost done."

"Stella, this has been going for hours! What's going on now?"

"I'm doing your mascara, that's what. Now don't blink."

Bloom can do that easily, she's faced plenty of scarier stuff than mascara application. "I'm not talking about the mascara, Stella, I'm talking about the whole thing. You doing my makeup by hand when you taught me the spell to put it on in seconds, everyone jumping when I walked in…Will you please just tell me what's going on already?"

"It's a surprise Bloom. I'm not saying any more than that. Now, time for lipstick."

"I'll put that on, give it here." Bloom does, and Stella hands her a napkin to blot it with. "Is this distraction almost over with Stella? Because, while it is very effective at keeping me in here, it's really obvious when you can do this with a little magic."

"Almost, now keep still." She grabs a hairbrush and the barrettes, and Bloom sighs and looks down at her hands.

Stella isn't denying that it's all to keep Bloom in her room, smart on her part. Bloom also can't help thinking about the last time Stella did this much makeup on her face: the Millennium party. She can't help thinking it's going to happen all over again, something horrible will happen and she'll end up crying for a week again before something worse happens.

Stella guesses her thoughts, mainly by the way she doesn't say anything and just stares at her hands. "Bloom, this is gonna be great. We're going to have a great time, and nothing bad will happen to break your heart all over again."

Stella can still read Bloom, and despite her tough act when it comes to physical danger she is just as vulnerable as everyone else when it comes to her feelings - if not more. "You sure Stella?"

"Absolutely. Now, look up at the mirror already!"

When Bloom looks up, her reflection doesn't look like she usually does; her eyes are big in her head, brought out by the eyeshadow and eyeliner. Her lips look full and soft, and her eyelashes are extra-long. Her hair is brushed back, like in her Enchantix form, and it's going down her back like a trail of fire. One piece escapes to the front, curling around her face.

She looks like a version of Bloom that doesn't really exist anymore, some perfect princess who can dance confidently and fit right in with royal company; and who could dance with her boyfriend in front of a crowd of onlookers perfectly. Bloom almost envies her, except she probably couldn't wrestle a dragon to the ground.

She's pulled out of her thoughts when Stella says "Well, what do you think?"

"It's good…"

"C'mon, the party's almost started!"

"You aren't ready, Stella." Stella snaps her fingers, and her dress and makeup appears in a swirl of yellow sparkles around her body.

"Stella, am I going to like this surprise? Or is someone potentially going to get stabbed?"

"You don't even have the belt on you, Bloom! Now, relax for a while tonight and enjoy the party! You are not going to spend tonight with your nose buried in some book while everyone else is at a party a few rooms down. Now, come on!" She grabs Bloom's wrist again, and unlocks the door; dragging her out slightly off balance.

* * *

 **AN: Good thing Stark made his walls sound-proof after the Avengers started using Stark Tower as their base - and the whole makeup thing was so obviously a diversion to keep Bloom in her room that a blind person could have seen it. How do you think Sky's going to propose? REad and find out next chapter! Enjoy!**


	202. Ultron Gone Wrong

_**Ultron Gone Wrong**_

Thor and Stark are talking, each saying their girlfriend is better than the other's. Jane is a world-wide expert on supernatural phenomenon now, thanks to her involvement with the Convergence. Pepper, Tony's girlfriend, is the CEO of his company, and has her own tower somewhere.

One woman listening to them talk coughs out the word "Testosterone" and excuses herself. Bloom takes the woman's place, shocking the heck out of both guys.

Thor asks "Bloom?"

"Yeah, and you dress up well to, Brother. Stella had me in there for hours, what exactly did I walk in on?"

"I'm not supposed to say…but Musa's singing and I think Stella's coming over." Bloom groans, and looks for a place to hide.

* * *

Meanwhile, Banner is sitting on a barstool. Romanoff comes over, and starts talking. When she leaves, Rogers comes over and talks with Banner. "So, you and Natasha, huh?"

"What? She's just flirting is all."

"Bruce, I've seen Natasha flirting. This isn't that."

They keep talking, while Stella drags Bloom over to everyone else.

* * *

The rest of the Winx are in dresses as well, standing with their boyfriends. Sky and Brandon are talking, and he stops midsentence when he sees Bloom.

Brandon says "Hey Sky, Earth to Sky, you in there?"

Hawkeye laughs, the look on Sky's face is priceless. Musa gets up on stage and starts singing, and everyone starts dancing; except for Timmy, Techna, and Bloom. Timmy and Techna aren't really ones for dancing, and Bloom is too nervous.

After around four songs, Stella comes over and drags her to the dance floor, and Thor watches as she shoots him looks asking him to come save her.

Sky's on the couch now, and Tony says "You look nervous, have a drink or two?"

Timmy answers "No, he's trying to ask Bloom something. Except the last time something like this happened, it went horribly wrong. So now both of them are all nerves and Bloom could set something on - oh, there goes her napkin." Techna pours her glass of water on the suddenly burning napkin.

Steve asks "What are you going to ask Bloom that is so nerve-wracking?"

His grin says he knows, or has an idea, and Techna says "A hint: it involves a very expensive ring he spent hours picking out."

Steve whistles, Tony blinks and says "Go for it."

Clint just stares at him, then at Bloom, who is looking around. "You think she can hear this? She does have a good pair of ears on her head you know."

Techna says "Not with that crowd, Musa's singing a little too loud."

Techna discreetly holds up her phone and trains it on Bloom as Musa suddenly says "How about 'Teenage Dream' people?"

They all cheer, and Timmy says "That's your cue Sky, get out there." They've been planning this, they must have been.

"Find a partner then, peeps!" They all laugh, and Musa smiles. "All right everyone, time to pass the mic on to a new singer, because my voice needs a song-long break!"

Another round of laughter, and then the song starts playing; and it's the slow version of the song. A new voice starts singing, and everyone starts slow dancing.

Clint asks "Who's the new singer? She's good." Steve and Tony look through the crowd, but don't know.

Suddenly, Thor spots Bloom, with one hand on Sky's shoulder, the other close to her face. He's holding her elbow with that hand, and when they spin he sees why; along with the fact that her face is redder than her hair. She's holding the microphone and singing, and she looks like she could bolt at any moment or explode from nerves. "Friends, I think I know who's singing. My sister!"

Clint gets one look at Bloom's face and nearly cracks up, and actually does start laughing when her drink bursts into flames. Techna waves her hand, and the drink is emptied and replaced.

Romanoff walks over, asking "Is that Bloom singing?"

Clint answers "Yeah, and setting things on fire by accident to. Sky's trying to propose, and they're both so nervous something could explode."

Techna says "So we had the idea to have Bloom sing 'Teenage Dream'. Logic says that if someone says how they feel, then both people should feel more relaxed. So, we gave Bloom a way to say it without it being obvious to everyone around."

Steve says "Yeah? Well, I think her blush might be a bit of a giveaway right now. And I'm not sure how well logic can work when it comes to emotions." The song finishes, and Sky pulls Bloom into a passionate kiss.

Techna looks over, and says "If he's gonna ask, now would be the time. Unless he melts his mind along with Bloom's."

Bloom's arms are wrapped around Sky's neck, but they can't see anything else of her. Musa goes over and whispers something, and gets the mic in her hands for the suggestion. Sky pulls Bloom along by the wrist, and she honestly looks like she has no working brains right now. They go out onto the landing pad, and the rest of the Winx come over as Techna puts her phone down.

Stella says "I think it worked, I haven't seen Bloom look like that since the time they danced at the millennium party."

Flora giggles "Yeah, I can't remember the last time Bloom was completely distracted like that!"

When they look out, they can see Sky whispering something in Bloom's ear, and she nods her head yes before kissing him again. Every single open flame in the room, all candles, suddenly grows at least a foot higher. Thor remembers how Bloom's mood could influence the torches back on Asgard, and that was with the necklace that kept her powers suppressed.

Aisha asks "Hey Techna? What's the temperature in here? Because I swear it's getting warmer."

Techna checks her phone, and says "101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and rising fast. Looks like Sky managed alright."

* * *

Maybe ten minutes later, Bloom and Sky are still outside, and Clint is asking about Mjolnir. "It's some kind of trick, right? 'Whosoever wields Thor's fingerprints shall rule Asgard!'"

"No tricks. If you can lift Mjolnir, you can rule Asgard." He doesn't mention the fact that Loki is on the throne, he and Bloom already knew to keep his change of heart a secret from them.

Clint tries, with no success.

Tony tries, saying "I will be fair but cruel." He can't budge it, so he gets his Iron Man gauntlet. Then, he and Rhodie, owner of the War Machine armor and Tony's best friend, both try with their gauntlets, planning to co-rule if this actually works; it doesn't.

Steve tries, and the hammer actually budges just a little, but he can't lift it.

Thor's smile returns at that, and he lifts it easily, saying "It's really very simple: you are not worthy."

Stella is watching, and jokingly says "I bet Bloom could lift it, let's ask!"

Another voice says "Of course you're not worthy, your all killers." They all look over to see one of Stark's Iron Legion suits standing there, with its face still broken and sparking. Other suits come walking out as well, still damaged from the battle three days earlier. The voice from the suits says it killed 'the other guy', and then starts shooting at people.

At this, all the Avengers start fighting and defending the other people. Bruce leads people away from the battle, and the fight is over when Bloom suddenly appears behind the last robot and rips it's head off with one hand and a lot of Pyros.

She's wearing a ring with a deep blue sapphire the color of her dress, and she couldn't have been happier two minutes before.

Then: Sky had just proposed with the kind of romantic speech she could never think up - thanks to her Asgardian upbringing - and she kissed him so deeply they would have been drowning if it was measured in feet under water.

Now: they just finished a fight with Stark's own suits, and the last one, who's head she is still holding, says "I had strings, but now I'm free…" before it shuts off.

"Thor, you're with me, Brother. One got away with the spear, let's follow!" She transforms, and then speeds out with her brother using her Traceix Wings. They fly off, following an image of the suit flying off in the distance while holding the spear they just spent months trying to find.

Meanwhile, everyone else goes to the lab Stark and Banner spent the last three days working in. Stark finds the digital representation of J.A.R.V.I.S. lying broken and scattered.

It's been maybe twenty minutes, upstairs has been cleaned of all the robot bits, and now Stark finds that the AI he spent so many years working on has been destroyed.

Suddenly, Thor and Bloom come back, flying through the door. Thor doesn't say a word, just picks Stark up by the throat and slams him into the wall. Bloom puts a hand on his arm, saying "Thor…let him go."

After a second of glaring at Stark, Thor releases him, only for Bloom to punch him hard. "We lost the robot, it was moving too fast to keep up with forever, and we'd never find it even if we could. It got away with the spear that we just spent so long looking for." The glare she's giving Stark is far better than Thor's, perfectly developed after a lifetime of dealing with Thor's stubbornness. "And exactly who was the guy it killed?"

Stella clears her throat, and she looks over and sees the broken hologram.

"Is that…?"

Techna says "J.A.R.V.I.S." She's busy trying some magic on the image, but it won't go back together.

* * *

When Stark explains about the Ultron program, about what he and Banner were trying to do, Steve asks "Why would you even consider-"

"You all remember the invasion? The portal that opened up in the sky? We're standing 300 feet below it." He goes on about how there will always be more danger, and it looks like a fistfight might break out again.

Bloom steps between them, and says "Look, you had some good intentions, but it went really wrong, Stark. Thor, let's get the spear back, destroy Ultron, and be done with this."

She seems tired, and starts turning the ring on her finger around and around. She's also wearing a red heart pendant with silver wrapping around it. It's the Pendant of Eraklyon, which Sky's been meaning to give to her for over a year - except for about half of that, they weren't technically dating.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Sky and Bloom are engaged now! Also, he gave her the Pendant of Eraklyon now because of the legend tied to it: the whole 'crown-prince-must-give-it-to-the-girl-he-loves-or-they'll-never-be-together' legend. He decided he really wasn't taking any chances and proposed to Bloom using it and the ring he picked out. Hope you enjoyed how I got them engaged - more chapters coming soon!**


	203. Alliance

_**Alliance**_

Pietro and Wanda Maximoff go to an abandoned church in Sokovia, following a summons from an unknown source. They get inside, fully intending to play the tough act. Wanda says "Talk, and if you're wasting our time-"

"You know, this church is in the exact center of the city. The Elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to god; I like that, the Geometry of Faith."

Wanda has spent the whole time trying to get into the stranger's head, since they could see the church, and he calls her out on it.

"Sometimes it's hard, but sooner or later, every man reveals himself."

The strange being in the shawl gets up and lets it fall to the ground, revealing the robot body beneath, saying "Oh, I'm sure they do." Wanda takes a step back, and Pietro moves closer to her. "But you needed something other than a man; that's why you let Stark take the spear."

"I didn't expect, but I saw Stark's fear; I knew it would control him, make him self-destruct."

Ultron says "Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create Avengers, people make…" he walks around the chair "smaller people, children! Ha, lost the word for a minute. Designed to supplant them. Help them end."

Wanda asks "Is that why you've come? To end the Avengers?"

Ultron says "I've come to save the world…but, also, yeah."

They go back to Strucker's hideout, to the underground cavern where the spear was kept. "We'll move out right away. This is a start, but we'll need something before we get in the real world."

Wanda asks "All of these are…?"

"Me. I have something the Avengers never will: Harmony. They're discoordinate, disconnected. Stark already has them turning on each other. But when you get into their heads - including those girls who seem to be another group-"

Pietro finishes "Everyone's plan is to kill them."

"And make them martyrs. We must have patience, look at the bigger picture."

Pietro says "I don't look at the big picture, I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it every day."

"You lost your parents in the bombings. I saw the records."

"The records are not the picture."

Wanda says "Pietro-"

"No, please. Continue."

After a moment, Pietro says "We're ten years old, having dinner with our parents. When the first shell hits two floors down, it makes a hole in the floor. Our parents go in, and the whole building starts coming apart. We roll under the bed and the second shell hits, but…it doesn't go off. Just sits there in the rubble, three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word."

Wanda finishes "Stark. Every shift in the rubble, and I think 'this will set it off.' We wait for two days, for Tony Stark to kill us."

Ultron is looking at them with a tilted head, and says "I wondered why only you two survived Strucker's experiments. Now I know. We will make this right." He looks at Pietro, and goes on. "You and I can hurt them, but you" he looks at Wanda " will tear them apart."

* * *

Maybe a few days later, reports are coming in about metal men showing at weapons facilities and cleaning them out. They only attack when engaged, but the apparent injuries are old memories, nervous breakdowns about their fears, and something too fast to see: the Maximoffs.

When Rogers says they had someone in common with Ultron, Hill shows him a tablet with a picture. Its Baron Strucker, dead and with the word 'peace' written in his blood on the wall next to him. Rogers shows Thor, who hits Stark in the chest with the tablet.

And all data on Strucker on their computers has been erased, and it's been too long for Techna to recover it. Banner points out the fact that not everything they had on Strucker was digital, so they pull out about five large boxes of files.

Bloom says "Alright, this is where I come in." She floats five different files in front of her at the same time, flipping through pages without even touching them.

After around an hour of everyone searching, with Bloom covering the most files easily, Stark sees someone he knows. It's a guy he met at some convention, Ulysses Klaue, a black-market arms dealer. He works off the African coast, and it's no surprise to anyone he and Strucker met.

Thor sees a weird mark on his neck and asks about it.

"That's a tattoo, I don't think he had it."

Bloom looks at the mark for barely an instant before saying "No, those are tattoos," she points to some black marks on his chest, then at the red mark Thor pointed out "that is a burn mark. He was branded by someone. Trust me, I know a burn mark when I see it."

Techna scans the mark with her phone, and almost instantly comes up with a match. "It's from a civilization called Wakanda. A heavily watered-down translation is 'thief.'"

At the name Wakanda, Stark and Rogers look at one another and start talking. Banner doesn't follow, and asks "What comes out of Wakanda?"

They look at Steve's shield, and Stark says "The strongest metal on Earth."

* * *

On the African coast, in an area called the Salvage Yard, a ship called the Churchhill gets an unexpected visit from two kids. Klaue is in his office on the ship, arguing with an associate - and threatens to send him a seventh missile if he doesn't get a good boat of parts in return for the first six. He hangs up, and starts talking to a minister, and then the lights all go out at once.

Klaue gets his gun, and fires it; but he is spun around by something too fast to track, and sees all the bullets from his gun sitting on the table. When he looks back, he sees Pietro standing there, and Wanda comes out of the shadows. Klaue recognizes them instantly, sits down, and offers them candy. "I was sorry to hear about Strucker, but he knew what kind of world he was helping to create. Human life, what a gross market."

Pietro and Wanda look at each other, they didn't know Strucker was in Human Trafficking. "You, you didn't know? Is this your first time? Intimidating someone. Because, I'm afraid, not that afraid."

Wanda steps forward and says "Everybody's afraid of something."

"Cuttlefish. Deep sea fish. They make lights, disco lights, to hypnotize their prey. And then," he makes a snatching motion with his hand "so if you're going to fiddle with my brain, and make me see a giant cuttlefish, I know you don't do business and I know you're not in charge. And I only deal with the man in charge."

He doesn't notice, but Ultron flies up behind the window he is next to. Klaue gets thrown through the door, and Ultron says "There is no man in charge." He kneels down and puts his face maybe an inch from Klaue's. "Let's talk business."

Klaue shows him the store of Vibranium he got out of Wakanda, which he hides in a secret compartment hidden by barrels that supposedly contain toxic waste. He tells them the stuff came a great personal cost to him - and one tube alone is worth billions.

Ultron accesses a bank, and transfers billions to Klaue, saying "Now, so are you. It's like I always say: keep your friends rich, and your enemies rich; and wait and see which is which."

Klaue was goggling at the amount of money that just entered his bank account, but now he stares at Ultron. "Stark. He said that: to me. You're one of his."

Utron grabs Klaue's arm, and Wanda stops the other man from raising his gun. "What? I'm not, you think I'm one of Stark's puppets, his hollow men. Do I look like Iron Man, Stark is nothing!" The metal pieces that simulate cheeks for Ultron retract, and he cuts Klaue's arm off in anger.

Everyone stares in shock, Klaue most of all - who isn't screaming even though his arm was just cut off and the wound cauterized at once.

Ultron says "Ooh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm sure that's gonna be okay. It's just, I don't understand it; don't compare me _with Stark._ " He kicks Klaue in the chest, sending him down the stairs in a roll. "It's a thing with me. Stark is, he's a sickness!"

Stark's voice sounds behind them, saying "Aw, Junior, you'd break your old man's heart." Stark lands on the other side of the bridge, and Thor, Rogers, and Bloom are with him.

Bloom begged her friends to stay behind, along with the Specialists. She knew it would be a firefight like no other, possibly an explosion that would take out the ship. So, she nearly broke herself asking her friends and the love of her life to stay out of danger. They've been in some fights, but she's not risking their lives with missiles, nuclear bombs, and who knows what else Klaue has on the ship. They're back in the jet, waiting with Banner; because she couldn't convince them not to come at least that far.

She reads the Maximoff twins' auras easily, and finds they want to avenge their parents - not help with any evil plan to destroy the world. Ultron's aura though, he fully plans to wipe out as many people as he possibly can - starting with them.

"If I have to."

Pietro says "Well, Stark. This is familiar, comfortable?"

"This was never my life."

Rogers says "I know you've suffered, you can still walk away from this."

"Oh, we will."

"I know you've suffered-"

"Blah!" Ultron goes on, saying "Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"

Thor says "If you believe in peace, then let us keep it."

"I think your confusing peace with quiet."

Stark says "Uh-huh, what's the Vibranium for?"

"I'm so glad you asked, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron magnetically pulls Stark forward by the electromagnet in his suit, but Bloom blasts him with a Fire Arrow.

"Alright, that's it. Enough with the stalling and let's start this fire-fight!" Ultron goes for Stark, who happily obliges by fighting him mid-air. Pietro knocks everyone down, but this time Bloom is more than ready for him. When he tries to knock her down, she simply floors him and keeps fighting. That's when Wanda goes for her.

She tries to get into Bloom's head, but she can't get past her wall - it's the hardest she's encountered yet. Both ladies are distracted when Klaue orders his men to shoot all of them, and Wanda has to stop a hail of bullets. Everyone is fighting, Bloom taking out a good portion of the robots and enemy shooters by herself, so Ultron uses one of the other robots to tell Wanda it's time to mess with their heads.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, can't wait to see how this one's going to end! As for how Stark met Klaue at the convention - he was there, they talked for a bit. You think Wanda is going to get into Bloom's head? Find out next chapter!**


	204. Mind Invasions

_**Mind Invasions**_

Wanda gets Thor first, and hears Bloom's shout for her brother. Next, she gets Captain America with some help from Pietro. He tried to grab Mjolnir earlier, and landed in a pile of crates.

Stark and Ultron are fighting over the ocean now, having flew out through the ceiling earlier.

She gets Romanoff next, and makes the mistake of going for Bloom. This time, when she tries to break through Bloom's barrier, it drops abruptly like she took it down - and Wanda starts getting attacked by Bloom's mind. She somehow manages to push through the sudden attack, but doesn't find any fears she can use against Bloom, fears that would make her self-destruct - so she digs up the worst memories of Bloom's she can find. She knows she'll see them as well, but she couldn't have imagined what she was getting into.

They both get swamped with Bloom's trauma, but Wanda is the worse off because of it. Bloom already went through it all, but she made sure Wanda experienced every single bit of suffering she went through - including the knowledge that Valtor helped destroy her birth planet and what had happened to her much more recently.

Bloom is on the ground now, trying not to lose control of her magic. She's reliving all of her time as Valtor's prisoner - not alone this time, but still - but when it gets to the part where he told her he killed Marion and Oritel in cold blood she loses any kind of control.

A massive explosion of fire erupts from her kneeling form, destroying all the robots, knocking all of Klaue's men out cold, and sending Pietro and Wanda into the walls. The only person left standing is Clint - he hadn't been targeted by Wanda yet and is fine, and he managed to get behind a wall before he could get hit by Bloom's fire. Bloom's magical explosion broke Wanda's hold on the rest of the team as well, who had been having visions of their own.

* * *

Thor was in Asgard, where things were getting really bizarre. People dressed like strippers or something were dancing, and Heimdall was blind – and there was something else, but Thor didn't see it.

* * *

Steve was with Peggy Carter, the woman he loved back in WW2. She was telling him they had won the war and could go home and have a family.

* * *

Natasha was in the Red Room that raised and trained her. She told the woman in charge that they would break the girls - she said only the breakable ones would break.

* * *

Pietro gets up, picks Wanda up bridal style, and speeds off the ship. Wanda has a massive headache, as much from being forced out of Bloom's mind on a wave of fire and emotion as from Bloom's brutally efficient attack. "You okay Wanda?"

"It hurts, I can't believe she got me. That's not the worst part though." They hear a noise in the woods, and Wanda jumps three feet in the air.

"Her mind, you saw something in her mind."

"Yes, she suffered. She suffered greatly; she still is." Wanda's looking around paranoidly, and Pietro swears right then he's going to kill Bloom.

"I'll be right back."

"No! You don't know what she can do! I sensed a power inside her, what she did before wasn't all she can do. I can't lose you to, Pietro." Wanda look over in the woods, to see a ship with a bunch of people in it - and a dragon sleeping around it.

One person in it is Bruce Banner; the rest are the Winx, their boyfriends, and Sky. "I want to finish the plan, I want the big guy."

"And the others?" "I'll handle them. They won't know what hit them."

* * *

Meanwhile, Stark and Ultron are fighting over the water, through boats and supplies. He manages to take Ultron down, saying "You're not going anywhere."

"No, of course not - I'm already there. You'll catch on eventually; but first you might want to catch Dr. Banner." Stark scowls and blows Ultron up, then flies after the Hulk.

* * *

Back at the jet, the Winx and the Specialists are all out cold, so there's no help from there. And on the ship, everyone is out cold. Bloom's explosion of magical fire disrupted Wanda's hold on the team, but they are still recovering. Clint is getting Natasha up, when he hears Stark's voice in his earpiece.

 _I could really use a lullaby right now._

"Yeah, that's not happening. The whole team's down, you've got no backup here Stark." He hears a bunch of mumbled curses over the intercom, and the sound of Stark's suit firing up to fly - Banner is on a rampage, Wanda messed with his mind and now he's destroying the nearby city.

Everyone else is getting to their feet, but Bloom is doing the worst. He goes over to her, but when he puts a hand on her shoulder she grabs his wrist and throws him into the wall.

Thor's the most awake, and immediately recognizes her voice - though, none of them recognize the language she's speaking in. The general meaning is all too clear though: keep away from her.

Clint now has a good lump on his head, so Thor goes over to try and talk her down. They suddenly hear a massive thud, and something extremely heavy makes the ship sink feet lower in the water.

Bloom freezes, and then tries to stand up - but Thor gets one arm around her shoulders to keep her on the ground. "Bloom! Stop fighting me." After a moment of struggling - and clawing at his armored arms - she recognizes him.

"Ember's here… _Winx!_ " She takes off at a full sprint, and as soon as she hits open air she transforms and flies to the jet.

Pietro and Wanda can see Ember, which is why they got so incredibly lucky when the large dragon suddenly took flight towards the ship they were on. It didn't take long to take out all the people in the jet; Pietro knocked them down, Wanda knocked them out.

So, when they see Ember land next to the ship with Bloom in her Believix form, they aren't too incredibly shocked - not by Ember at any rate. Pietro speeds off with Wanda while Bloom runs inside - they get the feeling it would not go well for them if she got to them.

* * *

Stark manages to get Banner under control, by calling in Veronica and fighting through the entire city. The Jackhammer function of his fist didn't help, neither did saying 'Go to sleep' while using that function on Hulk's face.

The real beat-down on Stark started when he knocked a tooth from the Hulk's mouth though, which was followed by a very angry look from Hulk and a quiet apology from Stark. It's only when he drops Hulk into an empty building being built - right after buying said building - that he snaps out of Wanda's influence.

* * *

Back on the jet, everyone is shaken up. Bloom was already exhausted from her explosion on the Churchhill and used most of the rest of her magic to free her friends.

Stark brought Banner back, and they are both beat up heavily. Veronica is down a lot of parts that Stark has to remake - but they can't go back to Stark Tower. Banner's arrest hasn't been officially decided; but it's being talked about. Everyone but Clint is shaken up, no surprise given what Wanda Maximoff can do.

Rogers, Thor, and Romanoff are going over what they saw in their dreams, dreams forced on them by Wanda Maximoff.

Bloom and Sky are sitting in a corner of the jet, and Bloom is out cold with Sky's arm around her shoulders. She wanted to protect them, so she was understandably freaking out heavily when she got back to the jet and found them all unconscious. Now, she's sleeping off the day - between getting mentally invaded, reliving the worst time of her life, losing control of her magic temporarily, and freeing everyone, she's done a lot. And Sky's keeping her calm, or trying to, by rubbing the base of her skull - and she's on a steady stream of thrumming in her sleep.

Clint is the only one who's able to fly the jet; and he knows somewhere they can stay until they get a new lead on Ultron.

The 'safe house' Barton takes them to is a small house in the woods, and inside is a woman he kisses. Two kids come running out, and they have enough of a resemblance to him to give Bloom an idea of where exactly they are.

Ember is waiting in front of the house; still invisible, but making a giant patch of grass flatten noticeably.

Barton introduces his wife, Laura, and his kids; and Thor accidentally steps on a Lego construct. Bloom looks down the same time as him when she hears the small object break apart, and puts it back together.

The girl, who must be seven years old max, asks "Did you bring Aunt Nat?"

She says "Why don't you hug her and find out?"

At their questioning stares, except for Bloom, Barton says "Fury helped me set this up. It's off S.H.E.I.L.D's records, and I'd like to keep it that way."

His wife says "I, um, I already know all your names. And…is that Bloom?"

It takes all Bloom's willpower and discipline not to jerk and whip out her knife when she hears her name come from a total stranger's mouth; one who couldn't possibly know her name. She doesn't miss a beat though, and says "Yeah, what's he told you about me?"

"Well, he told me a lot of stuff. You were the one he couldn't quite believe himself."

Bloom half-grins, half-smirks, and says "Let me guess. Wings, fire-powers, interesting family?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Believe it, it's all true - crazy as it is."

Clint's daughter runs up and asks "Can you really fly?"

"Yeah, and I can spar with your Aunt Nat and father at the same time. You wanna see someone else though?"

"Sure!" The two kids follow her out, after Bloom gives a quick introduction for the rest of the Winx and the Specialists. When she takes them out, they immediately notice the flat area of grass.

"Why's the grass flattened? There's nothing there."

"That's what we want you to believe. Can you two keep a secret? And not freak out instantly?"

They both chorus "Yes!"

"Okay, close your eyes." When they do, she makes it so they can see Ember.

"Woah! Is that dragon real?"

"Yes. Hatched her, raising her, you could say she's my partner."

"Can we ride her?"

Bloom chuckles and says "Ah, no. I think your mother would have a heart attack if I let you ride her - and your father would shoot me through the wing if he found out."

* * *

 **AN: Ok, Wanda Maximoff could have chosen something a lot better on both of them to do - you think she's going to get over her mistake easily? Honestly, that's the risk you take when you go wandering around people's heads. Maybe she'll be a little more cautious when it comes to what she's looking for in a person's head. Either way, I'm predicting some bad nights in store for her. Read on to find out how they're going to stop Ultron! Enjoy!**


	205. Safehouse

_**Safehouse**_

Thor goes off looking for answers, flying into the air without telling anyone where he's going. He saw something in his bizarre dream, something that might be the clue that explains all the things that have been happening since his banishment. Loki disappeared and showed up on Earth a year later with the spear, and something tells Thor that spear is more dangerous than they all thought - even though they knew it was plenty dangerous to begin with.

Bloom's had dreams of a group of beings fighting and adventuring together, getting a stone that holds incredible power. There was a talking raccoon, a tree-being called Groot, a man from Earth, a woman with green skin and jet-black hair, and a really tall, really pale, bald guy with muscles that come as close to the Hulk as she's seen on a humanoid.

She also saw a set of six stones, and one was the made from the Aether. Another was the Tesseract, a third was inside the gem in the spear. She hasn't seen the other ones, except for the stone the group of beings had.

One last part of this really bizarre dream took her to see a being with deep blue, almost purple, skin and armor. He had a golden glove on one hand with six empty slots; slots that would be perfectly filled by the six stones she saw before.

She saw the destruction one of the stones could do in the part of her dream that concerned the five beings. They were at what looked like a bizarre collector's shop, trying to put the stone somewhere it would be safe. The owner was not the craziest being she'd ever seen - but his assistant came a lot closer. She had cherry-red skin like in Star Wars. She grabbed the stone, and it destroyed the entire building.

The only reason the group of beings are still alive - she thinks, it's been a while since she saw them - is because she made a shield of fire to protect them. The man, the one who looked like he was from Earth, he looked straight at her - he might have seen her. Just in case, she pointed at the stone and made a smashing motion with her hands - the universal sign of 'destroy it.' That was weeks ago at least, before they got the lead that finally lead them to the spear.

* * *

That night, the Avengers sleep inside the house, with Natasha doubling with Banner and Clint with Laura. The Winx and the Specialists sleep outside, with Ember curled around them all. Bloom's sure she's going to wake up screaming - but she doesn't say a word about it and curls up next to Sky. They are completely hidden from any normal humans, thanks to the spell on Ember. So at least they don't have to worry about a government jet - or HYDRA - spotting them overhead and sending a missile while everyone is asleep.

Sky wakes up from the lack of a warm body next to him - nobody is warmer than Bloom. When he sits up, there's an empty space where Bloom was - she must have woken and gotten up.

When he gets out of the group-campsite through the opening where Ember's head meets her tail-tip, he sees Bloom standing alone with her back turned towards them - and from the way her shoulders are shaking, she's crying silently. He comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her, hoping she knows he's there already. "Hey there, what are you doing out here alone?"

"Hey Sky…woke up, couldn't sleep again."

He starts rubbing her neck and asks "Cloudtower?" He knows her nightmares could come at any time, they are just guaranteed to come at specific days. He also knows Maximoff dug up everything she could to use against Bloom - the explosion was all the proof he needed.

"Maximoff...she got into my head, and it was worse than when Ogron did. He came in looking for me, she came in looking for anything she could to use against me. She got thrown out - but only after she dug up everything all at once."

Sky turns her in his arms, twisting her around so he can see her face. When he does, he cups one hand to her wet cheek and kisses her like they have all the time in the world. He'd love nothing more than to freeze the moment, let it go on forever; Bloom in his arms and nobody attacking them at the moment.

When he finally breaks the kiss, she hugs him and buries her face in his shirt. "Bloom, Wanda Maximoff has nothing on you. Your stronger than her by far, and the next time she tries that - if she tries it - she'll get the biggest headache of her life. Come on, let's get back to sleep. Big day tomorrow after all."

She tightens her hold around his chest and shakes her head, knowing exactly what's waiting for her when she closes her eyes again.

"Bloom, it'll be alright. I'm right here, and you're not going anywhere." When he finally talks her into going back to sleep, she curls up next to him. Her breath is hot on his neck, but he knows it can get as hot as Ember's always is.

Five minutes later Bloom's asleep again, curled up next to him and gripping his shirt. She's so warm in his arms, like a living furnace - one that mutters in its sleep. Sky has to smile when she starts thrumming lowly and says a few words he doesn't understand. She shifts closer, unconsciously curling up to the warm body next to her. Sky has no complaints right then, just wraps his arms around her and drifts back to sleep.

At least the longing for Pyros she felt is gone now, it faded slowly ever since she got back on Earth. Now, she's the same as she's been for the past two years - wanting to go back to Pyros, but not nearly irresistibly called back. Plus, they're dating again - which makes right now about a thousand times better than the past two years to Sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ultron is in Helen Cho's lab; he and about four other robots somehow got in without anyone noticing. When she walks in, he says "Scream, and your entire staff dies."

She backs up a step, even though he's feet away from her.

"I could have killed you that night Helen, but I didn't."

"Do you expect a thank-you note?"

"I expect you to know why."

She looks at him for a moment, then at the cradle he's standing beside. "The Cradle."

Ultron plays back her voice saying _This is the next thing Tony._ "This is the next me."

"The Regeneration Cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body."

"It can, you can; you lack the materials." One of the other robots comes forward holding a cylinder of metal: Vibranium.

"You're a brilliant woman Helen…" she turns around after noticing a bright blue light to find another robot holding Loki's spear "but we all have room to improve." It touches the spear to her chest, and her pupils go wide, and then her eyes turn bright blue.

* * *

 **AN: As expected, Bloom had another not-peaceful night. Wondering how the Maximoff's are doing - particularly since Wanda submerged herself so completely in Bloom's personal trauma? Read on and find out more! Enjoy the story!**


	206. More Fighting

_**More Fighting**_

The next morning, Natasha and Bruce are both trying to get Wanda's forced dreams out of their heads. Natasha can't stop thinking about something the Red Room she was raised and trained in did to her, and Bruce can't stop thinking about what he did yesterday. When he gets out of the bathroom, he finds Natasha waiting on the bed.

She says she wants to be with him, no matter where. He isn't a threat to her, but he tries to talk her out of it by saying he can't have this kind of future. The Gamma rays left him unable to have kids, but it's not that big of a deal to Natasha. What the Red Room did, what Wanda brought to the front of Natasha's mind - they sterilize their graduates. It's the one thing that might matter more than a mission, so they take that out of the picture.

Natasha asks if Bruce still thinks he's the only monster on the team after she says it made everything, even killing, easier.

Bruce asks "So we just disappear?" That's an option, but they have no idea where they can go.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Bloom, Tony, and Steve are chopping wood. Bloom's pile is the largest, with Roger's coming up second, and Stark's a very small third. Stark asks "So Thor didn't say where he's going?"

"Sometimes my teammates don't tell me stuff. I was kinda hoping Thor would be the exception."

Bloom says "There's only a few people on Earth Thor would go to for help. He wouldn't want to involve Jane in this, so I'm guessing he went to Erik for some help. And as for secrets, the Winx and the Specialists didn't tell me one of our old enemies was literally a soulless monster. I just thought that was how he acted, turns out he was a demon!" She chops a piece of wood in half hard and floats the pieces over to her massive pile with another piece coming over. "I've been in this boat Rogers. It's not the best feeling in any world."

Rogers says "Earth's mightiest heroes, pulled us apart like cotton candy."

Stark says "You seem to have gotten out alright."

"That a problem?"

"I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old fashioned."

Bloom says "Yeah? Well, get turned evil against your will and see how great a dark side is. It's not fun."

After a few more blocks, Tony asks "You know Ultron's trying to tear us apart, right?"

Steve says "Yeah, whether you tell us or not is a bigger question."

"Banner and I were doing research-"

"That would affect the team."

"That would end the team! Isn't that it? The why we fight, so we can end the fight? So we can go home?"

Steve tears the piece of wood he's holding in half with his hands, the piece Bloom's carring explodes in little splinters. There is nothing Bloom would love more than to stop all the fighting, bring Daphne back, and settle down with Sky for the rest of her life - but it seems one adventure follows another in her life.

Steve says "Every time someone tries to win a war before it begins, innocent people die. Every time."

Laura comes up and interrupts the argument, sparing Tony the worst verbal lashing of his life from Bloom. "Sorry, Clint said you wouldn't mind. Our tractor, could you take a look at it?"

When Stark goes to take a look, he discovers the tractor is fine - because Nick Fury says something. Stark asks if Hill is ever not working for Fury, then tells him about how he 'killed' the Avengers, and Fury gets a really good idea about what started the whole thing.

Later, they are in the kitchen talking. They need to figure out what Ultron is going to do - because he is going to destroy the world, but they don't know how. He took off with enough Vibranium for something, but what?

He keeps building bodies, each better than the last, but they are all human-based. Natasha says "If you programmed him to protect humanity, you failed miserably Stark."

Bruce says "Humanity doesn't need to be protected. It needs to evolve."

They all look at one another, how is Ultron going to evolve himself?

Bloom asks "Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho recently?"

* * *

Back at Cho's lab, Ultron finally manages to laser through the gem in the spear, revealing the Mind Stone inside it. The Vibranium atoms are not only workable with organic material, they're binding with it in the Regeneration Cradle. Ultron puts the Mind Stone on the body's forehead, and it seems to activate the neural network forming in the body.

Pietro and Wanda walk in just as Helen starts the transfer of consciousness from Ultron's main body to the new one growing as they watch. For the first time, Wanda can read Ultron's thoughts. And what she sees is a massive explosion on the surface of the planet that wipes out everything. The image makes her scream in pain, and very nearly sets off the memories she got from Bloom's head.

Pietro runs over in an instant, coming to her side in a blinding run. "Wanda, look at me." He's worried about her powers getting out of control again, last night was not fun for anyone. She kept having nightmares and nearly tearing the room apart from fear.

She's scared now, but not from the memories Bloom gave her - from the new knowledge of what Ultron plans to do. "You-you said you would destroy the Avengers! Not destroy the world!"

"The world will be a better place when-"

"When everyone is dead?"

"The human race will have every opportunity to improve!"

Pietro asks "And if they don't?"

"Ask Noah." He goes on a long speech about how God keeps stirring things up when everything starts to settle down, and Wanda frees Helen from the spear's control.

Ultron suddenly detects the jet coming in the area; and when Helen pauses the download, he shoots her with a laser beam.

Pietro speeds off with Wanda, ignoring Ultron's calls for them. He unplugs himself from the Cradle, and he and the other robots move it.

Ten minute later, Bloom, Sky and Rogers get in the lab.

Techna, Timmy, Bruce, and Tony are at Nexus, looking for someone who's been changing the missile launch codes too fast for Ultron to make any headway in launching one. They have an ally, or Ultron has an enemy - but either way, they need to find this hacker. So, they went to the place where every bit of data passes through - looking for a needle in the biggest haystack of all time. The answer: bring a magnet - A.K.A. Techna.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom, Sky and Steve go looking for the Cradle in Helen Cho's lab. They find Cho instead, still alive, and Bloom immediately heals her. She jokes and says "Imagine if the Cradle was using that…"

"Yeah, well, 'that' is called healing magic, and I was born with my magic."

Cho gets serious, instead of inventive, and tells them Ultron took the Cradle not long ago - they can still catch him. Bloom takes off at a full sprint, leaving Sky and Steve to follow her.

Natasha and Clint are in the jet, while the rest of the Winx and the Specialists are tag-teaming around the city looking for the Cradle. The Winx are up in the air, and the Specialists are on their hoverboards with them. Clint spots a truck from Helen's company, and the Cradle is inside it - along with three robots in the back and one driving.

Bloom, Steve, and Sky are the closest, and Bloom takes a running start off the bridge she is on and jumps directly onto the truck, using her knife to keep herself on top.

Ultron says "No, no, no…leave me alone!" He blasts at the spot where Bloom landed, but she's already halfway to the door.

She swings the door open, and blasts at Ultron, drawing him out to fight. Steve lands next to them and helps her fight, but he gets knocked back onto a car. Clint draws the guards by shooting at Ultron - leaving Natasha free to get the Cradle. Clint had already dropped her off on a motorcycle, and she's heading straight for the truck.

The fight moves to a passing train when Ultron tackles Steve and they crash into it. Bloom teleports over and keeps fighting - channeling some healing magic for the bruises she's going to have.

Sky joins them, helping even more - and then Pietro Maximoff knocks Ultron back when Sky and Steve are on the ground and Bloom is fighting alone again. Metal grills glowing dark red with energy slam between Ultron and Steve, put there by Wanda Maximoff at the other doorway.

"Please, don't make me do this."

Wanda asks "What choice do we have?"

Ultron tries to attack Pietro, but Bloom tackles him and they fly out together.

The train is out of control though, so Pietro has to get all civilians out of the way while Wanda stops the train.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natasha was in the truck when the robot guards came back and lifted it into the air; so she cut the ropes tying the Cradle down and sent it flying straight to Clint. It went in cleanly, but Ultron grabs Natasha's ankle. Clint doesn't see, but he's holding an unconscious Bloom with one hand, and now Natasha with the other.

Steve orders Clint to get the Cradle back to Stark Tower, so he leaves without knowing what happened to Natasha.

* * *

 **AN: Oops, looks like Natasha and Bloom are in trouble - or Ultron just made the biggest mistake of all time. Either way, Bloom won't stay down for long. As for Wanda, like she wasn't eventually going to go into the wrong head and find more than she could handle. Looks like the Maximoff's finally woke up to what a psycho Ultron is, he cuts off a guy's arm and then says he's sure it'll be alright? Enjoy, more chapters coming soon!**


	207. Vision

_**Vision**_

Clint gets the Cradle back to Stark Tower, and Bruce and Tony are waiting. Techna and Timmy went to look for the Cradle as well, and nobody else is back yet. They haven't seen Natasha yet, so Tony suggests he look somewhere off the internet for any kind of sign from her. Bloom isn't back yet either, but they have no way of tracking her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the H.Y.D.R.A base, Bloom and Natasha wake up in a cell with thick iron bars in a square pattern.

Ultron is making more robots, another body - this one with Vibranium - and something else; something huge. He says they wounded him, he gives them full marks for it, but quotes Kelly Clarkson by saying what doesn't kill him makes him stronger.

Bloom can't do anything just yet, there are too many robots here - she needs better odds. This many enemies at once would overwhelm even her - and it would be all for nothing since Ultron could simply escape through the internet and start again.

There is one thing she can do though: warn her friends. She closes her eyes, tunes out the sounds of machinery and construction, and focuses on Ember.

* * *

At Stark Tower, the body Ultron was building is 97% complete, so Stark needs to reconfigure J.A.R.V.I.S' mainframe to work. He was the unknown ally protecting the missiles from Ultron - he scattered himself in the internet when Ultron attacked him. Techna found him and pieced him together, then Stark got the call about the Cradle being at Stark Tower.

He convinced Banner to finish the body with J.A.R.V.I.S. in it instead of Ultron as the end of the line. So when Steve, the Maximoffs, and Sky come in, they are understandably against it.

Bruce says he could choke the life from Wanda and never turn a shade greener when she says she knows they're angry; and the two scientists refuse to stop the download.

Pietro moves in a blur of speed and disconnects every tube and plug attached to the Cradle; and Clint shoots the glass he's standing on. He falls to the ground in a sore heap, and Clint steps on his ankle saying "What? Didn't see that coming?"

Bruce puts Wanda in a choke-hold, saying "Do it, piss me off." She uses her power on herself and Bruce, pushing him off her and then hits him back into the wall.

Suddenly, Thor crashes in and hits the Cradle with a sustained stream of lightning - completing the body.

He and Erik went to a special pool of water that let him revisit his dream - and he discovered the Infinity Stone responsible for all of this. It's the Mind Stone, and its where everything from Wanda's powers to Ultron himself came from - including the horrors in all their heads.

At that, Wanda says "Not all our heads. The girl's head is full of her own horrors; things not even that rock could make." She's gone pale, remembering Bloom's memories.

Ember lands, and the rest of the Winx and the Specialists are back now - except for Bloom. When Thor asks where she is - because he wants to say hello to his only sister after being gone for nearly two days - they all look around and realize she's not there.

Steve says "She tackled Ultron on the train and they went flying. We thought she'd be here…"

Stark says "She never showed… But we all know from training she can more than take care of herself."

The body Thor helped make is called Vision, and he says he isn't Ultron, or J.A.R.V.I.S. - he's something else. He's on the side of life, and Ultron isn't - he's in pain and his pain will spread across the planet and destroy everything. He knows there may be no way to make them trust him, and he accepts that - and hands Thor Mjolnir.

Everyone is staring at that; but they don't know where Ultron is now. He could be anywhere - the Maximoffs have no clue and Clint didn't find anything from Natasha. Suddenly, Ember roars loud enough to get all their attention.

Wanda asks "Why is there a dragon sitting on the ledge of Stark Tower?"

Stella says "Her name is Ember, and she's connected to Bloom. Bloom hatched her and is raising her - though she probably doesn't have much longer to say that."

Ember lets out a stream of fire, which coalesces into the form of a girl with slitted eyes and a mane of fire going down her back. It's unmistakably Bloom, and Sky and Thor immediately move in front of her.

Sky asks "Bloom? You're here?"

 _Everyone, listen. I can't do this for long, I'm already getting a migraine from the concentration required. Ultron has taken Natasha and I prisoner; we're in the HYDRA base near Sokovia. You have to get all the people out, he's building something under the city. I don't know what, but it won't be working when he needs it, that's a promise. He's built a better body, since the Cradle is gone. Ember says Thor is back, and he brought the body to life - if he's Ultron, you have to destroy him. Burn him out of the internet, and then kill him for good. But first, get every single person out of the city - this isn't their fight and they shouldn't get hurt from it._

The fire image disappears, after giving one last smile. Sky blinks for a second, and says "I'm going after her. Bruce, you coming with?"

"Yeah, how do you ride her?"

"You be in front, and don't change, whatever you do."

Everyone gets what they need, Clint stocking up on arrows and heads, Pietro getting a new pair of sneakers, etc. Stark uploads a new AI called Friday into the suits, which has a female voice.

Ember bends down low, and Sky gives Bruce a leg up then gets on behind him. "Just hang on, I've been riding dragons for years!"

Ember launches herself up, they all head to Sokovia. Bloom modified the spell she cast on Ember so they could all see her, and they can easily follow. When they get to the area, Ember goes one direction, the jet goes another.

* * *

When Bruce and Sky get into the tunnel, they find the charred and smoking remains of a few robots, and see Natasha is leaning against the wall with a gun in her hand. Bloom, meanwhile, is unleashing a torrent of fiery destruction on the machine Ultron built.

Globs of melted metal are everywhere, and what isn't melted is charred and sparking with orange energy.

She's got her gun out, and is taking the Vibranium structure apart like she's lasering through wood. She figures it would be a lot easier on her to save her strength for the fight - especially since Natasha counted hundreds of robots easily. She switches to the Blaster-mode and knocks pieces of the machine out. When she has a piece of the inner-machine exposed, she goes to town on it.

There's no way Ultron's getting that thing working. To make absolutely certain, she telekinetically pulls out the remains of the mechanical guts. It's a bunch of smoking black wires and melted metal; her work is finished.

When she turns around, Sky's waiting right behind her. "Never leave you alone with a machine, lesson learned." He kisses her mouth before she can answer, and she nearly drops the gun right then.

When they break the kiss, she asks "Where's everyone else?"

"In Sokovia, evacuating the people. Musa was talking with Techna about using her singing to draw them out of the city. Techna would amplify her voice and she would sing a magical song I think it was. The rest of the Winx and the Specialists were going to spread out through the city, and you can guess what everyone else is going to do." She can, but they are pulled out of their conversation by Natasha and Bruce.

Bruce asks "Um, what are you two going to do? I can't be in a fight near civilians, and…"

Bloom doesn't need to read their auras to know what they are thinking. "Go on you two, disappear into the world. We'll say we got split up fighting more robots on the way." Natasha and Bruce can't believe it, Bloom's telling them to go?

She turns to Sky and whispers "After all this is done, how about we follow their lead? Hop on Ember, and just vanish?"

"Where could we go Bloom? Everyone in the magical dimension knows us - and Ember is kind of a giveaway."

"We could stay on Earth. I could shrink Ember down to the size she used to be, when I could still pick her up like she was a cat, and we could just be together."

The idea is Sky's wildest dreams - metaphorically speaking - he's wanted to just fly off with Bloom almost since the day he met her.

"Magic's back on Earth, it wouldn't be too hard to hide here. We could go back to Gardenia, or go to Asgard, or go somewhere totally new!"

Sky puts a finger to Bloom's lips, and says "Maybe after all this is done, after we beat Ultron and save the world - again - we can take a year to ourselves. No royalty, no fighting, just you, me, and Ember. We can fly around the world, see everything there is here on Earth, or we can go to Pyros and simply stay there for a while, or we could just go wherever."

She kisses him as soon as his finger leaves her lips, and a few pieces of nearby metal suddenly melt into goo. "I already told my father I was going to propose, and I finally got him to agree to it. So, once you tell your father and its announced, nobody's going to be able to keep us apart; not Diaspro, not any vain prince from another world - not even our parents."

One thought crosses Bloom's mind. "Why wouldn't he agree to us being married? If he wanted a strong alliance, or something that would benefit his kingdom-"

"Bloom! That's not why I spent an hour talking with him. He's as stubborn as you sometimes, is all, and he wanted me to be absolutely sure I was picking the right princess."

"So…he was trying to convince you to change your mind…because he didn't want you to change your mind?"

"Mm-hm. You ever hear the story of how our fathers were good friends before Domino was attacked?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, he once told me you'd inherited the qualities that make your father such a good friend. You never give up on your friends, you try to keep them out of harm's way…and you've got every bit of your father's iron will. He said he could see it in your glare that day on Eraklyon when you floored every guard in the room in about three seconds."

She laughs at the memory, she wasn't even trying to hurt them.

The gun goes back in her jacket pocket, Sky feels sorry for the idiot who tries to mug her while she's wearing it. If she doesn't knife them or shoot them in the leg, she'll plant their face in the ground and twist their arm behind their back so much it would nearly pop out of the socket.

Suddenly, the machine above them sparks and moves, but nothing happens other than a shower of sparks and painful grinding. Bloom grins, her work is definitely done.

Romanoff and the Hulk are needed though, no matter what they would like. So, Natasha pushes Banner off the edge of the huge pit after kissing him - and the Hulk comes flying out.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, anybody think Bloom and Sky can just disappear into the world like this? BTW, if anyone's wondering how Bloom plans on feeding Ember, just wait. I've got it all worked out, and it would be pretty funny if it could happen in real life. Enjoy! More chapters coming soon!**


	208. Defeating Ultron

_**Defeating Ultron**_

Bloom teleports all of them up to the surface, and finds the battle is already started.

Stark took on Ultron, and Vision intervened when Stark was losing. Techna did a spell on Ultron that burnt him out of the Web, ensuring he can't escape through it and start all over. Ultron then tried to activate the machine he built under a large part of the city - and they all heard a groaning, screeching sound inside and nothing happened.

Ultron looks shocked for a moment, and asks "What? I built this perfectly!"

Stark is laughing now, and asks "You left Bloom with it, didn't you?"

The city is evacuated by now, so the fight can happen without anyone caught in the cross-fire. And it does, for what seems like forever. It's just as bad as the Chitauri invasion, the enemies just keep coming with no end. Except this time, there's no nuke to put through a wormhole to stop them all at once. Every robot has to be destroyed; not a single one with Ultron's AI can be allowed to escape.

After about ten minutes of nothing but fighting, Ultron targets Thor, and carries him by the neck to the church, saying the Asgardian is bothering him.

Vision is still out cold, he used a lot of his power to distract Ultron while Techna did the spell. And Ultron is trying to choke the life from Thor, and he's dropped Mjolnir to try and pry the metal hand from his neck.

Suddenly, they hear a tapping on Ultron's back, but there's nobody there. Thor notices Mjolnir has disappeared, and Bloom turns visible a second later swinging it. "Leave…my…brother…alone!" With each word, she swung Mjolnir as hard as she could into Ultron's body - which is really hard considering she was channeling Pyros enough to twist metal like it's nothing.

When Bloom gives Thor a hand up, he pulls her into a grateful hug, then asks "You can…?"

"Lift Mjolnir? Yes, now forget I can. I don't want to rule anywhere - and I'm already trying to get out of ruling Domino. Loki can have the throne on Asgard."

Thor chuckles and says "Never change, Bloom."

"What, you mean again?" She's grinning though, and sends a ball of magic at a robot coming for her.

"I'm assuming your why that metal device isn't working?"

"I took that thing apart and ripped the insides out then melted the inside. I'd be amazed if it so much as turned once."

Vision wakes up and Bloom gives him a hand up. She can sense the power in the Mind Stone, and hands him Mjolnir. When he lifts it easily, she relaxes immediately. "I'm Bloom, and you must be Vision. Can you still fight?"

"Yes, thank you."

Bloom transforms and flies through the city meets up with Wanda and Clint, and Wanda is freaking out.

Clint tackles Maximoff and they go through a window, leaving Bloom to fight all the robots out there.

Clint tells her that it doesn't matter what they did or what they were. Everything is insane, nothing makes sense right now. There is a girl with wings holding a ball of fire in one hand and a sword in the other outside unleashing a massive amount of destruction, she has a dragon somewhere in the city, they are fighting robots, and he has a bow and arrow. Nothing about this battle makes any sense, but he's going back out because it's his job. If she stays in here, he'll send her brother to find her - but if she goes outside, she fights to kill the robots.

If she goes outside, she's an Avenger - and when he goes outside with a handful of arrows, he finds a very charred patch of ground with the remains of the robots that were outside. He resolves right then to never got on Bloom's bad side - and the Wizards, who were curious about how the whole adventure went, just decided they are extremely glad they're retired.

They're living in a cave in the forest outside Magix City, and are so incredibly glad they never did anything that would get that much destruction out of Bloom - they just watched her destroy a dozen robots at the same time!

* * *

Back in Sokovia, the battle is raging on - but it seems the Avengers, Winx, and Specialists are winning. Nobody has died yet, the Hulk is tearing through robots everywhere he goes, and Ember is wreaking mass destruction everywhere.

Eventually, everyone meets up at the church - the Winx, Maximoffs, Specialists, and Avengers in the destroyed building, Ultron and his robot army outside it. He called his army when Thor asked if his single robot body was all he had.

Bloom mutters "You just had to open your big mouth again, didn't you brother?"

Ultron says "This is exactly what I wanted, all of you against all of me."

Bloom smirks and says "We're missing someone you know. I'll call her." She puts two fingers to her lips and lets out a high-pitched whistle that echoes all across town.

Seconds later, Ember lands in the middle of the robot army and begins destroying all of them. When Ultron turns around, Bloom's mid-swing with her sword, letting loose a massive wave of fire that melts every robot it hits.

Wanda and Pietro take on about twenty at once, Clint shoots a massive amount of arrows and each finds a different target, Thor summons lightning that fries to circuits in the robots, Techna simply disintegrates them, Flora wraps them with ivy and vines strong enough to crush them, Musa breaks them apart with sonic waves, Steve breaks them apart with his shield, etc.

After what feels like forever, they finally get done. Vision finds the last Ultron robot, and they actually talk for a minute. They both acknowledge that Humanity is far from perfect, and is also doomed - but Vision says there is grace in their failings, something isn't beautiful because it lasts, and it is an honor to be among them while they last.

When Ultron says he is hopelessly naïve, he replies "Well, to be fair, I was born yesterday."

When Ultron rushes Vision, he powers up the Mind Stone and lets loose a beam of energy that destroys the robot - ending Ultron forever.

* * *

When they get back, they make a new Avengers base - an old warehouse Stark repurposes. Wanda and Pietro live there now, along with Steve, Bruce, Vision, and Natasha. Tony still lives in his tower with Pepper, and Thor is going back to Asgard.

Before he goes, Stark and Steve try to cheer him up about Vision being able to lift the hammer, saying he's technically a 'fake' person. If he puts Mjolnir in an elevator, it will still rise and all that.

He says that if Vision can lift Mjolnir, he can keep the Mind Stone - because it's safe with him.

Stark asks "What, it's not safe with Bloom?"

Bloom walks over and says "Well, not when I keep getting attacked, it wouldn't be. Besides, I've already got enough power - like I really need any more of it."

Thor chuckles while Steve and Tony stare at her. "And that, my friends, is one thing about Bloom that has never changed. And I hope it never will."

Bloom hugs him, before saying "We're heading back to Gardenia, Mrs. Faragonda just called. Something about a Magical Flower to find there - she called it the Lilo."

Thor goes back to Asgard to find out everything there is to know about the Infinity Stones. Loki hasn't heard anything about them - and he's been looking in all his spare time, the time he isn't checking in on Bloom that is. He told them everything about the guy who gave him the spear, a guy called Thanos.

The description matched the guy in the chair from Bloom's dreams dead-on - but Loki doesn't know anything else. He never shared anything about why he wants the stones or how he thinks he can control the power of one, much less all six at once.

Make that five, Bloom destroyed the Aether after all. Thanos will be furious, but Bloom can probably match that fury and then some with her own determination.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, never kidnap Bloom and then leave her alone with the machine your going to use to defeat everyone - it won't work when you need it to! Yes, I thought Wanda and Pietro got a bad deal, all things considered. They lose their home, all they have is each other - and then Wanda loses him in the movie. Not all that fair, I thought - and sarcastic or not, he's pretty funny. Enjoy! More chapters coming soon!**


	209. Another Coronation

_**Another Coronation**_

They found the Lilo, Mitzi's little sister, Macy, had it the whole time they were searching through town for it.

The Trix managed to absorb some of its power, but not enough to become really dangerous. They got a little stronger, now the thorn in their sides is sharper and a little deeper is all. The people believe in the Winx, and now the Trix are back in jail somewhere - not like that will last forever or anything.

Bloom's hand automatically touches the pendant Sky gave her, which is always hanging around her neck. She spelled it so it can never be taken off by anyone except for her - an insurance against Diaspro getting any ideas. If she tries to even touch the necklace, it will shock her hard, and send a jolt of fire up to her elbow - one that will just get stronger the longer she is touching the necklace. And if she gets to taking it off, it will send a massive gush of fire up her arm and wake Bloom up.

That was modified specifically for Diaspro - anyone else will get a much more watered-down version, though Bloom will still wake up and beat the intruder to a pulp for trying to take the necklace Sky gave her when he proposed to her. Same thing with the ring Sky gave her, only she can physically take it off.

* * *

 ***Frutti Music Bar***

Roxy tells them it's her last day at the Frutti Music Bar - because she got into Alfea! When Bloom congratulates Roxy, the Animal Fairy thanks her for always being there for her; like a big sister.

At those two words, Bloom immediately thinks of her own big sister, Daphne, trapped as a spirit in Lake Roccaluce. She still hasn't gotten the name of the curse the Ancestral Witches used on her - she wants to help more than anything, wants to break the curse and give Daphne her life back, but she can't if Daphne doesn't let her.

Flora can immediately sense the change in Bloom's mood, and suggests they get some air. Bloom feels more like turning invisible and sobbing for an hour, but air will have to do for now.

When they get outside, they stand in front of the waves while Bloom tries to get her sudden despair under control. She's given up trying to keep the Dragon Flame a secret anymore, just another thing to worry about that never works out anyway. If the Trix team up with someone new, they'll tell them - and if it's another complete stranger, or group of strangers, they'll find out eventually.

But she does try to keep her more negative emotions under wraps - anger, sadness, total desperation. The barrier she made to keep the Dragon Flame hidden is gone, so now her emotions and feelings produce an instant reaction in her magic - usually something exploding if it's not positive. It started breaking when she started getting moody and emotional thanks to Pyros, and she let it break and collapse when she got back together with Sky.

Bloom's pulled out of her thoughts when she smells smoke on the air, and looks out over the ocean waves to see a rising stack of it past the waterline.

When Techna holds her phone up for a moment, the resulting hologram shows an oil rig spilling out smoke. There aren't any leaks, but Bloom has a really bad feeling about it. And by now, after everything that's happened in her life, she's learned to trust her instincts about stuff like this. Whenever she gets a bad feeling about something, it usually means something is going to happen.

When they go back inside, the Specialists walk in at the same time. They all get a smoothie, Musa plays on her guitar a little, Timmy and Techna look at a new program Techna made, and Aisha and Nabu look at the ocean for a bit.

Sky and Bloom are at their own table, and Sky says "Great summer, huh?"

"Yeah, too bad we were running all over the world looking for my brother's spear." Bloom looks at her hands, thinking how close they both came to getting called back to their birth planets.

She shrunk Ember down to the size of a cat, so now she can pick her up again and hold her if she wants. She taught Ember the spell, giving her the ability to shrink and grow at will.

Ember climbs into her lap, puts her front claws on Bloom's shirt, and proceeds to lick Bloom's face repeatedly. "Ok, ok, Ember I get it! You cheered me up, now sit down. I'll get you a smoothie in a minute."

Sky's chuckling quietly, Bloom's never anything but gentle with Ember. He moves to the chair next to Bloom, and Ember immediately stretches out so her body is on both of their legs. Bloom sputters out a laugh, Ember looks exactly like a cat right now - albeit one with scales instead of fur and wings instead of whiskers.

"How long can she stretch her body out Bloom? Ember's like a cat!"

"I know!"

Sky says "You know, my father said since the year at Red Fountain is starting, he's just going to keep handling things on Eraklyon. No more 'crown-princing' for me this year."

Bloom inwardly yells in triumph, she might actually get some time with him then – and they might get to go through with their getaway for a while before having to hide from parental interference.

Musa calls over "Hey Bloom, check this out!" She plays a riff on her electric guitar, and Bloom and Sky walk over to listen - after Ember bounds off their legs. Aisha and Nabu come over, and Aisha has her phone out and there's a picture of Tressa floating over it.

* * *

Tressa's going to send Aisha a live feed of the Coronation Ceremony in the undersea kingdom on Andros. Andros is actually divided into two kingdoms, land and sea. Aisha's direct family rules the land, and her extended family, her aunt, uncle, and cousins are the royal family under the waves.

Today, King Neptune is going to choose one of two of Aisha's three cousins to be the next king. The two in question are Nereus and Tritannus, the Tressa's twin brothers. They are easily told apart, they were just born at the same time. Nereus has light purple hair and a kind smile, while Tritannus has dark hair and a scowl on his face - giving Bloom a bad feeling about the coronation, though it could very well be because the last coronation she was at ended with Frost Giants nearly stealing the Casket.

 _Relax Bloom, it's just old memories. It all turned out alright in the end - though the end was two years afterward. Oh boy, don't do anything stupid Tritannus._

Sky holds her hand between their sides and asks "Worried?"

"A little, the last coronation I was at…it didn't end quite the way anyone was expecting."

"You said, you also said it all turned out for the better when it came to Thor."

"Yeah, but still."

She and Sky formed a mental link during their time with the Avengers, Sky convinced her to - she didn't want to pass along any of her nightmares. She found out on Pyros she unknowingly shared her dreams with Ogron - she did _not_ mean to do that. But the mind is far more open asleep than awake, and it's really easy to fall into an old habit; she and Ember share everything mentally, so Bloom just thought she was connecting to her only.

Problem is, her mind is really powerful, and the Wizards weren't so far away that she couldn't reach them. She hadn't meant to send her dreams out of the shop and into the city - she did anyway and Ogron picked up on them. Luckily, he didn't realize what he was seeing though, and she didn't realize he was seeing it.

 _Bloom, it's going to be fine. No Frost Giants are going to storm the undersea kingdom, and everything will go right._ She leans into Sky's chest, really hoping he's right.

Suddenly, Aisha's ringtone for Tressa plays, they're right on time. Nabu puts an arm around Aisha, and they all hear Tressa's voice greet them. She waves at them, they all wave back happily - and then she gives them a view of the undersea throne room.

Its magnificent, just as big as the throne room in Domino and on Asgard. King Neptune swims up to the throne, and the hall is packed.

Aisha said Nereus was a total sweetheart, along with the type to try and talk a situation down and come to an agreement - while Tritannus is kind of a psycho and easily overreacts at every little offense - not a good omen for this choice, or a good trait for a king. They can't hear what Neptune is saying, but Bloom can lip-read well enough - and it's obvious who his choice is when Nereus swims up and bows his head. Neptune is about to place a golden crown on his head, when suddenly it is knocked out of his hand by a blast from something!

Everything is chaos, and Tressa drops her phone and it shuts - cutting off their view!

* * *

 ***Underwater Kingdom***

In the throne room, the assassin reveals himself when he lands behind Nereus and hits him with the same energy beam he used before.

Nereus tries to fight back, but he's hurt from the attack - and he's no fighter, he'd rather sort things out and compromise. The assassin spins his trident in a circle and knocks all the guards to the ground with a wave of energy.

Neptune fights him, and ends up knocking him to the ground and knocking the mask he was wearing off his face. The trident falls to the ground, and the mask breaks in half - and under it is the missing Tritannus!

This is why Nereus couldn't find him, he was hiding in wait - ready to attack and kill to get the throne. Neptune orders him to be locked in the dungeon of Andros, so deep he can never escape.

Tritannus says he will destroy them all when Neptune says Nereus will be a better king than him, and he's not the least bit surprised by his son's behavior. It's this kind of behavior that made the choice of which son to crown easy - Nereus never acts that way, even at his most upset.

* * *

Back at the Bar, Aisha is trying to get Tressa to answer her phone, but all her talking is useless. Nabu points out the fact that King Neptune can handle himself, and has probably already taken care of the situation.

Sky thinks to Bloom _Alright, please don't say 'I told you so.' You were right, something happened._

 _Yeah, and I get the feeling it was another family matter. Loki only wanted to get back at Thor for all the years of 'knowing our places' and it snowballed. I get the feeling Tritannus wants the throne, Sky._

* * *

 **AN: Alright, season 5 has started! You think Bloom and Sky are ever going to get to take that year off for themselves? Or maybe they'll actually get _married_ at some point between all the crazy adventures! No spoilers though, read on and find out!**


	210. Catastrophes

_**Catastrophes**_

Before anyone can say anything, the ground shakes and Bloom hears an explosion. When they all go outside, the stack of smoke is far blacker than it was before and another explosion happens as they watch.

The Winx immediately transform to go stop the spill, and Roxy stays on the beach to keep the people calm.

* * *

At the rig they noticed before, oil is now spilling everywhere and it's on fire. Bloom flies through the smoke and flames to find the workers, using her Fire Armor to protect herself from the smoke - the heat doesn't bother her after all. When she finds them, she clears the flames away from them by absorbing them into her body.

The guys are on their Wind-Riders, and Bloom sends up a flare of her magic into the air to let them know where she is. She had to search for the workers through the flames, the fire makes it impossible to find them with her sense of heat sources.

There are three workers behind her, watching as she absorbs the fire around them to make a clear path to the edge of the rig. Brandon, Helia, and Timmy grab these three, Riven grabs a man who just falls off the scaffolding - right after Bloom absorbs the fire around him - and she finds the foreman and flies out with him. Sky takes him, and Flora, Aisha, and Techna deal with the oil itself.

Flora stops the oil spilling out of the burst pipes by squeezing them shut with vines, Techna traps the oil leaking out into the water from them and deletes it with a spell, and Aisha deals with an underwater leak she finds - she and Flora are both being affected by the leak, her because she's the fairy of waves and is connected to the water, and Flora because she's the Fairy of Nature and the oil is already contaminating plants and animals.

When Aisha dives into the water, her wings stop working after a few moments of being in the oily water. She has to swim down on her own strength and seal the breach with her magic, then swim back up. Her wings start working at once when they hit the air, and she flies up and all six fairies do a convergence spell on the rig.

They combine their powers into a ball of magic, and it hits the rig squarely. The leaking rig is transformed into an all-green rig that filters water and is powered by wind instead of mining oil.

* * *

Even though the Winx did all they can, a lot of oil still escaped into the ocean. And with magic back in the world, it could get a lot more complicated than usual - pollution and magic could mix, it could change entire ecosystems with corrupted magic.

Bloom can tell the difference from when they first came to Earth to find Roxy - she couldn't sense it when she was first on Earth looking for Thor, but the planet felt barren. Magix City is alive with magic, she can practically taste it in the air - by comparison, Earth was cold and dead. All the heat signatures were the same on Earth, in Magix city each person has their own unique magical signature that mixes with their heat - making them identifiable to her as them, if she were blind she could tell the Winx from one another before they spoke.

Now, that current of life and energy she feels all the time in Magix is coming back on Earth - and it's in Earth's oceans as well. She really doesn't want to think of what will happen because of the oil spill - but she has a feeling it's going to be a lot of trouble. She can't shake the feeling from before, about Tritannus wanting the throne.

Suddenly, her head starts hurting and she hears three sets of cold laughter. She recognizes those voices: the Trix.

The laughter in her ears fades as Sky walks up behind her and wraps his arms around her. "You alright Bloom?"

"Yeah, just thinking. Sky, this is going to have consequences, more than just the immediate ones. I can't get rid of the feeling that our next adventure has just begun - and I don't like it."

He spins her around in his arms so he can look her in the face. One of her hands goes to grip the Pendant of Eraklyon, which is always around her neck and always visible there.

"Bloom, if it is a new adventure, some new enemy to fight, we'll figure it out. We always do, and we always will." He kisses her, deciding right then he loves the boots she's in because they make her exactly as tall as him.

She might not automatically turn on just by looking at him right now, but she's still going about a thousand miles an hour right now. They break the kiss when Bloom hears one couple ask if her partner thinks the oil will wash up on the beach. She suddenly gets a fabulous idea - throw a concert tomorrow and make it a benefit concert to help clean up and protect Gardenia's beaches. The rest of the Winx love it, and Rick immediately agrees to host it. The crowd goes wild at the announcement, Roxy can tell it will be a full house tomorrow.

* * *

 ***Andros Dungeons***

Meanwhile, under the waves on Andros, Tritannus is being taken to the dungeon. The senior guard says "Put him in the cell next to those troublemakers from Magix." That guard is holding his trident, and opens the cell door.

Tritannus gets unceremoniously thrown in by his arms, and barely manages to not hit his head on the back wall. The door is slammed shut, leaving Tritannus alone with his vengeful thoughts.

Suddenly, he hears a female voice says "Tritannus, we've heard about you." The shadow that the voice came from has curly hair that bounces around the head.

"You're the one who tried to take the throne from your own brother." This voice comes from a shadow with long hair running down its back, and the words are smooth and deceptive.

"We like you already." This third voice is cold as ice, and the shadow has a ponytail of long hair.

When Tritannus swims over, he can make out the three figures in the darkness, but he can't see them. "Who are you? Tell me."

They swim forward into the light, and he instantly recognizes them - they were famous only a few years ago for working with the most powerful wizard in the dimension after all. His usual scowl turns into a devious smile for the middle one, Icy.

Her lips mirror the movement, and she says "We're the Trix!"

They break out into three sets of cold laughter, and Tritannus thinks maybe this might not be so bad after all.

* * *

 **AN: Uh-oh, looks like trouble's brewing. Both on Earth and in Andros - looks like Bloom and Sky won't get to fly off on Ember for a while after all. Shame, I really wanted them to - but Bloom would likely go crazy trying to figure out how to break the curse on Daphne. Also, someone would probably find them before too long - magic hasn't come back _that much_ on Earth, despite the Earth Fairies' efforts, it's a whole planet to cover after all. And a dragon is kind of hard to hide, illusions or not.**


	211. Mer-Monster

_**Mer-Monster**_

The Winx perform at the Frutti Music Bar not even a full day after the spill - Flora thought that might not be enough time for people to hear about it - no worries, news about the Winx Band performing spread like a fire in tall, dry grass. The place is packed once again, and everyone loves the songs they sing.

They end it with a song they wrote specifically about the Earth, called 'Change The World' - it's an instant hit. Bloom notices two familiar guys in the crowd she wasn't expecting: the former animal smugglers who locked them up in a cage. One of them smacks the other over the head and pulls him out of the Bar - she has a bad feeling about that, but Aisha's phone rings. "It's Tressa!"

They walk offstage as Aisha hears the call - and its apparently bad news. She gasps after a moment, and Nabu immediately comes over. The look on Aisha's face is shocked and horrified - and Nabu wrapping his arms around her waist doesn't help. "Oh no! Tritannus attacked Nereus and uncle Neptune condemned him to the prison of Andros!"

Stella, Flora, Musa, and Techna look horrified as well, but Bloom's expression has a look that says 'I knew it' mixed in. She was halfway expecting something like that to happen - so she isn't that surprised.

* * *

 ***Underwater***

Meanwhile, off the coast of Gardenia, a black cloud of oil is pulled towards a magical gate that leads straight to Andros. The Gate opens by itself, and the guard from Andros calls for Phylla, the keeper of the Earth Gate. She tries to stop the oil, but her powers don't seem to work on it.

When the oil has passed through the gate to Andros, the Selkie and guard follow - and meet up with Lemmie and her guard. Lemmie is the keeper for the Andros Gate, and they combine their powers to stop the magical pollution - it doesn't work. When they try harder, the guards actually think it will work this time - the oil just goes right by them, headed straight for the prison of Andros.

Meanwhile, Tritannus is complaining and whining about Nereus being crown prince and him being locked away. Icy agrees with him, and when he says she gets him she says they're a lot alike.

Darcy and Stormy start laughing at that - and Icy gives them a glare that says she will freeze them solid the first chance she gets. Icy says the three of them have been stuck there forever, because they wouldn't behave and not pick a fight with the Winx. Tritannus says he could free all four of them if he could get to his trident.

The guard says he doesn't have a chance, and then the oil cloud appears and heads directly for Tritannus's cell. He sticks his hand into it and starts absorbing the extremely contaminated magic in the pollution - and starts glowing green and changing.

* * *

Back at Gardenia, all the Winx are trying to comfort Aisha. She can't believe Tritannus would do something like this - but Bloom can. To distract everyone from the mood that is turning blacker by the minute, she says "How about we focus on here? There's still a lot we can do about the spill."

They all agree, and Bloom goes up to the mic. "Hey, everybody! We're going out to the beach to clean up, join us!"

The crowd immediately rushes out - good thing to, because the beach is covered in trash. Everyone gets to work, and soon enough there's eight bags of trash filled and tied and more filling up fast. Suddenly, a bunch of oil starts washing up on the shore, and Flora, Techna, and Musa run over to deal with it.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Andros's dungeon, Tritannus is mutating into a mer-monster. His skin is turning green, his body is actually growing thicker, wider, and even his face is broader.

When the not-painless transformation is complete, he swims over to the bars and summons his trident to his hand. Darxy and Stormy are confused but excited at the chance of getting out of their cell, Icy feels like she's in a dream she doesn't want to wake up from.

When Tritannus blasts his door open, Stormy says "This guy could be our ticket out of here."

Icy says "This guy could be the guy for me."

Tritannus blasts their door open next, and they swim out immediately. The guards try to stop him, but Tritannus uses his trident to blast them. He hits two of the three guards, and everyone is surprised at what happens: they mutate into mindless mutants that serve Tritannus until their deaths!

Nobody, not even Tritannus, was expecting that - but he and the Trix aren't complaining. The third guard charges, and then gets turned into a mutant like his friends. The Mutants have scaly green-white skin and flaps of skin like wings connecting their arms to their sides. On their backs are massive black fins that look painfully sharp.

Phylla and Lemmie try to escape, but Tritannus notices them and swims in front in moments. Phylla and Lemmie are scared to shaking, and holding onto each other.

Stormy asks "What are they?"

"These little sea-rats and their kind hold the power to open the gates to the oceans connected to Andros."

Stormy adds "And, they're bite-sized."

"If I had their power, I could escape this world and travel to Earth."

Icy says "Sounds like a plan. So do it."

He does exactly that, absorbing Phylla and Lemmie's powers through his trident. They scream in pain, and when they are drained they float down to the ground nearly dead.

"They are only the first. I will hunt down all of their kind and do the same to them. And then, I will be able to enter the Infinite Ocean! From there I can reach all the worlds, and conquer them with my trident!"

All three witches ooh and awe, and Tritannus swims around them in a circle with pollution floating away from his spikey tail in a trail of black-green. "You'll see Icy, I will rule the Magic Dimension!"

"I just wish my sisters and I could help you."

"Why can't you?" "We don't have our powers, they were taken from us. But if you could…"

"Restore them?"

"Yes, will you?"

"For you Icy." He swims back a little and hits them with a beam of his he is finished, the Trix have their powers back and are more than ready to go to Earth.

Tritannus holds his head and asks "Oh, what's happening to me?" His new green form flickers and then goes out like a hologram. Now, he's just another merman with a trident in his hand.

Icy says "I think you ran out of toxic pollution - the oil that was in the water. But I know where we can get some more - Earth!"

Tritannus is weak and dizzy - if this is what being on a power-low is like, he never wants to be this low on pollution again. He looks up at Icy and says "Then that's where we'll go."

Icy wraps her arms around him and swims up, pulling him with her. "Let's go girls!"

Darcy asks Stormy "What do you think?"

"Mm, why not?" Icy's being bossy, but that is nothing new - though what is new is the fact that she's being bossy because someone else needs something.

When they get to the Earth Gate, Tritannus opens it with his trident - neither of the two witches know how he can lift that thing when he's so drained, but he did and he opened the gate to Earth.

Phylla and Lemmie look up to see the four evil people swimming through the Gate and go to warn King Neptune.

* * *

 **AN: Uh-oh, looks like Bloom's premonition was right - trouble is headed for Earth once again! The Trix, and their latest team-up with a stronger villain - oh joy, something new and different. What is different is that Icy seems to have a thing for Tritannus - never thought the Ice Queen herself would have feelings other than hatred and envy in her, and maybe a cold kind of caring for her sisters. Anyway, enjoy! PS. what do you think Bloom will do when Daphne gets kidnapped? Read on and find out!**


	212. Beach Attack

_**Beach Attack**_

On a pier in Gardenia over the ocean, the two smugglers from before have around five containers full of toxic waste. They are debating whether or not they should throw it over - the skinny one thinks they shouldn't, they muscular one says it doesn't matter.

While they are arguing, the Trix float out of the water and a few feet in the air. They immediately spot the two men next to neon-green metal barrels.

Icy says "Well, will you look at that."

Stormy says "Disgusting."

Darcy adds "And perfect."

Even they can't believe people would just give them the perfect opportunity to give Tritannus a power-up, who the heck dumps toxic pollution into the water? Either way, it's the second-best stroke of luck they've had since the magical oil came to the Prison of Andros. Tritannus gained the ability to absorb pollution from it, so now all he needs is those containers.

The Trix land behind the two men, and Darcy spells them. "You work for us now."

Their eyes glow purple, and they robotically say "Yes Ma'am, we work for you now."

"You, throw that stuff into the water."

"Yes Ma'am."

They start, and Icy says "You know, I don't think that's going to be enough."

"You, find more of this stuff."

"Yes Ma'am." He brings back a hand-truck full of the containers - about seven more - and dumps them into the water and breaks the wooden rail. Now, there's a dozen containers full of toxic waste - more than enough to put Tritannus back at full strength. He pierces three of the containers and slashes two more, then absorbs every bit of pollution into his body.

When Tritannus comes to the surface, he's turned back into his new green form with pollutions trailing from his tail. "Thank you Icy!"

"I told you I'd fix you up."

She floats over to Tritannus, who says "With our powers combined, we will rule the Magical Dimension."

"Music to my ears."

Darcy floats over along with Stormy, and says "Yes, but sister - haven't you noticed? There's something in the air. It smells like…"

They all focus for a minute, instantly recognizing the new energy. Darcy and Stormy yell "Magic!"

Icy clarifies _"Fairy magic!"_

Darcy floats back over to the hypnotized men, and asks "You, do you know anything about this?"

"The Winx, they brought magic back to Earth."

The Trix instantly get angry - what are the Winx doing on Earth? Bloom might have been in the general area - the universe - because she grew up here, but why have she and her friends brought magic _back_ to Earth? And…back?

Darcy nearly growls out "Where are they?"

The skinny man simply points in the direction of the beach - where they can see a large crowd of people picking stuff up.

* * *

Down on the beach, Bloom is having everyone give her their full bags of garbage, securely tied and piling them up in her arms. She gets ten before she can't see - so she closes her eyes and lets her sense of heat take over. She had Ember sit on the pile of bags, so all she has to do is make her way to the dragon.

She dumps the bags onto the pile, and Ember lands on the new place to lay. Thankfully, nobody is going near the pile of garbage, so she can simply lay on it and nap.

Suddenly, Bloom hears something in the ocean - bubbles rising to the surface like something is coming up. When she looks over, she nearly drops the last bag in shock.

What comes out of the water is without a doubt the ugliest thing she's seen yet - and that's saying something considering Malekith and Kurse.

These things have spiked teeth and scaly green-white skin and flaps of skin between their arms and sides. Techna says they look like some kind of mutation, part-human and part-monster. Bloom would probably resent that more if she wasn't yelling at the humans to get inside and don't come out no matter what they hear.

The creatures let out unintelligible growls and charge onto shore - making a very literally flying charge for them.

 _They can fly, of course._

All the people run into the Frutti Music Bar, and the Winx transform and proceed to blast and fight the Mutants. Musa saves two kids who were hiding under an umbrella from one charging Mutant, Stella saves a couple running to the beach from another - and then Aisha saves her from one that was maybe a foot away and closing fast. Bloom saves the entire Bar, plus Sky and Brandon, by grabbing the creature by the tail and slamming it into the ground before throwing it into the water.

They all retreat back into the waves, and Bloom wants to know where they came from.

When she flies out to follow them, she gets hit with a familiar, and not unexpected, blast of ice magic. She'd ask where that came from, except she can sense Icy behind her. "The Trix! Why am I not surprised?"

Icy says "Nice to see you to Bloom."

"I thought you three were in jail - again."

"Things change."

She attacks Bloom, who easily makes a shield and blocks it. "Yeah, but some things don't. Like the fact that you'll _never_ be able to beat me in a straight fight."

She blasts all three witches, who are knocked backwards a few feet. They respond with their own attacks, which Bloom blocks with a Fire Armor.

The rest of the Winx fly up, and Aisha, Flora, and Techna go to follow the Mutants from before. Musa uses a Reverberating Notes which deafens them, Bloom hits them with three Dragon Hearts, and Stella uses a Solar Storm.

When the dust clears, Icy is still there, but Darcy and Stormy are gone. Bloom, Stella, and Musa are still there, and Bloom has a blast forming between her hands.

* * *

Underwater, Aisha, Techna, and Flora's wings stop working, so they have to keep swimming. Right now, they really wish they had Bloom's strength - nobody can beat her in any kind of race, running or otherwise.

They keep swimming, and see something drawing pollution to itself.

It looks vaguely like a mer-person, with the same body structure - but the similarities end there. This thing has dark green skin and a frame bigger and broader than any normal merman.

They try to fight, and Aisha actually kicks him in the jaw and gets a few blows in. After a _really_ long hard look up-close, Aisha sees something she couldn't have imagined: her cousin!

"Tritannus?"

The monster in front of her smirks, and says "Miss me, cousin?"

All three gasp, and then they hear Icy yell "Tritannus! Help!"

He slams the bottom of his trident into the ground, making three blasts of pollution appear and fly upward.

Two hit their marks, but Bloom teleports to the right just in time. "Nice try Icy, you'll have to do a bit better than that."

Now it is an ice-and-fire fight, what Aurora wanted to avoid so long ago.

Bloom does a spinning kick that hits Icy squarely in the stomach with her heel on fire and sends her flying backwards into the water. She flies down to help her friends out, and senses Aisha, Flora, and Techna swim off frantically out to sea.

Aisha instantly recognized her cousin under the flickering form of the monster he mutated into when he started running low on pollution - and he took off towards the Gate to Andros. He escapes through it, and Icy flies away from Gardenia with her sisters.

Aisha has many powers where water and things about Andros are concerned - but she can't open the Gate back up to chase after him, that power is reserved specifically for the Selkies as far as any of them know.

* * *

Later, everyone is standing at the edge of the waves. Nabu has his arms around Aisha, but it doesn't seem to really help.

"I can't believe that monster is my cousin! I should never have let him get away."

Flora says "It's not your fault, our powers are weaker underwater."

Bloom says "We'll talk with Mrs. Faragonda, she'll help us strengthen our powers. We'll figure this out, just like every year." In truth, she has no idea what to do - she's really hoping Mrs. Faragonda will have some idea of where to start.

Also, she's pretty sure she took a too-hard blow to the head at some point - or someone slipped something _really_ strong into one of her smoothies - because she could swear Icy likes Tritannus. She really doesn't want to think about what that could mean for Aisha, she's already dealing with enough right now.

Far as Bloom knew, Icy's heart was a metaphorical and near literal piece of ice, cold as her magic and completely incapable of love.

She could tell all three were only fighting over Valtor because he was so powerful - but she'd have pegged Darcy for the best chances at actually falling for someone. Maybe the witch would be manipulating someone long-term and one day find she actually cared about keeping him from leaving her or something - unlikely, but still.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, that's bad. One of life's constants for the Winx has returned once again: the Trix have teamed up with some new enemy. But the enemy has never hit so close to him for one of them before, not even Valtor for Bloom. read on and find out what's going to happen for this! PS. You think they'll still kidnap Daphne? What with Bloom being super-scary and all - and seriously clingy about her family - you'd think the Trix of all people would know not to set her off with that button.**


	213. Curse Revealed

_**Curse Revealed**_

At Alfea the next day, Mrs. Faragonda is introducing the new year and Roxy. She just gets to the part of who helped the Earth Fairy, when six balls of colored light appear in the courtyard.

Everyone looks amazed as the six famous fairies who've saved the universe several times, and now Earth, appear out of nowhere. They all land, and everyone rushes over to talk to them. Ember came with Bloom and launches herself up and sits on Bloom's shoulders - her favorite place to be at any time.

When the initial excitement of seeing the famous Winx is over and the crowd leaves, Roxy comes over to say hello. She is really nervous, but they all reassure her that there is nothing to be worried about.

Bloom teasingly says "You might even meet a guy here - I know I did." As if to prove her point, a Red Fountain ship suddenly flies in and lands.

The guys walk out, except for Sky. Brandon says "Ladies, we have arrived!" making Stella shake her head.

Brandon walks over and she says "Your such a geek."

"Happy to see me anyway?"

"You know it."

Bloom can't sense anyone else in the ship this time, so she tells herself he's been really busy as crown prince and all.

Timmy and Techna seem shy, even though they're dating - per usual with them until they start kissing - Helia shows Flora another drawing he made, Riven and Musa kiss, and Nabu hugs Aisha.

Flora asks "Where's Sky? He didn't come?"

Bloom says "He's been really busy being crown prince and all - I'm just glad father listened for once when I said I'd rather let Daphne be Crown Princess."

She tries to play off her loneliness with the laugh she forces, but Musa says "Riven says Sky's coming."

"Yeah, he's coming. He was right behind us."

Brandon points and says "In fact, here he comes now." When they look in the right direction, Sky's on his windrider!

He circles the courtyard and parks the bike in front of Bloom. When he takes off his helmet, she teleports in front of him and kisses him. When they break the kiss, he says "You know, I like this way of saying hello. Sorry I'm late, Bloom."

"Who cares? You're here, after all." He grins, thinking he's the luckiest guy in the universe.

They kiss again, and Riven sarcastically says "You two are terrible company sometimes, you know that right?"

Musa says "Yeah well, I'm sure they don't think so."

He whispers back "Wish we could be that bad you know."

Suddenly, a new voice cuts in as Helia is showing Flora an origami he made for her. "Helia!"

They turn around, and Helia asks "Princess Crystal?"

Princess Cyrstal has long pink hair even lighter than Roxy's and skin as tan as Flora's.

"I thought that was you, it's so good to see you!"

Helia bows, and introduces Flora to Crystal. Flora instantly recognizes Crystal, she is Lynphea's princess after all. And Crystal has heard a lot about Flora from Helia - they're old childhood friends.

Bloom recognizes Crystal as well, along with Stella and Aisha - they met a few times at various royal events Bloom had to go to, or that were hosted at Domino.

Crystal tries to lead Helia away, asking questions of all kinds, except Bloom calls him back to ask him to give his opinion on a drawing. Flora gives her a grateful smile, and the drawing Bloom holds up is one of Helia and Flora kissing. It's a subtle hint to Crystal, but she comments on the skill instead.

Flora knows Bloom tried to give Crystal a hint without embarrassing her or Helia, but they really have bigger problems at hand.

They all gather in front of Mrs. Faragonda, and Bloom says "Mrs. Faragonda, we need to talk." Her expression is serious now, all business. She gravely nods her head and motions them inside.

* * *

 ***Faragonda's Office***

Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Faragonda says "Girls, it seems we face another powerful adversary. Your Believix powers make you strong, but far from land, in the world of the water, they are not as effective."

Stella says "But Tritannus is strong!"

Aisha adds "And he's going to get stronger."

Faragonda says "There is one way for you to get strong enough to defeat him: you must try to acquire Sirenix."

None of them know what Sirenix is, and Faragonda says "Sirenix is an ancient power, born of the water, but nobody has achieved it in a very long time."

Bloom asks "So how do we get Sirenix?"

"First, you must find the Sirenix Book. It is hidden, and I do not know where."

Bloom's shoulders slump, the trail must be long cold and scrying for it is a long-shot at best.

"But, I do know who knows the location of the Book."

Now, there is something Bloom can work with, assuming said person isn't the Ancestral Witches.

"Bloom, you must ask your sister, Daphne. She was the last person to earn Sirenix, before Domino was attacked and destroyed." Bloom's hope sinks, Daphne is really good about not telling her what she needs to know to do something - like break the curse and give her back her body.

* * *

Minutes later, Techna is running a search of every Magical database on her phone for Sirenix - but nothing's coming up.

Everyone but Bloom is there - she's predictably tearing through the library to find anything about Sirenix. She wants to have some idea of what it is before she asks Daphne to tell her where to find the object that will let them get it - she wants to know what she's getting into. She comes to the same conclusion the rest of the Winx do: Sirenix is truly ancient and mysterious.

Flora wonders about the powers, and Stella tries to lighten the mood by saying she'd like a sushi spell.

Aisha gets a call from her mother, who tells her what's been happening since Tritannus escaped. King Neptune is extremely angry he escaped, and the seas are practically boiling with his fury - not good.

* * *

 ***Underwater Throne Room***

Down below, Phylla and Lemmie have just finished explaining what happened, and he vows to find Tritannus and break him.

Tressa, Nereus, and Ligea try to talk him down a little, knowing his temper can lead to rash decisions.

Ligea argues that he is their son, and Neptune disowns Tritannus. Ligea says she'll go find Tritannus and talk to him, and Nereus offers to go with to protect her.

Neptune says Ligea is kind and generous, and Nereus has a brave and noble spirit - exactly what he would expect from one who will someday rule the kingdom - but the answer is still no. He swims away with the guards, leaving Ligea with a look of sorrow and Tressa and Nereus conflicted.

Nereus keeps saying he's fine, but he's also got a really wide bandage around his chest and it somewhat hurts to move too suddenly. He remembers what Aisha told him about Bloom, how she's too stubborn to stay lying down for long and will let someone tell her no a hundred times and go through with her idea anyway.

Tressa met her before, and said she seems kind and courageous - and Aisha told them both how she went to Pyros and changed some. She's still the same where it matters though, still kind and brave and loyal to a fault to her friends.

He gets an idea, one that could get him grounded for a year and him and Ligea followed around by the guards for twice as long when Neptune finds out. "Mother, I've got an idea. It's terrible, and Father won't like it one bit." He takes her hand, and swims over to Tressa to talk.

* * *

Back in Magix City, Bloom is walking through the forest to Lake Roccaluce. She took the path she wore into the forest floor in the third year, and finds two butterflies flying towards her. When she holds her hand out, they land for an instant before starting to glow orange and flying off in the exact direction she was already heading.

She runs after the butterflies, feeling almost her age right now. She usually feels a lot older than she actually is, thanks to her kidnapping at Valtor's hand.

When they reach the water, the butterflies turn into Daphne. Bloom stops at the edge of the water, and Daphne floats over. They try to connect hands, but they can only do that in dreams - Daphne's a spirit after all.

When Daphne asks if there's something she can help with, Bloom says "Yes Daph. I need you to tell me where the Sirenix Book is hidden."

Daphne's look immediately turns to panic, and she says "No, not Sirenix. Look at me, look at what Sirenix did to me! When the Witches attacked Domino, I was ready to defend myself. But they cast a spell on Sirenix itself, and when I tried to use its power, it turned on me. You must not seek Sirenix. If you fail, your fate will be terrible."

"But I must try. There is a deadly threat to the Magic Dimension, and to defeat it I need Sirenix."

"I wish I could protect you, Bloom."

"But you can't Daph. That's the curse we both share: to forever want to protect the ones we love, and never be able to do it." Now tears are running down Bloom's face, memories of all the people she wants to protect running through her head.

Frigga is doing laps in Bloom's mind, along with Marion and Oritel, the Winx, the Specialists, Daphne, and their brothers. "But let me break this curse Daph. The Witches cursed the power? I'll un-curse it."

She's determined as hell, why the heck hasn't Daphne told her this before? She spent two years looking through spellbooks for a curse that would have taken Daphne's body, when what she was looking for was a curse that could affect an entire power.

"Please Daphne, where is the Sirenix Book?" Bloom's nearly to breaking, if Daphne doesn't tell her she doesn't know what she'll do.

Daphne looks down for a second, and says "The Sirenix Book is in the Magic Archive at Alfea, look for it at your own risk." Before she can disappear though, Bloom tries to hug her and nearly falls into the water.

Daphne runs incorporeal fingers through Bloom's hair once, before disappearing back into the Lake. Bloom smiles out at the water, and then starts walking back. She takes her phone out and calls Stella, telling her everything Daphne just told her.

Then she starts walking, which turns into jogging, which turns into running - which turns into distance sprinting. In maybe a minute, she's running through the forest in a blur of orange and blue, heading back to Alfea to look through the Magic Archive.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, we can all guess why Daphne didn't tell Bloom about the Sirenix Curse: she has to get Sirenix in order to break it, and Daphne doesn't want the curse striking Bloom. Sorry about the massive wait, been busy all day. More chapters coming soon - please don't give up on the story!**


	214. Memoryloss

_**Memoryloss**_

Back at Alfea, the Winx, minus Bloom, are in the courtyard discussing what Bloom told them over the phone.

Bloom came tearing through Alfea minutes ago, and is probably already tearing up the Magic Archive to find the Sirenix book. They know she must have looked through dozens of books in the library before she went to talk to Daphne - they can only imagine what she's doing right now.

Brandon and Helia will make sure nobody outside comes in and disturbs them, and Sky is going to guard the Archive from the inside.

* * *

In the Archive, Bloom is in her Believix form and flying around looking through about six books at a time.

 _Well, someone's busy._

She flies up a few feet in shock, before saying "Ogron! You four are getting as bad as Thor and Loki you know."

 _We'll take that as a compliment. What are you doing anyway? You aren't usually that…desperate._

"Don't take it as a compliment, my brothers have something of an advantage over you guys. I grew up with them as my family, I spent nearly two months fighting you four, and around the same time protecting you. Not quite the same. As for what I'm doing, I'm looking for the Sirenix Book. And, any info you might have on the power is more than welcome - because we can't find anything about it."

 _Sorry, doesn't ring a bell. Why are you looking for it?_

"To get Sirenix. That's what the Witches cursed! They didn't put a spell on Daphne, they put a spell on her power - and it turned on her and took her body when she tried to defend herself!" She flies over to another section, looking for anything that might be the book she's looking for.

 _Thought you already went through those. And exactly how can one person read six different things at once?_

"No, this part is really secret. Don't know how Daphne got the Book in here, she's the one who hid it after all. I really don't know how she hid it here without Mrs. Faragonda knowing though. And as for the second question, this is me when I really need to find something right now."

 _Impressive._

"Yeah, she knows everything about Alfea basically."

 _So, how exactly are you going to un-curse a power far older than even us?_

"Well, hello to you to Gantlos. I don't know, but I didn't know what I was going to do when you four surrendered either. That's why I'm here. When I need an answer, I look for it."

 _You going to slow down there? You might miss it._

"I'll slow down when Daph's got her body again. And by the way, can't the four of you think of something more entertaining to do than scry me? My brothers checking up on me are one thing, but you guys should seriously get a hobby or something - like maybe a girlfriend for each of you."

 _Yeah, well, we're in the middle of the forest outside three schools we really shouldn't go near. This is the most entertaining thing we can think of._

Bloom rolls her eyes and says "Wow, my thanks. My life is a lot less entertaining and a lot more stressful when you're the one living it you know. And again, find a girl or four."

 _We know, you were getting stress headaches by the time the trial came around._

"Well, a planet freezing can't be considered relaxing, now can it?"

 _True, when is everyone else getting here?_

"Like I know. I'm the Keeper of the Dragon Flame, not my friends and my boyfriend. Come on, Sirenix...Sirenix...where are you?"

 _Haha, very funny._

Bloom rolls her eyes, she really doesn't have time for this at the moment. "Look, hate to be rude, but unless you have any idea where my sister would have hid a book she wanted to never be found, please let me concentrate."

 _Sorry, we've got nothing. We know firsthand you know how to either find something or hide something._

"Your point?"

 _Where would you hide it?_

"I don't know. Maybe I'd shrink it down, or put a different book jacket on it, or spell it to look like something else or something! You are so not helping at the moment, you know that?"

 _Well, good luck finding one book in what looks like hundreds._

"You four may be retired, but you are still evil, you know that right?"

 _Oh yeah, we try._

"Goodbye."She can tell when they stop scrying her she doesn't feel like someone's watching her now.

Good thing to, because a minute later the door opens and the Winx come in with Sky. "Hey girls, I'm up here!"

Stella yells "Well get down here and tell us what you found!" She does, but sadly the answer is nothing.

* * *

They all rise up on the platforms to start looking around for the Sirenix Book, when suddenly they hear a familiar voice. "Looking for something to read?"

Bloom whirls around and immediately sees the ice-witch floating there. Something new about her, she's also glowing dark green-black - Tritannus gave her a power-boost!

"Icy! Still not surprised, just getting annoyed at this point."

Icy hits the platform she's standing on with a blast, nearly making it crash into the side - Bloom jumps off and holds onto one of the shelves with one hand and blasts back with her other.

Darcy and Stormy are closer to the ground and are fighting Techna, Flora, and Stella.

Icy shoots a burst of ice magic towards Aisha and Musa, hitting the platform they are on and knocking them off. They manage to catch the side of one of the balconies and not hit the ground hard enough to break something.

Brandon and Helia come running, having heard the noise from all the fighting, and get in just as Sky breaks ice shards from Icy.

Stormy sees them, but doesn't get the chance to do anything - Darcy beats her to it. Flora tries to warn Helia about Darcy, but the Illusion witch immediately hits him with a ball of magic when he turns around.

Flora gets up and runs over to him, not caring about the Trix or the fight going on. She honestly has no idea how she actually made it to her boyfriend, but she did.

He isn't moving, she can't even tell if he's breathing. She and Crystal turn him over on his back, and Flora wishes she had healing magic so she could drain herself using it on him.

Bloom always said its really draining healing something bad - especially if it's on someone else - but she'd gladly sleep for a month starting right now if she could heal Helia and know he was alright.

Crystal says "He's hurt. I have Healing magic. I can heal him, but I need some quiet - let's take him outside."

Flora says "Thank you Princess."

They get Helia's arms around their shoulders while Brandon blacks another attack from Stormy and take him outside the room. Crystal heals him with a spell called Elixir of Life, and Flora has mixed emotions.

She's grateful that Crystal's healing Helia, but she also feels like Crystal is trying to get Helia for herself. It's too much like Diaspro's attempts for comfort, even though Bloom says Crystal seems way too sweet-natured to act anything like Diaspro.

Helia wakes up maybe a second later, and Flora says "I can't believe how strong the Trix are!"

* * *

Back inside the Archive, Bloom's had more than enough of this - and all five girls transform. The Trix are stronger than before though, and their usual strength doesn't work.

Bloom stops trying magical attacks and simply throws the three sisters into one another. When Stormy makes a paper dragon using spellbooks, she lands on it and takes control using her connection to dragons - riding it and using it to knock Darcy and Stormy to the ground. Icy tries to hit her with ice shards, but she simply draws her sword and swings it, letting the wave of magic destroy them and knock Icy down a few feet.

They actually seem to be winning for now, until Stormy and Darcy undo the spell keeping the paper dragon together. It turns back into a pile of books, and Bloom simply keeps flying.

Icy targets Sky, just as Stormy blows his sword hilt out of his hand with a tornado. Bloom races to intercept the blow, and it hits her instead. Mrs. Faragonda and Grizelda run in just as Bloom hits the floor unconscious.

Mrs. Faragonda asks "What's going on here?"

The three witches apparently don't want to face Mrs. Faragonda and Grizelda - good thing they came in when they did. The Trix teleport out, and everyone lands and gathers around Bloom.

Sky kneels beside Bloom, saying "Bloom, wake up, please." He's holding her up by the shoulders, practically begging her to wake up.

Her head turns and she sucks in a breath through her teeth - and then her eyes slowly open. About a thousand pounds drops from Sky's shoulders; he has no idea what he would do if Bloom was really gone.

"Ngh, what happened?" She tries to sit up, putting a hand to her head, but she instantly sways and he catches her.

Sky hugs her, just happy she's awake - dizziness always passes with Bloom. His happiness dies a painful death when she pushes away from him and has no recognition in her gaze.

"Who the heck are you?" She looks at him for a full minute, then around at everyone else's shocked faces. The only thing she's getting is a pounding head - and for some reason she's picking ice out of her hair.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, everybody, I took Bloom's memories away instead of Sky's for a reason. And I'm sure everyone can guess what that would be, but no spoilers if you can't. Anyway, please review if you have feedback! Any suggestions for future chapters are welcome! Enjoy!**


	215. Trying to Remember

_**Trying To Remember**_

The next day, Sky's talking with the rest of the guys out in the Alfea courtyard. "We took Bloom to the infirmary yesterday, after the fight. She was so…confused. I've seen Bloom a lot of different ways - angry, upset, even scared at times - but never completely lost with no idea of what's going on."

Brandon says "Sky, you've gotta cheer up. She took a pretty good hit, you know. But she's Bloom, she'll probably get her memories back in no time - the Dragon Flame does give her healing powers after all."

Riven says "And besides, even if she doesn't, at least she doesn't remember what happened in our second year."

Sky nearly flips right then, it takes every bit of self-control he has to not grab Riven's shirt and punch him.

Nabu can see the tension, and says "Riven, maybe that isn't helping. Sky, what he meant was, at least she's here and safe, and not freaking out right now. And maybe the whole problem with her nightmares won't be happening with her memories gone."

Sky runs his hand through his hair and says "I hope. I really hope not."

Helia says "Listen, she's still Bloom. Memories or not, she's still the same girl you love - and who fell in love with you."

"Yeah, I know. But…what if she…"

Brandon says "Sky, you can't think that."

* * *

Back in the Trix's lair, Icy is talking with Tritannus. She says she's much stronger than Bloom now, but her sisters are a little weak and the Winx survived because of it. She omits the small detail that she suggested they leave when Faragonda and Grizelda showed up - and that Bloom got hit because she was protecting Sky.

Darcy and Stormy are eavesdropping, and both are indignant that Icy blames them for letting the Winx live.

Icy manages to distract Tritannus from his anger that the Winx are still alive by telling them what they found out by accident: the Winx are searching for the Sirenix Book.

He's heard of Sirenix, but it's incredibly ancient and nobody knows much about it. He tells Icy to keep the Winx from finding the Book, while he finds a way for them to get the power. He plans to rule the Magical Dimension with it - though how they're supposed to get it is unknown at the moment.

When the image fades, Icy looks at the water for a moment, before saying "Darcy, Stormy! We've got work to do!"

Stormy whispers "You know, I just can't stand her."

Darcy whispers back "Me neither."

* * *

Back in Alfea, Sky's walking to the infirmary door. Two girls that pass him say to hang in there, but it doesn't really help much.

When he opens the door, Bloom's looking out the window at the courtyard. She looks at her hand for a moment, and makes a fireball appear after a moment.

For once, she's not paying attention to everything around her, just the ball of fire in her hand. "Hey Bloom."

The fire in her hand leaps three feet high with her surprise, and she puts it out at once. "Oh, it's you…um…"

"Sky, its Sky."

"Right, hi Sky." She sits down on the bed, picking at the knot of the bandage around her head.

Sky sits in the chair facing the bed, trying to think of something to say. "So, how're you feeling? You look a lot better."

She looks at him for a second, then away. "I don't know, my head feels tight and…" she trails off, twisting the ring he gave her around her finger.

 _Maybe he could tell me about this stuff. The ring, the necklace, the fact that the only thing I know is how to use my magic._

Sky's about to say something, when suddenly Bloom looks at the door. Flora opens it a second later, and Bloom gives a ghost of a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I brought someone to see Bloom."

Crystal walks in the doorway a moment later, and Sky says hello, using her name for Bloom.

"Princess Crystal has healing powers, she saved Helia during the battle."

Bloom looks at both girls for a moment, as Crystal walks forward. "If you'd like, I can try to bring back your memories."

Bloom stares at Crystal for a second, her eyes focusing above her head for a moment, before looking away and saying "Yes, please."

Crystal focuses for a moment, and her body lights up blue with flowers. Bloom doesn't get her memories back, but Crystal gets an image of a dark stone cell for a split second.

It's gone before she can really get any details, except for the fact that Bloom doesn't want to remember it. Crystal's practically thrown out of Bloom's head by the block, and Bloom suddenly gets really dizzy.

She sways, but Sky catches her and sits down next to her to keep her sitting up.

"I'm sorry, there's something blocking the healing. Bloom, I think there's something you don't want to remember." Bloom can hardly hear her, too busy fighting to stay upright. Sky's hands on her arms help, but not with the fact that her head is spinning awfully and she feels like she could be sick.

When she opens her eyes, she already knew Flora and Crystal were gone - but the room doesn't stop moving around. "Bloom, focus. You've got your own healing powers."

She does, and after a moment of delicious warmth spreading through her body the room settles into one spot. "What…what did she do to me?"

"Crystal was trying to heal you Bloom. But it didn't work."

She starts picking at the bandage knot, and Sky asks "You want that off, Bloom?"

"Yeah, I'll get it."

Sky barely holds back a chuckle, but Bloom notices anyway. "What?"

"You lost your memories, but somehow you've still got that same stubborn attitude."

He says it teasingly, and gets the response he was hoping for. "I am not stubborn!"

Sky raises one eyebrow, not able to hide the small smile on his lips. Instead of saying she's the most stubborn person he knows, he leans her head against his chest. "Here, hold still a minute. I'll get it off."

Bloom closes her eyes again, enjoying her head against him. A moment later, she's wondering why she enjoys it so much, and before she knows it he's done and she has no reason to keep her head there. Her head doesn't feel any less tight, but at least the bandage isn't rubbing against her forehead now.

Suddenly, they hear a chime in her jacket pocket. When she puts her hand in, she pulls out a phone with the caller ID 'Oritel' on the screen. Both her parents got their own phones recently, so now she doesn't have to play the guessing game as to which one is calling her - not that it helps at the moment. "Who's Oritel?"

"That's your father, he's calling to check up on you. Hopefully."

"Why hopefully?" She actually looks nervous, not an expression he usually sees.

"Let's just say you got your stubbornness from him. You two sometimes disagree on a few things."

"Oh. I-I don't want to talk."

"It'll be fine Bloom, just be yourself. Alright, yourself when you're not stressed out."

After a second's hesitation, Bloom presses the accept button and puts the phone to her ear. "Um…hey father."

After a moment, she says "Yeah, I'm fine. No, I don't need to come home. No! Don't…you don't need to send the guards. Alright, I'll talk to you both later. Yeah, bye." She ends the call and buries her face in her hands.

"See? That wasn't too hard."

"Yeah? Let's switch places, Sky. You can fake being perfectly normal without having any clue what that would be, and I'll try to help silently."

Sky starts rubbing the back of her neck, which actually does help after a moment. "How about we take a walk? I'm guessing you want to get outside by now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Techna and Timmy have been working on an algorithm to find the Sirenix Book. She almost had it, and Timmy helped work out the final few bugs. Now, she's in and all she has to do is start searching.

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy are watching invisibly from the window, and Icy shakes her head.

Stormy says "What a geek."

They can hear everything she's saying, and they don't understand most of it.

Darcy puts a spell on Techna's phone, a little surprise for when she tries to use the program.

* * *

Sky and Bloom are walking along Lake Roccaluce, and Sky's trying to ring anything in Bloom's head. "You come here all the time, mostly to talk with your sister."

"I…have a sister?"

"Yeah, Daphne. She's been under Lake Roccaluce since we were really young, but you've spent the last two years trying to fix that - and we're getting really close now. Anything ringing any bells?"

"No, nothing. Not even the path we took - the one you said I made myself in my first and third years here."

"Well, maybe some pictures; between the two of us, we must have a few hundred."

He pulls out his phone, and pulls up a picture of the two of them on a bike. "Here's us on my windrider, you had to climb a tree to find the right direction to get back. And this is when you sprained your ankle. We were hoverboarding and your balance wasn't what it is now."

He goes to show another picture, but Bloom says "Sky, I know your trying to help - and I appreciate that. But I don't remember much of anything. Not this place, not you, not even who I am. All I'm getting is a massive headache." She starts rubbing her temples, looking down at the ground instead of around. "I-I'm going for a walk."

"I'll come with you."

"No! I need some time alone is all. See you back at Alfea." She walks off into the forest, still rubbing her head and not looking where she's going.

Sky slumps his shoulders, that went terrible.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom: ever the stubborn fairy who likes to walk through the forest. Even without her memories, she'll go walking through the forest alone to try and clear her head. And what do you think will happen with the spell Darcy put on Techna's phone? Read on and find out more!**


	216. Robot Techna

_**Robot Techna**_

Bloom's walking through the forest, trying to get any relief from the pounding headache Sky accidentally brought on. After about five minutes, she eventually climbs up a tree. She has no idea where she's going, but she doesn't care either.

She instantly likes the view from standing up on the tree branch, and starts jumping from branch to branch like it's nothing. She nearly jumps high enough to hit her head on the branch four feet above her when a voice suddenly asks "Why am I not surprised you're up there?"

When she looks down, she sees a man that looks vaguely familiar - though, she's sure she'd remember hair that red. "Jeez, don't do that! I nearly hit my head _again._ Honestly, I don't think anyone would appreciate that - not after the last one apparently."

"What happened the last time you hit your head? You blow up, Bloom?"

"Wish I knew. Also wish I knew how I'm supposed to know you."

"Uh…what?" She jumps a foot in the air again, and turns to look at a guy in a hat with long blonde hair.

"You people like doing that to me, don't you?"

"We never could before - and we tried enough times. You don't remember?"

"No…and what's with the grin, Red?"

 _A_ _nagan, Duman, get over here. We finally scared Bloom!_

She hears the red-head's voice on her head, and suddenly, a guy in a trench coat is leaning against the tree. "Would you people stop that?!"

She looks around fast before anyone else can appear, and spots a bird sitting on the branch three feet from her face. "That bird isn't really a bird…is he?"

The bird changes before her eyes into a guy with pink hair in spikes. "Good guess Bloom. Fast as ever."

"Ok, how the heck do you four know me? Just to clarify, yesterday I woke up on the ground with a massive headache and nothing else in my head except how to use magic."

 _Damn Ogron, she really doesn't remember!_

"And for some reason, I can hear you in my head. So whatever you want to say, at least pretend to try and include me." That voice was blondie's, the one with the hat.

The red-head, who she's pretty sure is named Ogron, says "Alright, you saved our lives Bloom. About three different times. You also threatened to end them multiple times though."

"What? Why would I threaten to kill you and then save your lives, or the other way around?"

"We were on opposite sides, then we surrendered to you and your friends for protection." That was from the guy in the trench coat, who Bloom thinks is called Anagan.

"Alright, so why'd you surrender?"

"We were getting hunted by Warrior Fairies. They were also hunting the humans, so we had a common enemy. Which is probably the only reason you actually agreed - we kind of went too far the last time we fought you ladies." That's from the blond guy, who she still doesn't have a name for. The pink-spiked guy must be Duman though, the other name he said.

Ogron asks "You only know how to use magic?"

"Yeah, that's all I know. I don't know who I am, why I have no memories - but somehow I know I can have a set of wings on my back at any time I want and can make a fireball in my hand that can burn so hot it could melt metal into goo." She sits down against the tree, her hand glowing orange and blue against her forehead.

As the glow fades, her phone chimes. She looks at it for a moment, before answering.

 _B_ _loom! Get to the Archive immediately! I have a way to find the Sirenix Book!_

 _"What?_ I'll be right there!" She hangs up and jumps down to the ground, turning the jump into a roll.

"Sorry, gotta run! Techna can find a book we need to save the universe or something!" she yells that as she's running through the forest, she must be going nearly as fast as Anagan can again.

* * *

When she gets back to Alfea, she tears through the school to get to the Archive.

Techna's amazing technology is her phone - with a few upgrades. When she starts to explain, Stella half-seriously says "Techna, too technical!"

She glares, as the other three girls start laughing, until Bloom says she loves it. They all want to see, so they rise up on some platforms and she starts the program she and Timmy wrote.

It brings a book forward that burns Bloom's finger with the negative magical energy it possesses. Techna insists it's the right book though, and opens it.

It turns her into a robot, and her phone attaches to her chest. She says "Loading."

Stella says "Oh, Techna. Way too technical." She'd give just about anything for Techna to explain her program again, she'd listen a hundred times over to keep this from happening.

They try to break the spell by using their magic on the book, but nothing happens after two tries. Aisha notices Techna's phone glowing dark purple, and after three different disasters from books at the top of the Archive, Bloom finally manages to get the phone off Techna's chest-plate.

She immediately turns back to normal, and thinks it was a dream.

Musa says it wasn't a dream, but that she's back to normal now.

When Techna asks where her phone is, they all laugh and Stella says "Completely back to normal."

Flora asks "But how are we going to find the Sirenix Book now?"

The Archive is a total disaster, books are everywhere. They don't even know where most of them go, especially thanks to the torrent of water that Techna unleashed from the last book.

Bloom picks up Techna's phone, and says "I think we should try it."

Techna asks "You're sure?"

"Whatever dark spell was there is gone, but all the work you put into this is still there. I'm sure."

When Techna presses the button, the phone emits a beam of light that pulls a book with a moon over to them. Bloom instantly catches the book, and everyone cheers.

Bloom says "We have found the Sirenix Book, but if we open it our quest will begin. It will mean risking everything we have, everything we are, are we absolutely certain we want to do this?" She doesn't know where the feeling came from, but she is following it.

Stella says "Bloom's right. We have to be sure of this before we open the Book. Look what happened to Daphne, if we fail it could happen to us to - or worse!" They all look at one another, none of them know what to do.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Trix's hideout, Tritannus says he knows where they have to start to get Sirenix: Daphne.

The Trix instantly recognize the name, she's Bloom's' sister after all. All three look at each other worriedly - Icy even tears her eyes away from Tritannus to do so - going after Daphne is like a death-wish.

Bloom's gotten a lot stronger since her first year at Alfea, and trying to take someone that important from her is like asking her to kill them. If they really want to win, giving Bloom that very exceptional reason to kill them is probably not the way to go.

But she's the only one who knows how to get Sirenix, has Sirenix, if they want it then they have to get Daphne.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I decided to say where Bloom went when she went for a walk - turns out four guys living in a forest makes for a lot of hours doing nothing but walking around, and they can sense Bloom's magic since they still have theirs. Anybody wondering if the Trix will decide to go the smart route like the Wizards eventually did and not give Bloom a reason to kill them? Because, once she gets her memories back, any attempt at kidnapping Daphne will mean some consequences for the idiots who have her. Read on and find out! Enjoy!**


	217. Diaspro's Return

_**Diaspro's Return**_

The next morning, Aisha and Techna are debating over whether to open the Book or not. Aisha thinks they should, but Techna is more hesitant to open any book after what happened the last time she did.

Musa suddenly comes in saying Mrs. Faragonda wants them to come to a meeting in her office with the Sirenix Book.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom and Sky are talking outside. Sky shows her a DragonFire Bloom, her favorite flower. She puts it to her nose and breathes in, a smile forming on her lips.

Suddenly, they hear a new - and very unwelcome - voice. "Sky! I've been looking for you!"

When they turn towards the voice, Sky's heart sinks into the ground - Diaspro. Her banishment officially ended while they were chasing down Loki's spear, but he was a little too busy to run off to Eraklyon and keep her gone.

She saunters over and walks between him and Bloom, then behind Sky - and wraps her arms around his neck from behind, practically draping herself onto him. Sky unhooks her hands, but she just moves over and virtually glues herself to his side - the one that was closer to Bloom.

"I heard about your memories from Crystal, Bloom, too bad about them." Diaspro's voice has a sickly-sweet layer of sugar over it, barely disguised glee and malice.

"Um, how do I know you?"

"You and I met at a tournament at Red Fountain, but _Sky_ and I go much farther back, old childhood friends you see." Disapro's wrapping an arm around Sky again, and Bloom immediately gets the unspoken message.

"Oh, I see."

"Yes, I haven't seen him in years though."

Before Sky can retort that there's a very good reason for that, Bloom says "Well, I'll let you two catch up then. See you Sky." The flower she was holding falls to the ground as she walks away, heading in a random direction.

Diaspro says "Well, that was even easier than I thought it would be. Of course, poor Bloom was always so independent."

Sky immediately snaps out of his shock, and pushes Diaspro off him at once. "What do you think you're doing Diaspro? I told you to leave us alone."

"Yes, well, I heard about Bloom's missing memories from Crystal and thought I'd say hello."

"Well, you've said hello, now it's time for you to say goodbye as well. Bloom might not remember the fact that you're my jealous ex, but I certainly do - and you're not getting between us."

"Well, from the looks of it, there isn't a 'you' at the moment. There's nothing for me to get between."

She smiles deviously at him, and Sky says "Diaspro, I'm only going to say this once. Stay away from Bloom. Don't tell her anything, don't hint at anything, and don't try to bring back her memories. I know you, you'd only just make her remember the Millennium Party and her captivity afterward - except for the part of how you caused it all. I mean it, leave us alone."

Sky walks away, but Diaspro says "She wouldn't forget. If Bloom truly loved you, she wouldn't forget it."

Sky whirls around and marches over to her. "She lost her memories because she saved me from a spell from Icy. It cost her every memory she had - except for using magic. She still knows how to do that. Also, she's still Bloom - so don't get any ideas about telling her anything. _It won't work._ "

Sky stalks off to find Bloom, wondering where an amnesiac Bloom would go. She went farther in the school, but that still leaves plenty to cover.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom was walking through the school invisibly, not wanting anyone to ask what happened. If that happens, she's pretty sure she'd just break down in tears.

 **Bloom.**

 _Wha…? Oh, hey Ember._

 **What's wrong?**

 _I don't know how to explain._

 **Come to me.**

Bloom follows the voice/waves of feelings to the stables in Alfea, and finds a massive scaled body lying back there.

She goes and sits down next to Ember, sliding down the scaly body until she hits the floor. "Oh Ember, what am I going to do?"

She sends her all the memories in an attempt to explain, and feels a wave of comfort pass through her - but it doesn't really calm her much. Now she actually does start crying, taking in sobbing breaths as she tries to work out what's going on.

Somehow, she isn't the least surprised to hear a man's voice asks "What's wrong, Bloom?" It's definitely not Sky's, she knows that instantly - and she's also instantly comfortable around him.

He's got black hair going to his shoulders and skin as pale as hers, and he looks concerned for her. He sits down next to her, but she can't feel him. "I don't know - well, aside from losing nearly all my memories. I woke up and the only thing I knew how to do was use my magic. Other than that, nothing. So, not to be rude or weird, but who are you? And, how do you know me?"

"I'm Loki, your adopted brother."

"Oh. So, why can't I sense you? Please tell me your alive."

Loki chuckles for a moment, and says "Yes, I'm alive. So is Thor, your other brother. Along with Sif and the others. As for why you can't sense me, I'm not really there. I'm actually projecting an illusion of myself that I'm looking through. You made a scrying bowl back on Asgard for us, so we would know you were alive."

"Oh, so, your checking up on me?"

"Yes, more or less." He puts an arm around her, using a little telekinesis to make it feel more real. "So, why the tears?"

"This guy, his name's Sky. He's been really nice and helpful, trying to help me remember, but a few minutes ago, this other girl…she was _draping_ herself on him!"

She buries her face in her hands again, and Loki asks "Does this girl happen to have blonde hair and brown eyes? And the name of Diaspro?"

"Yes!" She wipes one cheek, and looks at him.

"She's jealous, she wants Sky is all."

"Yeah, well, they were childhood friends, and…"

Suddenly, the door to the stables opens and they hear a familiar voice. "Bloom! You in here?" Now its Sky, he sounds worried.

Loki whispers "I'll talk to him, Bloom."

* * *

He gets up, luckily Sky's already halfway into the stables. He doesn't want to be seen by anyone that doesn't already know about him - that would cause way too many questions without any answers most people would believe or like. Not that Bloom is about pleasing everybody, but everybody can make life really difficult if they really try.

Sky starts, and then relaxes when he realizes its Loki standing in front of him. "Loki! Don't do that, now I know where Bloom gets that from."

"Speaking of Bloom, why is my sister crying and why is she missing most of her memories?"

"The memory-thing is because she saved me from a blast from Icy. She was trying to protect me, as usual."

Loki can fully believe that - that's who Bloom is after all. "Ok, but why is she crying and saying Diaspro is back?"

"Because she is. I got a call from my father saying her banishment was up while we were travelling around Earth, but by the time I got back here it was way too late to do anything about it. As for what she did today, that was not my idea. She played on Bloom's amnesia, saying we were childhood friends and hadn't seen each other in a while."

Loki frowns, and says "That's true though."

"Yeah, which is why Bloom didn't tell her to shove off. Diaspro only said it while her arms were around my neck and she was gluing herself to my side." Sky scowls and looks down.

Loki says "Well, don't hurt my sister. Memories or not, she's still my sister - and Thor's."

"Spare me the speech, Loki, if I ever hurt Bloom again, I'll be more worried about what she'll do. And I don't plan on hurting her." Sky says nothing for a moment, then asks "Bloom's back there?"

"Yeah, sitting next to Ember."

"Right, the other being I'd be immediately worried about not dying from. Thanks."

Loki steps aside, letting the illusion of himself there go and returning to his body on Asgard.

Sky has no doubt he and Thor are both watching, just perfect. He doesn't really mind, except it's a little unnerving when he knows they're watching.

He goes around the corner, and is greeted by a low growl from Ember. It's not threatening, more like she's talking to him.

He gives Ember half a smile for a moment, before focusing on the fire-headed girl sitting next to her dragon. "Hey, Bloom."

"Oh, hey." She looks away, he can tell she's pretending to have only just noticed he was there.

"Bloom, let me explain." When she doesn't say no, he sits down maybe six inches apart from her.

"Yes, Diaspro and I grew up together. Yes, we used to be good friends. But she changed after a while, either because she turned into someone other than who I thought she was or because I didn't know who she really was. Everything had to be about her, it all had to go her way, she always had to get what she wanted - it was getting really frustrating after a while."

"Sky, the way she said it…"

"Bloom, everything she said was technically true, but the impression she was giving was a total lie. She made you think I'm dating her, right?"

Bloom squeezes her eyes shut and nods her head, fighting back another round of tears. "Well I'm not. My father had me dating her when I first met you, but I never loved her. I managed to convince him to end the arranged marriage after I met you, and I broke it off with Diaspro the same day."

"So, why hasn't she seen you in a while?" Bloom can see not wanting to marry someone but still being friends with them.

"A few years ago, she tried to make me say I was still in love with her. She put a spell on me, made me her puppet. She controlled everything I said and did, I barely remember the night and nothing much afterward." Bloom puts her chin on her knees, looking at the ground.

"What I know for sure is she made me hurt you. I told her could still be friends, but not after that. Controlling me was bad enough, but she made me say and do stuff to hurt you specifically - that's not something I can forgive. After Stella broke the spell, and I recovered, I had her banished. And then, I spent the next two months going crazy wondering if you were alright, if you could ever forgive me…if Diaspro hadn't ruined my chances of being with the most amazing girl I've ever known." Bloom's eyes flash orange in the darkness, and she leans into him.

Sky slowly wraps an arm around her shoulders, after he's sure she won't freak and run. She leans her head on his shoulder and they just sit that way for a minute or so.

Then, Stella walks in and says "Bloom! There you are! I've been looking all over! Mrs. Faragonda's having a meeting in her office, it's about the Sirenix Book!"

"Right, I'll…I'll be right there Stella."

Stella tactfully leaves, and Bloom looks at Sky. "Sorry, but…"

"I know, you have to save the world again. It's cool, that's your life Bloom." He wraps his other arm around her for an instant, before rising with her in his arms. "Remember, Diaspro's just trying to get to you. Don't let her, don't listen to her."

She rests her head on his shoulder, and Stella calls out "Hey, you two still hear me in there?"

Bloom sighs, and then reluctantly turns around and leaves.

* * *

 **AN: Oh joy, Diaspro's back - again, her act is getting really old. Looks like she got a little smarter though, or she spent hours coming up with a way to get Bloom out of the way that might've worked. Who knew she'd figure out how to turn Bloom's knack for reading people against her? Either way, read on and find out if the girls are going to open the Book or not! Enjoy!**


	218. Nature's Key

_**Nature's Key**_

Once all six fairies are in Mrs. Faragonda's office, she tells them that they all have to agree to be able to open the Sirenix Book. She also tells them that if they fail in the Sirenix Quest, they will lose their powers forever - which must be why Daphne never told Bloom about Sirenix until now.

To change the subject, she says she wants them to represent Alfea in the Challenge of Greynor - and if they succeed, they will get a boon that will help them with opening the Book. All the best fairies in the Magical Dimension will be there, and Stella jokingly asks "So, your saying we're the best fairies in Alfea?"

"Well Stella, as you would say, if the shoe fits!"

Everyone starts laughing, glad to be off the morbid subject of the Sirenix Curse.

* * *

At Greynor, around twelve teams of fairies are there including the Winx.

The Ancestral Spirit of Nature says she will give one of the teams a boon if they can complete her task: find the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle. It won't be easy, the Creature is elusive and will only appear if they prove themselves worthy.

The Winx split up in two groups, Techna, Musa, and Stella going to search the mountain, while Bloom, Flora, and Aisha search the forest around the river.

Techna, Stella, and Musa are walking along a path around fifteen minutes later and Stella starts jokingly complaining. When she asks if Techna cares - because she only says they have to keep going - Techna freezes and says "I do care, I care a lot! But on Zenith, we don't show our emotions much - or at all, really."

Stella says "I was just joking Techna."

"But after what happened in the Archive…"

Musa puts a hand on her shoulder, saying "Nobody blames you Techna."

"I was turned into a robot! How can you ever trust me again?"

Stella says "We trust you Techna."

Musa adds "With our lives if it comes to that." They hug for a second, and then keep looking for the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle.

They pass three fairies using a locator spell to find the Creature, but Techna has some serious doubts that the spell will work. It wouldn't be a challenge if a simple spell like that would work so easily. The three other fairies decide to follow them, thinking they can take them by surprise and get the Boon.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the river, Flora, Aisha, and Bloom are having no luck. Aisha is still debating about opening the Book, and Bloom points out the fact that the Curse took her sister's body.

They end the topic with what they could do with Sirenix, and Flora gets an idea. She conjures up a bush of magical strawberries to attract magical creatures. They hear something in a nearby bush, and Flora holds out a berry.

But, the creature that's in the bush looks less like a 'Rainbow Creature' than anything Bloom can imagine. Its all-black for starters, and has long fangs and glowing red eyes. If that's the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle, it disguises itself extremely well.

When it growls threateningly and snaps at Flora, she's pretty sure it's not the right creature. Bloom growls back at it, having already discovered her slitted eyes and dragon-habits. The Winx explained what happened, how she went to Pyros and became part-dragon - it actually sounds really amazing, but then she collapsed from shock a moment later. Now, she isn't in the least afraid of the giant creature she's growling at, it's more like she's being threatened and is defending herself.

Suddenly, the Trix are in the sky, and Icy says "I don't think it likes you."

The creature hits Flora with its freaky tail - it looks like a scorpion's tail really. It wraps the tail around her unconscious form, and then Bloom's shock snaps into ferocious action.

She doesn't transform, she doesn't need to though. She jumps onto the creature's back and starts riding it like a rodeo bull. It lets Flora go to attack the dangerous opponent, who grabs its tail and wraps it around its head. While Bloom's wrestling with the creature, Icy Darcy and Stormy go to find the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle and destroy it.

* * *

Stella, Techna, and Musa are walking through the forest, and spot a doe-like creature with multi-colored antlers on its head. The three other fairies that have been following them for the past twenty minutes rush out to be the first to find the creature, but Techna doesn't think it's the right one. They find some round prints, but they just lead to a brown horse in the bushes.

When Stella insists the doe-creature with multi-colored antlers is the Rainbow Creature, it runs off - but that might be because Icy, Darcy, and Stormy are floating above them all.

The three fairies who were following Techna, Musa, and Stella blast at Icy, but they are also shaking like leaves. Icy says "Big Mistake."

Stormy sends a bolt of lightning at them, but Stella makes a bubble around them. Musa and Stella block attacks from Icy and Stormy, but Darcy hits them from the side and knocks them to the ground - knocking the horse that was watching off the cliff!

The rest of the Winx show up just as Icy's about to push the horse off the branch its holding onto. Musa, Stella, and Techna are out cold, but Bloom tells them to fight someone who can fight back.

The branch the horse is holding onto breaks, but Bloom saves her using a Dragon Wing. She sets the horse off to the side of the battle, and then gets ready to fight.

Aisha traps Icy in a Morphix net, but Darcy knocks her down and then throws Flora to the woods with a Shadow Hand. Bloom catches her, but Icy breaks free and slows them down by spelling their legs. Bloom calls on her strength, and fire surrounds her. The spell on her breaks, and she sends a firedragon to the Trix.

That works better than anything else has since they got so much stronger, they actually get knocked down. But Bloom's fairly exhausted now, the rest of the Winx are either knocked out or stuck where they are, and the Trix are getting back up.

Suddenly, right before the Trix's next attack hits them, the horse Bloom saved before neighs and changes. Its brown coat turns bright white, and its short mane turns long and rainbow-colored.

The horse races between the Winx and the Trix, blocking their attack and waking Musa, Stella, and Techna. Its power also breaks Icy's spell on Aisha and Flora, letting them move again.

The three witches try to destroy it, but the ex-horse unleashes a wave of magic that sends them flying back to their hideout.

Bloom approaches, and it lets her stroke its hair gratefully. Bloom hesitates for a moment, until the horse nods at her. Then she runs her hand along its neck with a feeling like awe going through her. She doesn't know how she would have felt before, but she really hopes she would have felt the same way.

When they get back to Greynor, the Winx are all de-transformed and Bloom has her hand on the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle's shoulder.

The Ancestral Spirit of Nature says the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle has looked into their hearts, seen their deeds, and found them worthy. She gives them her boon, Nature's Key, and says what was closed to them is now open, their quest can now begin. It's like the Spirit knows about the Sirenix Quest, but Bloom doesn't think about that right now.

* * *

Back at Alfea, they gather around the Sirenix Book. Bloom asks "Should we open the Sirenix Book?"

Everyone agrees without hesitation. "I agree. Nature's Key."

They all start glowing, using the boon they got for completing the challenge earlier. The Book opens, and a pink-blue glow rises from the pages.

 _The Quest for Sirenix has begun, but be warned. Sirenix has a curse upon it: you must complete the Quest by one lunar cycle, or you will lose your powers forever._

Bloom says "We know, and we're ready to begin."

 _You must find the Gems of Self-Confidence, Empathy, and Courage that are scattered throughout the oceans of the Magical Dimension._

Aisha says "Now that will be challenging."

Musa adds "And since our Believix powers don't work so well underwater…"

Suddenly, six jeweled boxes in the shape of starfish appear in their hands.

 _For each of you, a Sirenix Box. Your Sirenix Guardian lives within, and you can call on them when you need help._

Suddenly, they all start glowing - and they feel suddenly stronger.

 _Your Sirenix Guardians have granted you the Power of Harmonix, which will allow you to swim faster, breathe underwater when transformed, and freely use your magic underwater._

They all cheer, now they might have a chance at stopping the Trix and finishing the Quest!

They also get their first clue, it's a riddle that none of them can make sense of. It's about twisting and turning and Shimmering Shells - what are the Shimmering Shells?

Aisha has heard of them before, a cove on Andros called the Cove of the Shimmering Shells - only problem, it's practically a myth and nobody knows where it is.

Techna can't find anything with a search on her phone, so she, Musa, and Flora go back to the Archive while Bloom, Stella, and Aisha go to Andros.

About ten minutes later, the three fairies are at Lake Roccaluce waiting for the ride Aisha's father is sending. Moments later, an intricately designed yacht comes out of a portal and stops at the shore. It's the Explorer Odyssey, and it can travel to any body of water in the Magical Dimension. They travel to Andros, while Techna, Musa, and Flora load all the data on Andros onto the Simulator to try to find the cove.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, they are on the Quest! I just loved having Bloom show the creature that attacked Flora who's boss, just too funny not to put in. Memory-less or not, Bloom's still as kick-butt as ever. The Trix are in so much trouble if they try just about anything, Bloom doesn't fight dirty but she won't pull any punches when it comes to them.**


	219. Toxic Hallucinations

_**Toxic Hallucinations**_

Techna, Flora, and Musa are in the Simulator, trying to find the Cove of the Shimmering Shells. The simulation should be an exact replica of the oceans on Andros, Techna updated her maps of the planet on her phone and used them as the data they loaded into the Simulator.

Techna finds something in the West, and they swim that way - and then Techna uses the wrist communicators she made for all of them to give the other three fairies directions.

* * *

On Andros, the yacht gets to a cove where the waters are hazardous, but they should be more than ok with their Harmonix powers.

When the fairies transform, they get dresses that end in the front at their knees and end in the back at their feet, silky-soft cloth wrapped around each leg, their hair pulled back, and shell diadems on their foreheads. It's beautiful, and it's also powerful - especially underwater. When they get down, swimming is easier than ever and they can use their wings now!

Stella says "Maybe we should be careful girls. No telling what down here."

Aisha says "Everything so far is perfectly harmless!"

Suddenly, a huge shadow appears over them - buts it's not a giant, carnivorous fish. It's a blue Selkie: Lemmie!

She and Aisha bond, which restores her powers. When she explains how Tritannus stole her powers, they aren't surprised in the least. Another reason to hate him, and another reason to stop him.

Lemmie leads them to the Labyrinth of the Abysses, which looks like a building and is really dark inside. It looks like it should have cobwebs and spiders in it - it does have slithery eels though.

Stella says "It's a little creepy in here."

Aisha replies "It is supposed to be a test of Self-Confidence, Stella."

Bloom makes a ball of firelight in her hands and floats it in front of them - letting them all see the room. It's got intricate carvings and statues - she'd love to draw it if it weren't underwater where her sketchbook would be ruined.

Lemmie leads them through, and it turns out they aren't the first visitors since Daphne came through - Tritannus slimed the place! Bloom's ball of light reveals oil and pollution everywhere, it's really disgusting actually.

The last room is the worst though, even with Bloom's spell, they can hardly see their hands in front of their faces. But Bloom can hear something, has heard it since two rooms ago - it's like something in here is singing to them.

It's definitely coming from this room, but the oil is so thick they can't find it. Bloom hears a scraping sound, and then the pollution closes in on them so thick they are choking on it.

* * *

When Bloom opens her eyes, she's back to her human form and lying on her back. When she sits up, she sees a version of herself glowing dark purple. It looks like a mirror image of herself, except this version has a look of cruelty on her face Bloom doesn't like. "What? Who are you?"

"I'm you, or rather, you were me."

"What?!"

"You'll never remember how to be me. You'll never remember!" Bloom tries to protest, but ends up burying her face in her hands.

Stella is facing another replica of herself, but this one is telling her she'll never be a fashion designer. Bloom suggested the idea when she gave them new outfits for the trip to Andros, and she instantly loved the idea. But the replica of herself is telling her it's never going to happen because she has no talent for it.

Aisha's test feature's Tritannus. He's hurling a torrent of verbal abuse at her - and because he looks like the cousin she grew up loving, despite everything he did and is likely planning to do, she can't find it in her to blast him.

Bloom snaps out of it first, realizing that if this was who she was she doesn't want to go back to that. Besides, she could never be that mean to anyone, that just-plain-cruel.

Bloom quickly stands up and whirls around on the image, saying "Maybe I won't remember, but if your actually who I was then I don't want to be you!"

The mirror image of herself takes a step back and dissolves, revealing the dark magic making the illusion.

Bloom contacts Stella, then Aisha, telling them it's an illusion and to believe in themselves.

Stella tells her image she will make a gig as a fashion designer work, and Aisha blasts the image of Tritannus. He was saying they'd never be strong enough to stop him - she doesn't care what he has to say anymore.

* * *

They all wake up at the same time, and Aisha wakes up Lemmie.

Bloom looks down and sees what might be very large clamshells underneath a very thick layer of slimy oil. "Girls, I think I know where to find the Shimmering Shells - we just have to make them shimmer again."

She points at the three large objects, and they each put a hand on one. As soon as all three objects have a hand touching them, they start to glow and shine - and when they can look again, the shells have turned bright white with pink insides.

 _We are the Shimmering Shells. You heard our song, and proved you have Confidence in yourselves. You are worthy to continue the Quest. Listen: Venture where the dark depths of the ocean shine. A precious Gem, Self-Confidence, lies in the Deeps._

Stella complains "Man, another riddle."

* * *

That night, in their room, the Winx have been searching for hours with nothing. Bloom's still the biggest reader despite her missing memories - not even Techna can figure out how she can read five books at the same time with them floating around her head.

Everyone else is on the verge of giving up, until Stella gets the idea to ask her Sirenix Guardian for help. She won't solve the riddle for them, but gives Stella a really big hint by advising her to 'think about it, Princess of Solaria.'

She then disappears into the starfish-shaped box, but she didn't give no help at all like Stella thinks. Stella starts naming off the many things she knows about Solaria, but gets a sudden answer when she gets to the past royalty: the Royal Deeps, where the water is deep and dark but filled with light!

They all cheer, they practically have the Gem of Self-Confidence in the bag now! All they have to do is go get it, but that can wait until tomorrow.

They all go to bed, except Bloom stays awake looking through her massive sketchbook. She drew all the pictures by hand, but she doesn't remember any of them.

Now she knows what Thor looks like, a drawing of two older people in armor sends a jolt of sorrow through her heart, and she gets a really big surprise when she finds a picture of her standing next to Sky. His arms are around her waist, and she is caught mid-laugh. She looks incredibly happy, but Bloom doesn't remember how to be that happy.

A few more pages later, they turn to a forest that Bloom instantly loves. Its insanely green, nowhere she remembers is that green, and Ember isn't the only dragon in some of them. There are dragons of all shapes, sizes, and looks drawn by hand - probably all different color combinations as well.

She spends nearly two hours looking through her drawings, trying to get some kind of idea as to who she was before she lost her memories. When she gets to the picture she drew on Pyros of the clearing with the Wizards, Roxy, herself, Ember, and the mother-dragon and her hatchlings, she isn't all that surprised to see she's lying on a tree branch reading a book.

When she opened her laptop the day before, she found a folder titled 'WotBC' in the recycle bin, and when she clicked on it, the titled lengthened to 'WotBC - not relevant anymore.'

After a minute of deliberation, she hits the 'Empty Recycle Bin' button and permanently deletes the folder. If she thought it wasn't important, then she's going to trust it wasn't anymore.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, had to make up a few things for the test of Self-Confidence - I think it went great though. Keep reading, more updates coming soon! Enjoy, please review if you have suggestions.**


	220. Gem of Self-Confidence

_**Gem of Self-Confidence**_

The next day, Stella, Flora, and Aisha are going to Solaria, while Bloom, Musa, and Techna stay at Alfea.

Bloom and Sky are talking, she's asking if any of the pictures she drew ever actually happened. Sky actually looked jealous at the picture of the six people plus family of dragons, until he realized she was up reading in a tree by herself. Then he says that he thinks that one happened, but he wasn't there so he's not a hundred percent positive. The picture of him hugging her definitely happened, along with the one of the Frutti Music Bar. Musa was up on stage in that one, singing her heart out in front of a huge crowd.

Suddenly, Bloom's phone buzzes with a news feed from Earth. Gardenia's ocean is getting heavily polluted suddenly. The water is turning black with oil and garbage is washing up all along the beach.

Bloom, Techna, Sky, and Musa go back to Gardenia while the rest of the Winx go to Solaria with Brandon on the Odyssey Explorer.

When Bloom, Musa, Sky, and Techna get to Gardenia, the water is thick with oil and slime - and they can tell it's being pulled downwards. Not hard to guess who's here: Tritannus.

He's low on pollution again, after stealing the powers of Illyris, the Keeper of the Gate to Solaria, and then travelling a few miles into Solaria's waters. So now, he's back on Earth to refuel and mutate again. More important than where the pollution is going, though, is where it's coming from.

When they look around, they see an oil plant spilling oil into the water at the edge of a cliff. It's literally spewing oil from a large pipe, which is likely right above Tritannus and his trident. When they try to get closer though, the Trix spot them and start a fight.

The Winx transform, and when Sky sees Bloom's newest transformation he can't help grinning like a fool.

 _I'm the luckiest guy in this entire universe._

The side-thought that Loki and Thor come up as real close seconds pops into his head a moment later, but he isn't jealous of Bloom's adopted family. His brain turns back on when Bloom yells "Sky, we'll handle the Trix, you stop the Mutants!"

He nods and gets his sword hilt out to fight. Despite the new transformation, the Trix seriously think they can take the Winx as easily as they did in the Magic Archive. They are quickly disillusioned of that when Musa's Reverberating Notes spell knocks Icy back ten feet in the air. "What? But they're not supposed to be that strong!"

Musa yells "Yes, but we are!"

Stormy tries to hit Techna with lightning, but gets a Storm of Numbers in the stomach instead. Darcy tries to blind Techna by encasing her in darkness, she uses X-Ray Vision and hits Darcy easily.

Then its Bloom's turn. She might not remember much, but she does remember how to use magic - especially how to make an attack and fire it at her target. Her Fire Blade hits all three of them and knocks them twenty yards away, and Darcy yells "She's pushing us around!"

Stormy says "That's impossible!"

Bloom replies "No, that's Harmonix!"

Sky is fighting the Mutants, but he's backed against a cliff and can't fly. Bloom goes to help him, fighting off one Mutant while Sky deals with the other.

Suddenly, Icy takes a shot at Bloom - but the fairy reacts on instinct and whips out her sword. It's on fire, and she slashes through the attack easily.

Musa handles the two Mutants, which are coming back for another assault, Techna stops the pipe from pouring oil into the water, and Icy, Darcy, and Stormy ready a convergence attack on Bloom. Before they can let it loose, she spins around with her sword, adding her new strength to what is already stored in the blade, a literal fire-blade - and let's loose a wave of fire that knocks all three witches to the ground. When they try to blast her - weakly this time - she makes a barrier using Dragon's Embrace that is strong enough to bounce all three attacks back at them perfectly.

Darcy asks "What is that?"

Stormy answers "That is the new Bloom."

Icy yells "I don't like her!"

They run and jump into the oily water with the two Mutants following - which frees the workers Darcy was controlling.

* * *

 ***Solaria***

Meanwhile, Stella, Aisha, and Flora are searching for the Royal Deeps. They are in the general area, but they have no idea where the light is actually coming from down here.

They meet up with Lemmie and Illyris, and Stella and Illyris bond. Illyris's powers are restored at that, and she leads them through a valley that is like paradise. Now Aisha and Stella understand why Bloom likes Pyros so much, this place is absolutely beautiful!

When Illyris leads them into the right area, they find Tritannus has been in the area - its covered in oil! Suddenly, they see a silver shield reflecting light back up to the surface - which is why the Royal Deeps are filled with light!

Stella thinks she sees something in the center of the shield, but before she can take a closer look a shadow falls over them. The creature looks like a jellyfish - but one Tritannus got to. Its huge, and has a freaky eye in the center of its body.

It tries to hit the Selkies with one tentacle, and nearly crushes them under falling rocks. Flora saves them, and then gets turned to stone by a weird energy ray from the monster's eye!

Stella gets cornered by the creature next to the shield, but it doesn't turn to stone when she uses it to protect herself. That gives her a fabulous idea - and she and Aisha swim over by Flora. "Hey Jelly-monster! Over here!"

She's taking a cue from Bloom: get your target's attention. It works, and the shield deflects the resulting stone-ray back at the monster - turning it to stone instead.

Stella uses the shield to turn Flora back to flesh and blood, and she gratefully hugs Stella.

Aisha asks "How'd you know that would work?"

"I didn't. but I thought this," she uses a little magic to pull out the small stone she noticed earlier "might be the Gem of Self-Confidence. So, I gave it a try."

Flora adds "Confidently."

Their Sirenix Boxes appear, and copies of the Gem of Self-Confidence appear on the top leg of the Starfish.

Back in Gardenia, the same thing happens with Bloom, Musa, and Techna's Boxes. They all cheer, and Bloom throws her arms around Sky before realizing what she's doing. Sky shocks her even more by picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. He really wants to kiss her - but the lung-crushing hug she gives is more than enough for right now.

* * *

With Tritannus and the Trix, Icy's telling him how Harmonix made the Winx too strong to beat once again - especially Bloom.

They don't know it, but she's getting quite the list of things she can control. Fire is a given, at the top of her list. Then plants, because of Sophix. Then ice, thanks to Loveix. And now, her powers are fully effective underwater - there's no telling what will happen with Sirenix.

Tritannus laughs and says "Well, there's only one thing we need - Bloom's sister, Daphne."

All three witches start laughing - carefully avoiding thinking about what will happen once they kidnap Daphne. If Bloom finds out it was them, she will have no hesitations about storming their hideout and taking Daphne back - and that's without her memories, which they still don't know are missing.

* * *

 **AN: And they're even considering taking Daphne why? Bloom's already impossible to beat, giving her that fantastic reason to be done with their constant trying-to-take-over-the-world plans every year is just plain idiotic. I'd have thought that at least one of them would have had enough brains in the cartoon to take two seconds to think that maybe ticking off the most powerful person in an entire universe - a universe of people who have magic, I might add - might not be the best idea. Either way, they don't think about it then, and they sure aren't thinking about it now. WOnder how long it'll take for Bloom to be done with them for good? Read on and find out!**


	221. Avoiding a Party

_**Avoiding a Party**_

Bloom's talking with Daphne, worried about the Sirenix Quest. "Oh Daph, if we don't get all three Gems in one lunar cycle, a month, we'll lose our powers."

Daphne smiles and says "Bloom, your friends are strong, trust in them."

Bloom does trust them, with her life if she had to - which she gets the feeling she has before - but she's really worried. With the Trix and Tritannus constantly interfering, there's no telling what could happen.

* * *

Bloom turns to the side, giving Daphne a view of the party going on down in the Alfea courtyard. It's the Annual Alfea-Red Fountain Mixer, but Bloom's not planning on going down.

She may be in the party outfit Stella picked out and demanded she wear, but she'd much rather be curled up on her bed with a ball of fire floating over her shoulder and Ember sitting beside her. She looks over at the crowd, sliding down the wall and onto her butt.

Bloom spots Sky talking with Stella, and turns invisible before she can spot the fire-head.

 _And you aren't down there why?_

She nearly jumps out of her skin, but luckily she keeps the invisibility going. "Jeez, will you four _stop that?!"_

 _Nope, too much fun. But seriously, why aren't you enjoying the party?_

"Not my scene. I get the feeling it never really was."

She tries to calm her now-racing heart, and notices Stella making her way through the crowd towards the building. "Why can't you four find something better to do than scare me half to death? Seriously, there's a whole city near here you know."

 _This is too much fun. We never could so much as sneak up on you before you lost your memories._

"Yeah, well, I'm still paranoid, in case you're wondering. I've caught myself counting exits and the number of heat signatures down there three times in the last five minutes. Also, I can tell your watching even when your silent. Something about the fact that I keep thinking someone's watching me. Oh, look. Now it's just doubled. Hey Brothers."

 **Ok, get down there, Bloom.**

"Nice try Loki. You're in another universe, same as Thor. I may listen to you, but I also listen to the little voice in my head that tells me to not risk getting kidnapped. And I'm pretty sure you all know why."

She looks around, like she's looking for all of them. "Ok, Thor, Loki. You two really want me to go down there and at least pretend to not be insanely worried about losing what is about half my life, don't you?"

 **Yes, relax for a change.**

"Ha, ha. Very funny. I may not remember being kidnapped and captured half a dozen times, but my body sure does. I'm not relaxing 'til all these people go back to wherever it is they came from. And you four guys are just going to get a kick out of this either way, aren't you?"

 _Oh, big time. Your impossible to fight, we'd actually like to know what it is you can't do._

"You mean besides remember being the girl you couldn't fight?" She sighs, and looks over at the party.

"And look at that, Stella's gone. Probably coming to drag me down there." She really wants to simply pull up her hood on her jacket and zip it up and just skip the party - except Sky's down there.

She's not just talking with Daphne - and now the Wizards of the Black Circle and her adopted Asgardian brothers - she's also been working up the nerve to go down there. "Look, I've got a lot to worry about without feeling six plus sets of invisible eyes on me. Tritannus and the Trix, getting Sirenix, gaining my memories back or dealing with the fact of their loss, I really can't take a whole lot more at this point."

Her phone buzzes, playing the song 'You Don't Know Me' once again. She clicks the reject button - because it says 'Don't Answer' as the caller ID. "Great, whoever they are, they really want to talk to me apparently."

 _Or they're from your father. He's sent messengers over the phone before._

"Well, I'll wait for him to call then. The title says Don't Answer, so I'm not."

 _That was you and your weird sense of humor._

"Yeah, well, I'm trusting myself - even if I can't remember setting that ID." She knows Stella's about to be there any second, she probably can't avoid this party much longer. "Watch this. Three…two…one…now."

* * *

As soon as she says the last word, the door opens and Stella walks out. "Bloom, I know you're out here. Techna said you were talking with Daphne. Turn visible already."

She winks into visibility, sitting next to the balcony railing. She's got her belt on, and she's fingering the spot where she can feel her knife hilt. "Oh Bloom, come on. You're missing the party!"

"Party for me Stell. You must know a party's your thing and not mine."

"Yeah, your thing is reading at night and drawing in your sketchbook - and talking with your older - some of them much older - siblings. Communing with your Ethereal sister and Asgardian Brothers is cool and all, but this party is here, now, in the moment. It's happening!" She snaps her fingers and gives herself a green highlight - and then a pink one for Bloom.

She looks at her pink bangs and the streak of pink going down her back and can't help cracking up a little. "Oh, and said Asgardian brothers say hi by the way. Along with four guys in the forest sitting next to a stream."

 _How the heck did you know that?_

Bloom smirks, then can't hold back the snort of derisive laughter a moment later. "Because you four can't light a campfire to save your lives between the four of you."

Stella laughs and sits down next to Bloom. "It's so weird to see someone talking to thin air you know."

"Yeah? Try hearing them in your head when they aren't talking to you. It's like I'm going crazy half the time."

 _You can…?_

"Hear you four? Yeah, even though I'm here in Alfea and you're in a cave in the forest. I can hear you four talking in my head. It's kind of distracting when you're trying to solve a riddle and finish a quest that could take our powers for good."

Stella says "Come on Bloom, enjoy yourself a little. You don't have to be constantly ready to go on the next mission you know."

Bloom looks down for a moment and says "Stella, everyone expects me to be this perfect leader. The one who knows exactly what we're supposed to do and exactly how to do it. But I'm not, I have no idea what to do. Until the Book spits out its next riddle for us to solve, we have no clue of what we're supposed to do or anything."

"Bloom, let me tell you a little secret. When the Wizards showed up out of nowhere and attacked, none of us had any idea what to do. We didn't know what to do when we freed the Earth Fairies and discovered they were out for revenge on the humans and the Wizards - and I know for a fact nobody had any idea of what to do when Ogron showed up looking to surrender."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Because you were asleep at your desk the next morning using the Great Book of Fairies as a pillow." Bloom sputters a laugh at that, then looks at the crowd below for a second.

"And besides, Sky is dying to dance with you." She automatically finds the blonde boy in the crowd, then looks away as her face goes bright red.

"Yeah, Sky…" She looks at her feet and turns invisible from embarrassment.

"Oh, come on Bloom. I know your face is as red as it turned the time you first met him. Ironically, that was also at a party."

"How many parties did you drag me to?"

"That one was in our dorm Bloom. We had to clean the entire school and asked the guys for help. Afterward, we threw a party and you came over with your face as red as your hair." Bloom fades into visibility with her face in her hands.

Stella pulls Bloom up by the hand, saying "Now come on, let's go down and enjoy the party. We can get some punch and have some fun for a bit."

Bloom sighs, knowing she isn't getting out of this easily. "Fine, Stell. Five minutes."

"At least. Now, let's go down there."

Bloom says "Sorry guys, but if I'm going to be in a sea of people getting bumped into all the time, I really don't want six sets of eyes on me the whole time." She snaps her fingers and the feeling of being heavily watched instantly vanishes.

* * *

She teleports them down, trying to get four voices laughing out of her head. As soon as they walk down the steps, Musa and Flora come over and Stella gives them highlights as well. Aisha is next, with her curly brown hair turned green in the center. Musa's ponytail and Flora's bangs and long locks of hair that are pulled up turn light pink, and they love it.

Stella grabs Bloom's wrist and points out Brandon and Sky - and Bloom suddenly wants to turn invisible again and go find Ember. No such luck, Stella drags her over.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, happy late Halloween! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, had homework and a test to do. If anybody's wondering, I had to keep Bloom knowing about her magic so she didn't accidentally destroy the school or anything - all-powerful, no control; bad combination no matter how you look at it.**


	222. Harp's Song

_**Harp's Song**_

Three minutes later, Techna is talking with Timmy on the phone. Timmy guesses that she's wondering if she knows more prime numbers than him, and then the Sirenix Book appears.

When Techna opens the Book, it starts a song she doesn't recognize - but she knows a fairy who will. She records the song, and then the Book disappears.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stella got Bloom on the dancefloor with Sky - but she's a bundle of nerves now. "Sky, they're all staring. Also, I don't remember how to dance - I don't even think I knew how to dance in the first place."

"Well, maybe there's something to stare at. And besides, you've danced before. Promise."

"Yeah, but I don't remember those times. And can we please get out of this crowd?"

They spin around each other, and Sky gently turns her head to face him. "Hey, just look at me Bloom. You always get nervous dancing in a crowd, so just focus on me."

Sky spins her around and then pulls her back up, and she says "Thanks for all the help Sky. I know I haven't said it yet, or shown it really, but I'm really grateful."

"Well, I'm just grateful to have the chance Bloom."

"And you were really brave back in Gardenia."

"Well, so were you. You were fighting the Trix even though you've got almost no memories."

"Yeah, well, someone has to do it."

She starts getting lost in her thoughts, but Sky snaps her out of it. "You know, if Stella sees that expression on your face she'll insist on doing something else."

They spin again, and Bloom says "Sky, this is probably going to sound ridiculous - or really, really, insane and stalker-ish."

"Go ahead Bloom. Nothing you say could sound ridiculous." She takes a deep breath, trying to figure out how to phrase what she's trying to tell him.

They pass Aisha and Nabu dancing, and Aisha looks happy now. She's had a really gloomy expression for as long as Bloom can remember - not that long, but still.

It's because of Tritannus, she's worried about not being able to stop him. Her vision from the Shimmering Shells didn't help that at all - but dancing with Nabu certainly does.

"Sky, you've been trying to help me so much, and even though I can't remember anything before waking up in the Archive, I…" She bites her lip and closes her eyes, searching for a way to put this. "Even though I've lost my memories, I want you to know that-!"

Another dancing couple dances straight into them, completely wrecking what Bloom was about to say. Sky thinks maybe they've had enough time on the dancefloor for right now, and leads Bloom over to the punch bowl for something to drink.

One of Bloom's hands is holding a cup of punch, the other is fingering the Pendant of Eraklyon around her neck. _A_

 _t least she put it back on, along with the ring._ Sky keeps the thought to himself, really grateful Bloom taught him how to keep his thoughts in his head when he doesn't want to share them with her.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Andros, Tritannus is at his old home.

Ligea and Nereus are with him as well, he mutated them both when they snuck out to go find him. Ligea's why Tritannus is planning to kidnap Daphne, she told him the last fairy to ever gain Sirenix was Bloom's sister.

He calls up Icy, saying he's about to have his revenge on the rest of his family. He gets inside right as King Neptune vows to destroy him for mutating Ligea and Nereus. Neptune sends four guards after him and draws his sword to fight - but Tritannus mutates the guards effortlessly.

Tressa goes to help her father as the new mutants close in on him.

* * *

Back at Alfea, Techna gathers the rest of the Winx. Musa recognizes the song, it's one her mother used to sing to her when she was little.

The words are really strange, something is like a ruby under the sea and coral is strings you play and a key.

It doesn't mean a thing to Bloom - but she can guess where their next mission is going to be: Melody!

* * *

On Andros, Neptune beats Tritannus's Mutants, but gets hit with a blast from the original Mutant-merman himself. Tressa gets restrained by Ligea and Nereus, and then Neptune and herself get mutated.

The four Selkies watching try to flee, but Tritannus steals Nissa's powers. Nissa's the Keeper of the Magix Gate - now he can get to Daphne!

He then decides to go to Melody first, another Keeper's powers to steal and another ocean to pollute. He gets to the Melody Gate easily enough, and stealing the power of Sonna, the Keeper, is no problem by now.

Sonna is weak, but she has enough strength to swim through the open Gate before it closes.

* * *

At Alfea, Musa, Stella, and Aisha go to Melody while Techna, Flora, and Bloom stay behind.

Stella insists on going instead of Bloom because she's been searching practically nonstop since they got the Gem of Self-Confidence.

* * *

On Melody, the three fairies get to the Song Wharf and Musa sees the house she and her parents used to go to every summer. Techna contacts them saying there's a coral reef made of red coral just west of the Song Wharf. It would shine like a ruby under the sea - the first part of the riddle!

Unfortunately, as they transform and go to dive in the water - they spot a familiar face: Tritannus. He's got four Mutants behind him now - and Aisha can guess who they are.

When Aisha screams he's a monster, he yells back "So are you!" and hurls a ball of black-green energy at Aisha.

Musa pushes her out of the way and the spell hits her instead. She tries to resist, but the spell overwhelms her. She gets turned into a huge creature with blue-black skin and golden horns. She tries to attack Aisha and Stella, and they find out she's really fast underwater.

Tritannus goes back to Andros to find the Magix Gate - at least they don't have to worry about fighting him and Musa at the same time.

Aisha and Stella swim for their lives into a small crevice in a rock wall that leads to a larger cavern. They're safe for the moment, but they're also absolutely stuck.

Lemmie and Illyris swim over, and Musa slams into the cliff side again. Illyris asks "What was that?"

Stella answers "That, unfortunately, was Musa."

Aisha adds "She saved me from a spell from Tritannus."

Lemmie thinks for a moment and says "Maybe Sonna could help. If Musa bonded with her…"

Aisha and Stella yell "That could break the spell!"

Aisha says "Alright, Lemmie and I will find Sonna. Stella, you and Illyris will lead Musa to the Gate."

"Right." Stella shoots out a sphere of light that Musa immediately chases after and eats.

Illyris says "It's working Stella, she likes your light spheres!"

"You might say she's eating them up!"

Aisha and Lemmie swim madly for the Gate, and find Sonna lying there weakly. She is hardly awake, Tritannus seriously drained her down.

Aisha contacts Stella saying they found Sonna and to get over to the Gate.

Stella replies "Gonna be a minute Aisha, she's right on our tail. Or you might say her tail is right on us!" Aisha hears a loud crash, probably Musa smashing into a rock wall or something.

Suddenly, Stella swim-flies up the rock cliff in front of them and straight past Sonna. Sonna is floating there weakly, and Musa's giant head appears over the cliff - she could eat Sonna in a single gulp and not even notice.

Musa's yellow eyes glow, and a blue light appears in Sonna's. Sonna starts glowing bright blue, and it spreads to Musa - and her monster-body turns transparent, they can all see her struggling inside!

Suddenly, the spell breaks and Musa is free!

Musa's energy restored Sonna's powers, and bonding with Sonna broke Tritannus's spell on Musa.

Musa's incredibly happy to see Aisha and Stella, but not nearly as happy as they are to see her again.

Sonna leads them to the Ruby Reef, but they don't know what they are supposed to be looking for. When Musa asks her Sirenix Guardian for help, she says to remember what her mother always said about music.

Musa's mother always said you can feel music and it has keys - the second part of the riddle!

They split up and Musa finds a giant harp with red coral in the shape of strings. When all three play it, the harp starts playing on its own!

They don't know what it means though, so they call up Flora on the wrist communicator and have them listen to the song.

When they all listen, it's beautiful - and the Sirenix Book appears and says they completed the first test of Empathy, but they have to understand the message in the song.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, Musa's back to her beautiful self - which Stella and Aisha are incredibly grateful for. And they passed the first part of the test! Hooray! You think the Trix and Tritannus are going to get Daphne? Read on and find out!**


	223. Walk in the Forest

_**Walk in the Forest**_

Bloom was getting a headache after two hours of nonstop searching - so Sky suggested they go for a walk. Ten minutes later, they are taking a path work into the forest floor.

Sky says "You love it here, we come all the time. Or we did, you know, before."

"Yeah, I can feel it!" She does a front flip, and then a cartwheel, and comes up with two strawberries she picked from a nearby bush mid-turn.

Sky starts laughing, same old Bloom. She hands him one of the pieces, then tosses the other high up into the air and catches it in her mouth.

He didn't realize how much he missed Bloom being relaxed and carefree until right this second - if he could go back and stop Diaspro in the Millennium Party, he would in a heartbeat. He really wishes he could freeze time and enjoy this moment forever - but not even Bloom has that power. If she did, she'd probably have used it before Valtor and the Trix took over Cloudtower to go back in time and stop Diaspro.

Even so, he kind of hopes she never remembers those days - she has no idea how much he's missed her being like this. Not paranoid, actually going outside Alfea - or the Pet Shop - not constantly worried about getting kidnapped.

Earlier she told him Ember shared some of the memories Bloom showed her - but it's like she's disconnected from them. She knows it happened, but it's like it happened to someone else and she's just watching it dispassionately.

But she hasn't had one of her nightmares yet since she lost her memories, maybe some good can come out of it. Sky's positive that's what she doesn't want to remember, the memories that have been tormenting her for so long. He's heard of cases where someone remembers everything but a few specific things - and if anybody could remember everything but what they could live much happier without, it would be Bloom.

Sky smiles and looks around - and notices a small, light pink piece of shell in the dirt. He instantly recognizes it as half a Destiny Shell - there's an old legend that whoever finds the other half is who your destined to be with. He dusts it off, and Bloom asks "Hey, what's this Sky?"

When he turns around, he nearly drops the Destiny Shell half: Bloom's holding another half in her hands! "It's half a Destiny Shell, Bloom. There's this old legend about them. Whoever finds the other half is who your destined to be with."

She stares at the Shell piece in his fingers, the thoughts in her head written all over her face. He could always see what she was feeling by looking into her eyes, right now he sees a mess of emotions he can't sort out.

When he holds the Shell half out, she brings hers to it - they can immediately see it's a perfect match. They fit together instantly, fusing together to make one shell. When Bloom moves to let it go, he puts it in her palm and curls her fingers around it. "You keep it Bloom."

She wraps her arms around his neck hard - it's a good thing he's used to her dragon-hugs by now. He hugs her back, hyper-aware of her breath against his neck. "I don't know what I'd do without you Sky."

"You'd survive, that's what you do, Bloom. Me on the other hand, I'd be completely lost." Sky really hopes they aren't being watched by anyone - her brothers, and for their sake definitely not the Wizards of the Black Circle.

Despite everything he's told himself, and everything Ogron's said, Sky has always had the worry that Ogron might have feelings beyond a very healthy respect for the fact that Bloom can whip them in a fight - magic or otherwise. He's clearly read too many books where sworn enemies fall for one another - of course, this life of theirs in Magix is so incredibly adventurous and crazy that he doesn't consider anything completely impossible. Except for right now though, he's thinking the idea of leaving Bloom is impossible.

They walk back to Alfea hand in hand, and Bloom's whistling 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift.

* * *

Daphne's watching, thinking she hasn't seen Bloom this carefree in a long time. Suddenly, shards of ice pop the bubble she was silently watching.

When she turns around, the Trix are there. Icy says "We would have knocked, but there's no door."

Darcy adds "Who lives under a lake anyway?"

Daphne isn't a fighter; her skill is diffusing a situation down - rushing headlong into a situation and solving it by forcing it is Bloom's skill. She backs away and asks "What do you want?"

She backs straight into Tritannus, and immediately turns so she can see all four of them. Now she really wishes she had let Bloom show her a few moves for self-defense.

 _Oh, great job, Daphne. Oh no, nobody knows you're here - except these four!_

Tritannus says "Just one thing: the secret to Sirenix!" He blasts Daphne with a massive blast of power - and Bloom immediately knows something is wrong.

* * *

A feeling of pure dread washes over her like a tidal wave, making her dizzy and stumble. Sky grabs one of her elbows to support her, asking "Bloom! What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Bloom takes off at a full sprint through the forest. Sky runs after her, but he never had to run for his life from dragons on Pyros - he's a little out of his league.

When he finally catches up to Bloom, she's at Lake Roccaluce and has just dived into the water. Sky jumps in and pulls her out before she can get too far down. She's struggling, but she's also soaking wet and seriously shaken by what happened.

"Bloom, calm down a moment. What happened?" He presses her wet back to his chest, wrapping his other arm around both of hers.

"Sky, something happened to her - I have to get down there!" She keeps struggling, but she's not clawing at his arm or using Pyros.

"Bloom! Listen to me. Calm down for a minute. Daphne is strong, she knows how to defend herself if she has to. And nobody in their right minds would go after your sister - not if they want to live. Now, take a deep breath Bloom." She takes about four short breaths, letting the air puff out from between her lips.

After the fourth, she suddenly feels something wet and warm on her face - and then Sky's hand wiping it away. She suddenly realizes she's crying, tears are running down her face and she can't stop them.

Sky pulls her into a hug and whispers "I know, I know. Come here Bloom, sh."

She takes in deep gasping breaths now, a feeling of total despair washing through her. "Just let it out Bloom, that's it." He strokes her hair, trying to do something to calm her down.

After about five minutes, she's dried out from the Dragon Flame and her connection to Pyros - and her crying has stopped as well. She actually cried herself to sleep, he's going to have to carry her to Alfea or wake her up - he'll gladly carry her. He carefully rises with her in his arms - good thing she's sleeping halfway deeply for a change.

When he gets to Alfea, Flora's waiting in the courtyard. She sees Bloom's asleep and whispers "What happened?"

Sky whispers back "I don't know. She got this weird feeling about Daphne and took off for the lake. She didn't stop crying until she fell asleep - and now here we are."

"Oh, jeez."

Bloom growls in her sleep, shifting slightly in Sky's arms. He can't help but smile, all her quirks are absolutely adorable to him - dragon or not. Most people would freak at the fact that she has the Dragon Flame, much less at the fact that she's actually part-dragon; Sky knew her before she discovered the Dragon Flame is inside her - and he's been training with dragons even before he came to Red Fountain.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the Trix really are that stupid - they know Bloom's more dangerous than most know, and they still went along with kidnapping Daphne. They must have a death-wish or something. How long do you think it'll be until Bloom finds out? Or gets her memories back? Read on and find out! Enjoy! PS. Can't wait for Thor: Ragnarok, it looks awesome!**


	224. Gem of Empathy

_**Gem of Empathy**_

The next morning, Bloom's stuck in a dream. Its Daphne screaming for her to help, but Bloom can't reach Daphne no matter how hard she tries.

She wakes up screaming "Daphne, I'll find you!" and accidentally knocks Ember off the bed. She immediately gets up and picks the small dragon up before climbing back into bed. "Sorry Ember, but I was having this awful dream. Daphne was screaming for help - but I couldn't do anything no matter how hard I tried."

She doesn't feel like she got a single bit of actually restful sleep last night, something to do with the fact that her entire body is incredibly sore and she's covered in sweat. Ember starts licking her face, which is way more comforting and relaxing than the spa day Stella keeps suggesting.

She absently looks over at the clock next to her bed, then realizes what time it says and that she's late for one of Professor Wiz-Giz's lectures. Today, it's on Age-Changer spells - Bloom really wishes she could turn herself to three-years old and not have to worry about anything for a while.

 _That can wait 'til after the Sirenix Quest is complete._

She pushes the thought out of her head and changes her clothes magically - really glad she doesn't have to do any homework or study for a test. She runs out the door while Ember curls up to go back to sleep - Ember couldn't reach Bloom at all last night, and is really tired.

She gets in just as Wiz-Giz calls for a break, and Flora whispers everything she missed. Musa asks "Rough night Bloom? You look kind of tired."

"Yeah, freaky dream is all." She goes to check on Techna and Aisha, while Flora and Musa deal with a cranky Stella.

She's in one really, really annoying zone today - turns out having something she's really passionate about but not having the time to really get into it isn't such a great thing, Stella's had everything she could have ever wanted since she was about three. So now, the lack of attention to something she really cares about - as in, absolutely-must-do kind of caring - is making her act like a spoiled three-year-old.

She storms off while Bloom goes to see how Aisha and Techna are doing. Techna is analyzing the song from the Coral Harp as Bloom walks in, and an image of a distinctly geometric-looking castle appears. Techna recognizes it as Databridge Castle on Zenith - the Gem of Empathy is on Zenith!

They travel there on the Odyssey Explorer immediately, the Sirenix Book appeared and said they had to act quickly to complete the Quest.

* * *

When they get there though, Lemmie meets up with them and they find Lithia - the Keeper of the Zenith Gate. She's been drained by Tritannus! Techna bonds with Lithia, restoring her powers.

She leads them to Databridge Castle - which is covered with magical oil! Techna says there should be guards at the doors - Bloom has a pretty good idea of what happened to them.

When they get inside, the place is huge - which means the Gem of Empathy could be absolutely anywhere! And with the oil everywhere, they can hardly see their hands a foot away from their faces.

Techna asks her Sirenix Guardian for help, and she says they have to look where the one rules over the many. Bloom instantly gets it: the throne!

When they get to the throne, there is a thin pole rising up from the top of the chair - and its holding a small object on top!

It has to be the Gem of Empathy, but when Techna and Aisha try to get it the spell doesn't work. Aisha suggests they clear away the vines and stuff growing at the base of the throne, but Techna grabs her wrist just as she grabs the vine. They get really angry at one another, pushing and shoving each other and almost resorting to spells.

Suddenly, Bloom realizes they aren't alone - and moments later a group of Mutants, likely the former guards, attack them.

Aisha and Techna keep yelling and fighting each other even while they're fighting the Mutants - what the heck happened to them? They were fine when they all went in the Castle, but after they tried to get the Gem…

Bloom tries to get the Gem herself - but it still fails. She suddenly realizes what the problem is - and breaks the negative magic surrounding Aisha and Techna. They instantly stop fighting, they were just about to come to blows!

Bloom says "It's the Gem of _Empathy!_ We have to work together and remember we're friends - that's the only way we'll get the Gem!" They join hands and do a Convergence spell to get the Gem. It works, and the Castle is cleansed as well.

* * *

When they get back to Alfea, Musa, Flora, and Brandon are absolutely exhausted and Stella is ready for a party to celebrate getting the Gem.

Flora, Musa and Brandon are just glad the Age-Changer Spell Stella activated when she picked a pin off a gown from the past wore off - they have been wishing for the past four hours that Bloom was there. She hatched and raised Ember after all, she must be somewhat good with young beings - memories or not. They know for a fact that she has a soft spot for kids, right along with cute puppies and kittens.

At least Stella is back to normal now, but it's also past sundown and she's wide awake while everyone else is ready for bed - especially Bloom.

She gets the feeling this night won't be any better than the last though, but she's seriously tired and needs to close her eyes at some point. She also has the feeling that Daphne is in danger; she's had it all day, but she can't seem to shake the feeling. It's only grown since she woke up from her dream, and she can't get rid of the feeling that she has to do something.

* * *

 **AN: Thor 3 in only one more day! I can't wait! Will be writing some chapters for that as soon as I can watch it, so please don't get mad if I don't update for a day or two. And yes, I know I skipped over the whole thing with Stella getting turned younger - but anyone with a three-year-old relative knows how it must've gone. Don't worry, I'm going to restore Bloom's memories soon - her sleep is another problem though. I know I'm playing it up more than the cartoon, like Pyros, but honestly I think they played it down in the cartoon. Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon!**


	225. Mutant Flower

_**Mutant Flower**_

The next day, the Trix and Tritannus are trying to question Daphne - but they are coming up against the stubborn streak that seems to be a genetic trait in Bloom's entire family.

The Trix are using a spell to torture Daphne, trying to force her to talk. "Darkened waves of twilight rain, tame her mind and bring her pain."

They have been going for nearly two hours, but Daphne doesn't seem close to breaking any time soon. When the Trix pause for a second, Tritannus yells "Tell me how to get Sirenix now Daphne, or I'll let them tear your mind apart!"

 _"_ _Never!"_

The Trix continue with their spell, but Daphne faints - the pain finally going past her threshold.

Tritannus has the Trix stop, there's no point in wasting their magic when she won't feel a thing. He's getting really frustrated, he can't let the Trix tear Daphne's mind apart - she's the only one who can tell them how to get Sirenix. "She'll never talk to save herself!"

Icy gets an idea, and says "But, she would talk to save her sister."

"Of course…Bloom. Find Bloom, bring her to me."

Darcy and Stormy don't mention the fact that Bloom's a lot more dangerous than he knows, and Icy doesn't think of that because she's completely distracted all the time now.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

The fairy in question is rubbing her temples furiously, trying to make her head stop pounding. She's had a massive headache for a while now, it started suddenly and hasn't stopped since. She could swear the pounding had a rhythm to it, and it would pause every few seconds for a moment before continuing.

Flora's potion to help with the pain didn't help a single bit, but now it seems to have finally stopped. This time, her Healing powers work wonders on her head. Soon, the pain washes away in a wave of heat.

Sky sits down next to her, holding his bike helmet in his hands. "Excited for the Wind-Rider Competition Bloom?"

She looks up, she didn't even know about the Competition until now. She was focused on the pain in her head - it was absolutely awful and her head still hurts a little. "Yeah, the floating bikes right?"

"Yeah, we ride through the obstacles and try to get the fastest time."

"So, who was the winner last year?"

"Me, actually. Everybody at Red Fountain calls me the King of the Winds because I'm the best at this."

"Oh, cool." She closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Head hurting a little?"

"It was hurting a lot before. It's gone now, but when it was hurting I could hardly concentrate on anything else." She lets out a breath, really wishing she at least knew what the headache might be from.

Suddenly, Bloom's eyes flash orange. "Ember…she says something's wrong. There's someone invisible in the school and she's got them cornered. I should probably go take a look, huh?"

"Yeah, probably. You taught Ember well, she's usually right - just like you."

When Bloom finds Ember, she's crouching down and growling warningly. Bloom can sense someone there, but their magical signature is disguised.

She takes a deep breath in through her nose, trying to recognize the scent coming from in front of her. Her hand is at her belt, right next to the knife hilt at her side.

Orange leaks into her eyes and a fireball forms in her hand. The other slightly draws her knife, and she says "Either show yourselves or leave, I'm not the type you want to startle."

The three signatures disappear, and she lets out a tense breath. She picks up Ember and walks into her room - and the Sirenix Book appears with the next riddle. It tells Bloom to find the Flower of the Depths, and it answers only to Courage.

They have less than a week before they lose their powers if they don't finish the Quest, so it's a really good thing the Book showed up. When she tells the rest of the Winx about the riddle, Flora thinks the Flower of the Depths is on Lynphea in the Ocean of Flowers.

Right as they are wondering who will go to Lynphea, the next round of Bikers from Red Fountain goes up. Bloom wants to watch Sky compete - but the question of any of them staying is answered when the three bikes up in the air suddenly turn into lion-demons!

Musa, Stella, and Flora go to Lynphea while Bloom, Techna, and Aisha stay to deal with the demon-bikes.

* * *

 ***Lynhea Oceans, Forest of Flowers***

On Lynphea, Flora guides them to the deepest waters of the Ocean of Flowers - and warns that the plants here can be kind of wild. When Stella asks how wild a plant can be, Flora says "Carnivorous. They'll…eat you."

The other two girls look shocked for a moment, that's more the kind of thing Bloom would say so simply. When they enter the water, Illyris and Sonna immediately find them - but they can't find Desiyree, the Keeper of the Lynphea Gate.

Musa uses her powers and almost immediately hears her - and when they find her, she's on the ground and nearly unconscious. Flora bonds with her, restoring her powers.

Desiyree leads them to the Flower of the Depths - warning that the deeper they go, the wilder the plants get. That doesn't reassure Stella or Musa, Flora doesn't seem real bothered by it though.

When they find the Flower of the Depths, it's in a giant bunch of leaves that are shaped like a bud. The Flower of the Depths is a small flower with long white petals.

But when Flora turns to the others, oil seeps out from the Flower and it mutates! It gets three times bigger and its petals are now more like tentacles - Tritannus was definitely here after attacking Desiyree and taking her powers.

The Flower of the Depths attacks them, shooting out its tentacles to grab at all of them. It gets Flora by the waist, and Stella and Musa think she's going to get eaten. Flora breaks free from the vine and uses a spell called Fall Vortex to undo Tritannus's spell - freeing the Flower!

When she asks where they can find the Gem of Courage, the Flower's petals and leaves start moving in a pattern. Flora's Sirenix Guardian translates, and says the Flower says she was very brave and deserves to find the Gem of Courage - and then she disappears back into the box!

She comes out a moment later, after not being overexcited, and continues, saying the Sirenix Book will tell them the final clue - they only have one last test to pass! They all cheer, and head out to get back to Alfea.

* * *

 **AN: Don't worry, the rest of the episode is coming next! How do you think they dealt with the lion-demons? You think the Trix are going to bite off more than they can chew with trying to take Bloom now? Read and find out! PS. super excited for the new Thor movie tomorrow, can't wait! Already planning how I'm going to introduce that, but I need to see the movie to straighten it all out. and the cliffhanger for Doctor Strange started about five different ideas running through my head, but, you know, can only do one in a story. Practically frothing at the mouth to see this movie, been waiting for _so long!_**


	226. Date Crashers

_**Date Crashers**_

While Stella, Musa, and Flora go to Lynphea, Bloom, Aisha, and Techna fight the lion-demons. Grizelda gathers all the students into the main hall while the Specialists draw their weapons. Helia tries to stop one lion going for a group of freshmen fairies - but he gets batted aside.

Bloom decides to do something crazy and flies onto the creature's back. It thrashes around, trying to dislodge her - no such luck, Bloom's stayed on much bigger and more dangerous than a little kitty before. She sends some fire into a nerve cluster on its neck, getting its attention and leading it away from Helia.

Aisha and Techna lead the other two over, and they try to split up and each take one - they all go after Bloom instead. She blasts one into the ground, but dodges one jumping at her.

Sky is on another bike now, and says "Bloom, they're after you!"

"So I noticed! I'm putting everyone in danger…but I have a plan."

Before he can ask what it is, she turns invisible. A minute later, she reappears in front of the fire cages. "Hey, Fur-faces! You want me, I'm right here!"

They all growl at her, and start climbing the building wall to get her. "Come on, are you a cat or a mouse?" She's taunting the lions, baiting them closer and closer.

They all pounce at once, but pass right through her - the illusion of her! The real Bloom is a foot to the side and really relieved.

The lions get trapped in the fire cages and turn back into bikes. Sky's just glad she didn't actually risk her life like that - she's done crazier before. He saw her riding the lion, and immediately thought she had her memories back right then. Nope, if she had her memories she would be searching the entire school right now for the reason the bikes were turned into lions trying to attack and possibly kill Bloom.

Sky gets first place in the competition, and whispers to Bloom "How about we go for a little spin?"

She whispers back "Now that is a wonderful idea, Sky. Where to?"

"I've got the perfect place in mind. Roccaluce Gorge, we'd go there all the time."

"Perfect. Let's go."

They get on an extra bike and put on helmets, but Techna doesn't think it's very wise. They still don't know why the bikes changed into lions, and something tells them they weren't going after Bloom by accident.

* * *

Minutes later, Bloom and Skyare flying over Roccaluce Gorge - both of them yelling in pure joy and excitement. Bloom yells "Go for it Sky!"

When he guns it, Bloom adds her own boost to their speed - they go speeding across the sky like a comet. When they land, the bike is suddenly hit with a blast of magic - familiar magic.

The bike crashes and both of them are really sore - but Bloom got worse. She's on the ground and not moving, and Sky hears cold laughter. "The Trix!"

They appear out of nowhere, they had an invisibility spell on them!

"It was you at the competition!" They all laugh while Sky helps Bloom to her feet.

She tries to take a step forward, but her legs immediately give out under her. "So…dizzy…"

Sky gets in front of her, and says "I won't let them near you."

They laugh again, as he draws his sword to fight. Icy just freezes his feet and says "Say goodbye, Bloom. Time to go."

Sky tries to hit Icy with his sword, but she's just out of his reach. Bloom shocks them all when she says "Ok… _goodbye Trix!"_ She blazes with fire covering her body, and then stands with her own sword in hand. The fire around her body doesn't die, just settles into a low layer over her.

Bloom walks forward and the Trix actually take a step back. Sky forgot how scary Bloom can be when she wants to be - of course, she's never this angry at him or her friends.

She does a spin, unleashing a wave of magic from her sword and knocking the Trix into the rock wall. Darcy is the first one on her feet, but the dust hasn't settled - it actually rose! She knows an illusion when she sees one - and Bloom's as good at them as she is, if not better.

She suddenly gets a wickedly painful blow to her stomach and goes flying a few yards away. She instantly knows there's going to be a good bruise on her stomach there, but she doesn't have any time to worry about the fact. She feels a hand with a grip of iron wrap around her ankle and pick her up. Next thing she knows, she's been slammed into the ground once and then thrown into the rock wall.

Stormy tries to blast Bloom, but the fairy is nowhere in sight. Stormy quickly gets an idea of where she is, though, when Bloom deals a series of blows to her arms and makes aiming a blast of magic impossible. Then, she gets thrown into Darcy so hard they are sure they will have concussions - they really should know by now that Bloom is so dangerous.

Icy lets loose a wave of ice, trying to force Bloom's appearance. Bloom just does a front flip and it passes right under her - her feet leaving the ground and her hands touching down just after the wave of ice passes. "Where are you, Bloom?!"

She sounds mad and frustrated, exactly how Bloom's feeling right now. First they attack her at Alfea, now they try to either kill her or kidnap her. She's had enough of them, and decides to let Icy know in no uncertain terms.

It is beyond easy to find Icy even with the illusion of the dust-and-smoke cloud still going - she's shining like a beacon for Bloom and is sending blast after blast around in useless attempts to hit her.

Bloom doesn't have a shred of remorse or guilt as she draws her knife and channels Pyros for some extra power in her swing - they've done way too much for her to feel bad about this, memories or no. Bloom pulls her arm back, holding the blade of her knife between her thumb and index finger, and shoots it forward, letting the knife go at speeds enough to put the knife up to the hilt in a rock wall.

Icy's scream of pain confirms Bloom hit her target perfectly. She summons the knife back to her, floating the blood off with a simple spell. She lets the illusion go and turns visible. Icy's jumpsuit is stained dark red at her side, a stain that is growing bigger by the minute. She's got one hand pressed over the wound - Bloom didn't give her a fatal injury, just enough to hurt for a while.

 _Maybe that will get the message across._

She really wants them to leave her alone - and she wants Tritannus to stop with the whole dimension-domination routine, it's getting old by now. She raises her hand and swings it to the side, slamming Icy into her sisters - not feeling bad in the slightest about Icy's screams of agony.

They are a sore pile of limbs now, and that's without Bloom knowing they took Daphne and spent two hours torturing her. If she finds that out, they have no doubts now that she will do a lot worse than put her knife in a relatively harmless spot. Bloom didn't hit any organs when she threw her knife into Icy's side - and that was no accident.

Icy yells "This isn't over Bloom!" and they disappear in a cloud of black rolls her eyes, it's never over.

* * *

She turns around when she hears Sky break through the ice trapping his feet. "Bloom! You okay?"

"Yeah, but Icy sure isn't."

She almost expects a look of disgust or anger - instead, Sky looks understanding and worried about her. "You sure you're alright? You said you were dizzy before."

"Used my Healing powers, turns out they work great." Sky chuckles now, pulling her into a hug. "Why do I get the feeling I've done stuff like that before?"

"Because you have. Do you remember?"

Bloom looks down, she doesn't. She just automatically reacted and fell back on what must be years of training. "What if I never remember Sky? You know that scares me."

Sky wraps his arms around her, really wishing he could take back his question. "But, I'm willing to take that risk. I'm willing to let the past be the past. Except for three memories."

Sky grins after processing what she just said, and asks "Which ones?"

"Us finding the Destiny Shell."

"The ride we had before the Trix showed up?"

"Yeah."

"So what's the last one?" He gets that answer when Bloom kisses him for a second. "Oh. Well, how about a fourth memory then?"

When she blinks, he pulls her closer and kisses her for way longer than a second.

 _Ok, scrap that third memory, Sky._

He has to smile when he hears her voice in his head, and answers _Done._

Bloom kisses him back, and they only break it when her wrist communicator appears. "Bloom! We found the Flower, we only have one more test to pass!"

"Alright ladies! We're almost done!"

Bloom cheers and Sky picks her up and spins her around. When his mouth connects with hers again, she grabs onto his head and stands on her tiptoes so she can be eyelevel with him.

After about five minutes, Sky says "We should probably get back before they come looking for us."

"Yeah, probably. Too bad." She pouts - weird, he's never actually seen her pout. He finds it adorable actually.

He can't resist attacking her with more kisses right then, and Flora is the one who comes looking for them. That's maybe half an hour later - good thing Bloom's not all hormonal and moody from Pyros right now. If she was, he's pretty sure things would have left kissing behind.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, maybe that will get the message across to the Trix to under no circumstances ever try to kidnap Bloom ever again - and what do you think will happen if she finds out Daphne's their prisoner? she lost it once in Sibylla's caves during the last test I added in, and that wasn't actually real. I'd truly hate to be the idiot that thought kidnapping Daphne was a good idea. PS. yes, I know I said I'd be watching Thor 3, but there are no videos in English yet - so I can't understand a word of the movie for now - hopefully, more will be out in the next few days. And by the way, I'm way closer than you'd think to needing that movie to continue. For now, enjoy! Hopefully, and long breaks in updating won't be for too long - the break until the next movie is a little iffy at this point, seeing as I'm so close to Thor 3 and all.**


	227. Knife Wound

_**Knife Wound**_

Daphne's still unconscious, but the Trix only wish they were in the same state. All three are covered in bruises and scrapes, with black eyes and really sore areas.

Stormy's arm isn't numb anymore, and she really wishes it were still numb - because it feels like Bloom tried to turn her bones to powder.

Darcy has a deep purple, almost black, bruise where Bloom's heel hit her in the stomach. She and Stormy are also seeing double slightly, but Icy has the worst injury by far: the stab wound Bloom gave her with the knife.

Icy yells "She knifed me! I can't believe she actually uses that thing on people!" None of them actually thought she would use her knife and sword for their obvious purpose - slicing things in half.

Tritannus says "Icy, let me see. Bloom will pay for this." He pushes her shoulders back to get a better look at the wound.

It's really thin actually, and the fire that was dancing on the blade mostly cauterized the new hole. The reason she was bleeding so much is the very tip of the knife slightly punctured one of the larger blood vessels in her body.

Tritannus doesn't try to heal the puncture wound, he would likely infect it and kill her instead of fixing the wound. When he touches the area, Icy nearly screams in pain and the water around her crystalizes slightly.

The Ice-witch puts one hand over her hurt side and focuses. The rock she's sitting on is covered in a layer of frost when she's done, but there's a thick patch of ice over the deep stab wound in her side. Icy doesn't know how Bloom can take pain like this and keep going, she can hardly move!

They know a healing spell, but unless you have Healing powers most healing magic drains you down fast. They can hardly heal the worst of their injuries before all of them are drained - but at least Darcy and Stormy can see straight and Icy can move without nearly passing out.

They knew trying to kidnap Bloom again would be hard to say the least, they didn't know its next to impossible on a normal day - with her memories of being held prisoner gone!

The Wizards got lucky caught her when she was really distracted and dealing with her own demons - that's the only reason Bloom didn't walk away from the park in Gardenia with four grown men unconscious or dead behind her.

Tritannus asks "Where did she even get a knife?"

Darcy says "She's had it for a while, and she keeps it hidden on a belt she always wears - don't ask how, we don't know for sure. But we never thought she'd actually use it on someone!"

Stormy says "Yeah, and that's without her knowing about Daphne. I'm pretty sure she would have done worse if she knew we'd questioned Daphne until she fainted."

Icy thickens the patch of ice on her side while Tritannus thinks - who can they use to make Daphne talk if her sister is out of the question? Because kidnapping Bloom is definitely out of the question.

Now he gets mad, but he calms down when Icy says she'll destroy everything and everyone Bloom cares about - and then her. He gets angry at Bloom when Icy stretches too far and gasps in pain as the patch of ice on her side turns bright red again - but there's nothing he can do about it right now.

With Daphne still unconscious, he can't even take it out on her.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry about the super shot chapter - but really, like the Trix never thought Bloom would get fed up with their trouble and decide to tell them in a way they would listen to. They've known about her knife and sword for years, ever since they attacked her in Greenwich. The thought had to have crossed their minds at some point that she might actually have that thing for a reason and it isn't to bluff her way out of a situation. She's been trained since she could lift a blade how to use one, and to not have any remorse when it comes to an enemy - not like the Trix, at any rate. After everything they've pulled, and kidnapping Daphne to boot, Bloom wouldn't hesitate to blast them through a wall - so why is giving Icy a small incision in her side any worse or more surprising? Maybe now, the Trix will get it through their heads to not mess with her - not likely, but maybe. Enjoy! More chapters coming soon! PS. When I find Thor 3 to watch, will be spending a while writing those chapters - so if there's a long break between updates, don't think I've forgotten this!**


	228. Princess Duty

_**Princess Duty**_

Two days later, Bloom is sitting against a tree. She hears footsteps and calls out "I know your there. Come on out already, Ogron."

Sure enough, the neon-headed wizard steps out from the trees. "Well, I guess the time when we can surprise you is over then."

"Yeah, that ended about five days ago. Also, I was attacked two days ago by invisible witches - I'm really done with surprises for a while, memories or no."

Ogron sits down a few feet away from her, just in case something actually manages to startle her and she whips out her knife. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be trying to finish the Quest?"

"Yeah, but the Book hasn't given any clues in two days. And I'm out here because I'm trying to decide whether or not to hide in a tree all day."

Ogron blinks and raises an eyebrow. "Hide from what?"

"Who. And, the answer is Stella. Yesterday she took me shopping for a new dress for this big party on Domino today. Something about it being my birthday yesterday." Bloom shrugs, and Ogron blinks again - he can't imagine Bloom doing ordinary things like shopping and celebrating her birthday easily. "Honestly, it's a virtual dressing room and she kept me in there for three hours! How many dresses could she want to see?"

Now Ogron has to laugh, he really can't imagine Bloom trying on dresses for three hours.

"Yeah, next time you can go with her and I'll be happy in the forest with Ember."

He manages to stop laughing, and says "So, what's the party on Domino about?"

"I saved the planet apparently, Sky and I. Beat the Ancestral Witches and freed Domino's people from some place called Obsidian. Now, they want to celebrate the fact by holding this big ceremony." She sighs and Ogron really tries to think of what the problem could be.

A minute later, he might have the answer. He starts laughing again, laughing so hard tears run down his face.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Don't tell me it's because they're making you go in a dress! You may be the most un-girly girl I've ever known, but I've seen you in a dress before."

"Yeah, my Enchantix dress - from what I've heard. That's completely different. I can breathe in that dress, along with the Harmonix dress. When you have to wear a corset that's so tight its cutting off the space for your lungs…never mind. That is a horrible thought, get it out of my head."

Ogron can't stop laughing, his sides are starting to hurt. Bloom just stares at him until he can form words. "I've seen you fight a dragon and win, but your telling me you can't handle a dress and a pair of heels?"

He really shouldn't be all that surprised, the Bloom he knows has never been one for ridiculous dresses and fifty pounds of makeup on her face.

Bloom deadpans "A dragon, I get. You can pretty much predict what they're going to do. People, they're weird, changeable. And the fact that they can deceive you makes them all the more dangerous." She doesn't sound like she means him, good thing she isn't the type to hold a grudge.

"How bad could a party be?"

She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and says "I was reading about the different realms in this universe. There are only a few dozen royal families in the universe - and as many ways to offend each of them. Another reason why dragons are preferable company, just don't step on their tails or wings or try to separate mother and hatchling and you'll be great."

He can't really argue with that, Bloom beat them up the most when they did stuff to Ember. "So, you don't want to go because you lost your memories, you still have more to do on the Sirenix Quest, and you practically hate being in a large crowd?"

Bloom shrugs, not denying any of it. "You know, Stella got herself into an Age-Changer spell a few days ago, got to skip out on finding the Gem of Empathy. I really wish I could find one and turn myself younger for a few hours - accidentally of course." They both roll their eyes, like that's ever going to happen to Bloom.

Her phone suddenly rings, breaking the silence. She looks at it for a moment and groans, the caller ID says Stella. "If I answer it, she'll demand to know where I am. And if I don't answer it, she'll come find me and drag me back by the arm."

"So, what's this awful dress look like?"

She holds out her palm and a small burst of flame appears over it. It shapes into a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and a really big skirt.

Bloom's debating whether or not to answer, but she pushes the accept button after a second. "Yeah?"

 _Where are you?_

"Go without me Stella. If a school party is your thing and not mine, then this is that times a thousand."

 _It's your planet! You and Sky saved it! You have to go!_

"Yeah, I know, I know. My birth planet and all. But why? Why do I have to go when I don't even remember it happening?"

 _Bloom, you won't have to say anything. Just share a few dances with Sky, smile at people, and act the part of the confident princess from Domino._

"Instead of the confused girl without her memories who has no idea what she's supposed to be doing?"

 _Um, yeah, pretty much._

Bloom sighs, really wishing she could turn into a dragon and blend in with a tree for the day - or ride off on Ember and not come back 'til the party is over.

 _Besides, your father will be furious if you don't come. You know that Bloom._

"Yeah well, from what I've heard we don't get along all the time."

 _This is different though! You saved the planet, you have to be at the ceremony._

"Yeah, but…"

 _No buts! It's not like you have to give a speech or rule the kingdom or anything!_

"Stella, I would do quite a lot to keep that future from happening."

 _Well, get your butt over here so we can get you into the dress we bought. It's almost time to go._

"Stella, three things. We can teleport, we can do makeup spells, and we can change our clothes at will. It won't take a minute to get in the dress, put makeup on, and get over to the palace. Unfortunately."

She can hear a really loud sigh from Stella, and she says _You know, you always know too much for your own good Bloom. Just get over here already._

"Fine, I'll be there in a minute." She presses the 'end call' button and puts the phone away. The sigh she lets out must have come all the way from her toes, and she rubs her forehead. "Well, looks like now I'm screwed. See ya, Ogron."

She pushes herself up in one fluid motion, it's more like she gets pulled up by the shoulders actually. As soon as she's nearly upright, she disappears in a puff of embers and sparkles.

Ogron shakes his head and chuckles, trust Bloom to get in a situation like this.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry about the wait for another chapter - I was trying to find a version of the Thor movie in English I could watch, really I'm right at the edge of that movie. Anybody surprised that Bloom didn't want to go to Domino for the ceremony? Between her missing memories and the fact that she really doesn't like dresses, I wouldn't want to go either. How do you guys think I'm going to restore Bloom's memories? Read and find out!**


	229. Ceremony Ruined

_**Ceremony Ruined**_

Techna and Musa are staying at Alfea in case the Sirenix Book appears while the rest of the Winx go to Domino. Honestly, Bloom really wishes she could stay at Alfea - but she has to go to a ceremony on her own birth planet. Suddenly, the Sirenix Book appears in front of the two girls!

It tells them to find the Yellow Reef and snatch Courage from its jaws - but there are more than a hundred Yellow Reefs in the Magical Dimension!

When Techna asks her Sirenix Guardian, she says to look on the planet that was saved by courage. Techna immediately says "Domino! Bloom and Sky's bravery saved it!"

Bloom's gonna freak, this is the perfect reason to get away from the ceremony. She usually stays until the end, despite the boredom that even Stella complains of, but if the Sirenix Quest calls them away…

* * *

On Domino, Bloom's seriously nervous - along with really uncomfortable in her dress. She could swear the thing is making it hard to breathe and balancing on four-inch heels isn't as easy as Stella makes it seem.

And she's still worrying about Daphne - the only reason she wasn't at Lake Roccaluce when Stella called is because she didn't think she'd make it that far before someone called her.

Sky asks "Still worried about Daphne? Bloom, Daphne's gotta be incredibly proud of you, your receiving a huge honor today!"

"I am?"

"Yeah, you helped save Domino, you actually did most of the fighting and saving. All I did was get your father's sword out of some rock and stab Mandragora."

"Oh…Sky, I don't remember her. She's so…perfect. It seems like the girl your talking about always knew exactly what to do, I don't even know how I'm supposed to get through this ceremony."

Sky takes her hand and says "Bloom, you were her. You still are her. It's one and the same person. And I know for a fact that your just as brave as before you lost your memories. Now come on, there's your parents."

She looks over to see a couple coming through the doorway. The man is in a set of ceremonial robes and has dark brown hair poking out from under a really tall hat. The woman has her hair in a complicated headdress and is wearing a flowing gown - and looks a lot more natural in it than Bloom feels.

She mutters "I don't remember them either."

Sky pulls her forward by the wrist, making it impossible for her to stay back against the wall like she really wants to do.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tritannus is trying to make Daphne talk. He blasts her, but she refuses to give up the Source of Sirenix.

Icy gets an idea and gets off the rock she was sitting on. "I bet I know what will break her: the same thing that would break Bloom, family."

Daphne glares at them and says "When Bloom learns of all this, you four won't see the next day. You think I don't know about the ice patch on your side, the line of soot and ash underneath it? Bloom can and will do far worse than simply stabbing you - and I'm not going to hold her back when she comes for me."

Darcy and Stormy look at each other, and Stormy whispers "She's right you know. Bloom's a lot more ferocious than when Valtor kidnapped her."

Darcy whispers back "If this goes wrong, it will go as wrong as it can get. Bloom finds out we have her sister held prisoner and are torturing her for information, she won't go easy on us at all."

Tritannus blasts Daphne, making her fall to her knees. Icy says "Isn't today the Domino Renewal Ceremony? I bet your parents will be there, all dressed up and with nowhere to run."

Daphne glares at them almost as good as Bloom can, and yells "Stay away from our parents!"

"Hm, I thought that might hit a nerve."

Tritannus says "And it did. Go to Domino, capture Oritel and Marion. I might see you there ladies, I've got some hunting to do." He has a wicked grin, he's only got to find Serena, the Keeper of the Domino Gate, to be able to enter the Infinite Ocean.

Daphne is struggling in her pollution bonds, and yells "You try anything and you will regret it!"

* * *

Back on Domino, Marion is explaining everything that will happen. Oritel will talk, introduce Bloom and Sky, and they'll tell the story of how they saved Domino together.

Bloom goes sheet white at that, but Sky squeezes her hand comfortingly.

 _It's okay Bloom. Nothing to worry about. You fought Mandragora, I stabbed her and the Witches from behind._

Before she can say anything back, Stella, Flora, and Aisha come forward. The Winx all curtsy and Stella and says "Your majesties."

Bloom wants to say that it's still her and they will never have to bow to her - but she's at a formal event on Domino in a dress and her parents are the king and queen of the planet. She walks forward and says "You girls look amazing! Do I detect the Stella-touch?"

"Well, absolutely!" Stella's phone rings, and Techna and Musa appear as small holograms. _The Gem of Courage is on Domino! You girls have to move fast, we'll back you up from here._

They are really excited, this couldn't be better timing. When the call ends, Stella asks "What do you want to do Bloom?"

"There's only one thing we can do Stella." She turns and walks to her parents.

Marion asks "What's wrong Bloom?" She knows her daughter enough to see the tension in her shoulders, the worry and resolve in her eyes.

"It's the Sirenix Quest, Mom. The Gem of Courage is here on Domino, we have to go find it."

Oritel says "Go, Sky can cover for you."

Bloom sighs in relief, and hugs both of them hard. "Thank you, we'll be back soon."

Marion hugs Bloom back instantly, but it takes Oritel a minute to respond. Bloom barely manages not to run out past her friends, who curtsy again before leaving with her.

* * *

On Andros, Phylla, Illyris, and Daisyree are looking for Serena. She's the only Keeper Tritannus hasn't attacked yet, so they are determined to keep her safe.

He shows up a moment later, and knocks Phylla aside. Desiyree and Illyris are knocked to the ocean floor by one of the Mutants, and Serena tries to fight back.

She draws power from the Dragon Flame, but it's not enough to beat Tritannus. He steals her powers as well, and hurts her in the process.

All the other Keepers were left weak, but she's hurt worse. She tries to follow Tritannus through the Gate, but she can't go a foot through the water. Phylla stays with her while Illyris and Desyiree go looking for help.

They find the Winx in the Yellow Reef, and they all immediately go to the Gate so Bloom can bond with Serena.

Phylla supports Serena through the Gate, and she sets the injured Selkie down on the ocean floor gently.

"Serena, I'm Bloom." Bloom picks her up with both hands, fully intending to heal her.

Instead, Serena says "I'm so glad you're here." and they bond.

Serena is the same color as Bloom's eyes, and her tail has flames going all around it - like a lighter version of her bathing suit. She immediately thanks Bloom and starts leading the way through the Yellow Reef.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Ceremony is about to start when the Trix arrive! Darcy confuses the guards and makes them start fighting one another - but Bloom's birth parents are another matter.

Oritel immediately notices the stab wound in Icy's side and figures out what happened - and he feels a burning pride for Bloom right then. He's yelled at her before about beating up the guards in the training ring, but right then he wants her to train them all herself. "Marion, I'd say our daughter inherited more than just my stubbornness. These little girls can't win against Bloom."

Marion smiles and says "And you would get so frustrated that she could beat every guard in the castle - and you. I told you she's more like you than you know, you just have to get to know her."

They jump out of the way of a blast, and Oritel grabs his sword from the case. He tosses Marion a sword to use, and Sky draws his own.

He yells "Sir, Bloom can do a lot of things - including fight their ancestors. Fighting these three two days ago didn't make her break a sweat."

Oritel grins, and all three witches get angry and try to blast them all. Marion hits Stormy with a ball of magic flung from her sword, and Oritel deflects a group of ice shards back at Icy.

They both get knocked into walls hard, Bloom's parents aren't easy to fight either.

Darcy gets an idea and has Stormy put a ring of lightning around her head. When Stormy calls out to Marion, Darcy looks like Oritel!

She drops her sword immediately, but it's not Oritel. Oritel immediately notices the trick Darcy and Stormy played, but it's too late.

They get turned into ice statues by the three witches, and Sky is unconscious on the ground. Stormy blew him into a stone column and knocked him out for a minute - he really doesn't know how Bloom can take so much of that and still keep going.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, sorry about the wait - been kind of busy and still can't find the Thor movie online. Plus, I got another fanfic idea out of nowhere - really, I'll just be watching a youtube video or a movie and an idea will come out of nowhere. Plus, classes make it hard to get enough time to format these - resulting in a bit of a wait some days. Sorry! More updates are coming soon, promise! Enjoy!**


	230. Frozen Family

_**Frozen Family**_

In the Yellow Sea, everything is gorgeous - another beautiful place to protect from Tritannus. Unfortunately, it seems he's been here - toxic sludge is mutating the coral!

They try to get out, but all but Bloom and the Selkies get trapped in. They split up to find the source of the pollution, and Serena discovers a crack in the ground with oil pouring out. Bloom blasts it and the coral goes back to normal instantly.

Suddenly, they spot a small green Gem floating in front of a dark green wall. They swim forward, but Bloom has the feeling that it's a trap.

"There's no way the Gem of Courage is this easy to get - the riddle said to 'snatch Courage from its jaws' after all." As soon as she says it, the giant mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth snaps shut around the Gem and nearly takes Stella's hand off.

They all swim for their lives, and Bloom is incredibly glad she's in such good shape - because the giant, carnivorous-looking fish is after her! Stella tries to attack it, but the spell doesn't do anything.

Aisha's 13th Seal doesn't affect it either, and Flora's Plant Growth only slows it down. She says "I think it's a guardian creature, meant to protect the Gem."

Bloom says "Maybe we have to prove we're courageous enough to get the Gem."

Stella asks "And how are we supposed to do that?" She has a really bad feeling about the way Bloom's looking at that fish, she thinks she knows what Bloom's going to do.

"There's only one way: by snatching courage from its jaws!" She shoots forward in a blur of orange and fire, aiming straight for the fish's mouth. She focuses on the small Gem she can just see floating there brightly, and rushes straight into the fish's mouth.

Flora, Aisha, and Stella gasp, they can't believe Bloom just let herself get eaten by a giant fish. Suddenly the fish explodes, and Bloom is floating there covered in fire - not fish-goo, thankfully.

She stares at nothing for a moment, then breaks out in a huge grin - and holds out an open hand to show them the Gem of Courage. They all cheer, and Stella yells "You got the Gem of Courage! And boy, did you earn it."

Bloom hugs her hard enough to cut off Stella's air supply, saying "That's not all I got, Stell! I remember!"

They all freeze, and then give Bloom a group hug that nearly squeezes the air out of her. Stella asks "You remember everything?"

"Well, not everything. There's this big gap during our second year. It starts when Valtor knocked me out after I warned the witches, and ends when I went to Pyros and got a vision from Daphne. It's like he knocked me out, Daphne told me to find my dragon, and I woke up staring at one – who turned out to be my dragon."

All three girls can't believe their ears, but who cares at this point?

Their Sirenix Boxes appear, and Bloom lets the Gem of Courage float to hers. Identical copies appear on all the other Boxes, and their Quest is complete!

Bloom suddenly gets a really bad feeling, and says "Let's get back to the palace, something tells me we have some uninvited guests to deal with."

* * *

Back at the palace, Sky wakes up to find Bloom's parents frozen into statues. Bloom will be devastated, and then furious at the Trix.

Something tells him they are going to get more than a single stab wound this time - they are getting more than annoying, they're getting to be one very deep thorn in all their sides. "Let them go!"

Icy asks "Or what?" She hits him with a blast, and he ends up on his back.

Darcy says "Or he'll fall down, I guess."

Icy makes a patch of ice appear and Tritannus's face appears. "We have Daphne's parents here, but they're a little chillier than she might remember."

Tritannus moves to the side to give Daphne a good view of her frozen parents. He yells "Tell me how to get Sirenix, or watch your parents be destroyed!"

To drive the point home, Icy goes over to Marion and theatrically shivers.

"Please, no…" she closes her eyes against some tears, there's nothing she can do.

"Speak!"

Icy pokes Marion and asks "You think if I push her over, she'll break?"

 _"Pleasedonthurtthempleasedontno!_ I'll tell you what you want to know…" She breaks down crying now, unable to do anything else.

Sky hears Daphne's voice and every drop of blood in him turns to ice. Bloom said Daphne was in trouble, now she'll be absolutely crushed - and then she'll be furious. "Tritannus has Daphne..."

 _Oh no Bloom…I'm so sorry._

Tritannus says "Good work Icy, hurry back."

His face fades, and Darcy asks "So, we're done here?"

Icy says "Let's destroy them anyway."

Stormy says "I'll say."

They combine their powers to hit the King and Queen, but Sky blocks it with Oritel's sword. Then he falls to his knees, he seriously has to get Bloom to show him how to keep going in a fight when your absolutely exhausted.

Icy yells "Bad move blondie!"

* * *

Suddenly, a wave of fire strikes the Trix and knocks them into the wall even harder than they were getting slammed around before. "Actually, I thought it was a pretty good move!"

It's Bloom, and she looks _pissed._ They attacked her planet - again - attacked her family - again - and froze her parents - and now she knows what all the headaches she's been having since she got that horrible feeling about Daphne mean.

She and Daphne are linked, and she's been feeling Daphne's pain. The feeling she got in the forest was a warning that she'd been taken - but there's no way she could have saved Daphne, it was already too late and she was in their hands.

Bloom's sword is in her hand and is rippling with fire, and every torch in the area is leaping with fire. The Trix are all too easy now, Bloom's had enough of them for a very long time.

Sky says "Bloom, there's something you need to know. Daphne's-"

"I know Sky, I know everything."

 _I remember everything._

If these were better circumstances, Sky could leap for joy - but the current situation calls more for a sword and some more fighting. That's all on Bloom though, who tosses and smashes the Trix around the room so hard they won't be moving for a week without some serious pain.

They all land in a sore heap, and Stormy groans "Tritannus…did say to hurry back."

Darcy says "Then, let's not dawdle."

Icy adds "We got what we came for, let's go."

They disappear in a cloud of smoke - good thing to, Bloom was right about to pick up where she left off a moment before. She screams in rage, they took Daphne and have frozen her parents.

Sky walks over slowly, letting her cool down a moment, and says "Bloom, I'm so sorry about-"

She shakes her head and says "It's not your fault, Sky. They already had her by the time I got to the Lake. But they won't have her for long." Sky believes her, there's murder in her eyes.

Bloom walks over to Marion and Oritel and taps her sword against each of their shoulders. They unfreeze, and Bloom immediately hugs them.

Marion says "Bloom, we saw the whole thing, you were so brave."

Oritel adds "We couldn't be prouder of you."

 _Finally!_

But Bloom's happiness is short-lived though, and she says "Yeah, but, they have Daphne. They took her a few days ago, and I think I know what the attack was about. Two days ago, they attacked me at Alfea, and then Sky and I again at Roccaluce Gorge. I think they needed to make Daphne tell them something, but she's part of our family - she'd never talk unless she had no other choice, unless someone she cares about was in danger."

Everyone goes cold at this, and pure fury is distilled in Bloom's eyes.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the Trix and Tritannus are so dead now - told you guys I was going to restore Bloom's memories. PS. Sorry about the wait for another update - I finally found a copy of Thor 3 in English and was able to watch it! No spoilers, you'll just have to wait and see what I have planned for that! Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon!**


	231. Sirenix

_**Sirenix**_

The Winx are in the Simulator, working to achieve complete control over their Harmonix powers. Bloom's been going almost nonstop, she hasn't even slept since finding out Daphne was kidnapped.

Mrs. Faragonda calls them to do the Convergence formation, and all but Bloom manage. Bloom's too worried about Daphne to manage the spell, and it shows.

She doesn't know how much more Daphne can take, being Tritannus's prisoner. Every night she's dreamed of Daphne screaming for help or screaming in pain - Bloom is going nutty with worry for her sister.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tritannus is questioning Daphne. The Trix didn't tell him the Winx showed up and Bloom beat the tar out of them, but all the bruises and the very sore way they're moving are evidence enough.

Tritannus tells her Marion and Oritel are still statues and her family is all doomed.

She reluctantly says "My Sirenx powers are protected by the Source of Sirenix. You will _never_ get Sirenix."

Tritannus tries again, but sure enough, he can't take them. All it does is hurt her more, which is fine by him.

He calls for Icy, who is literally singing on her way over. "Well? Did she talk?"

"Yes. I just need to destroy the Source of Sirenix. Where is it Daphne?"

"I will take that secret to my grave you monster."

She's glaring at them with hate and pain - she'll never ask about Bloom's captivity by Valtor ever again.

Darcy says "Hmm, she spent nearly two decades under Lake Roccaluce. I can see the first, her planet was destroyed - but why stay after it had been restored?"

"Maybe I didn't want to deal with all the reporters, witch!"

Tritannus gets a huge grin, and says "Or maybe, you were guarding the Source of Sirenix."

She doesn't say anything, just glares at them as hard as she can.

 _Please Bloom, hurry._

Tritannus promises Icy Sirenix when he gets the power as well, and Darcy whispers "Yeah? And what do we get?" They are absolutely leaving the two of them out - and its getting really annoying. They swim off, leaving Daphne to struggle for freedom.

* * *

Back at Alfea, the Winx still don't have their Sirenix powers. They've tried for hours with no result - their Quest isn't over apparently.

The Book appears and tells them they need to look inside themselves to gain Sirenix - that isn't working, Bloom's been trying for the past hour to force the transformation like she did on Pyros. She's getting past desperate - closer and closer to hysterical, actually - and they go back to the Archive.

An hour later, they still haven't found anything. And Bloom's looked through dozens of books a minute, her desperation and anxiety giving her plenty of motivation to ramp up her searching to a whole new level.

If they don't figure out how to get Sirenix today, they lose their powers forever - all of them have plenty of motivation to look as long as they have to. They don't find anything, and Stella asks her Sirenix Guardian for help.

She says exactly what the Book said, they have to look inside themselves.

Stella says the whole thing is getting annoying, but Bloom suddenly gets an idea she can't believe she didn't have an hour ago. "Maybe we can't find the answer we need because we're looking in the wrong place."

Techna asks what she means, and she says "The Sirenix Book said we had to look inside ourselves. Sirenix Box!"

When her box appears, she says "Sirenix Guardian, we understand that finding the three Gems is not the end, and we must continue to show the virtues they represent to earn Sirenix."

The Box opens and Bloom's Sirenix Guardian comes out. "Congratulations fairies, you have passed the final test! You will find the Source of Sirenix where your Quest began."

The Box disappears, and Bloom instantly has the answer. "Our Quest began when I went to ask Daphne about the Sirenix Book. Lake Roccaluce!"

She takes off in a blur of speed, and even Aisha is hard-pressed to keep her in sight.

Stella asks "Doesn't she ever run out of steam?"

Techna says "No, she's got the Dragon Flame - which can sustain her. She literally never runs out of enough energy for this speed."

They actually pass Duman transformed as a bird while trying to catch up to Bloom - he's just staring after them with no small amount of confusion and sitting on a tree branch.

When they finally catch up with Bloom, she's staring at the lake in horror - its draining and there's a plume of pollution in the middle!

Bloom seems frozen with horror for a moment, until everyone else skids to a stop beside her. "Tritannus has been here, he might still be here! Let's go ladies! Harmonix!" They transform instantly and fly into the water, and Bloom's more than ready to face Tritannus.

* * *

Tritannus got to the lake five minutes ago, and attacked the Source of Sirenix.

All the Keepers tried to stop him, and their combined powers actually knocked him into a rock hard, but he's too strong for them to stop him alone - even though they're working together now.

When the Winx get down there, the plants and animals are absolutely terrified. A swarm of fish stream out of a nearby cave, the one that Daphne stayed in when she was in the lake.

Bloom could always sense something incredibly powerful further in the cave, but Daphne always said to ignore it. Bloom could tell she had an illusion spell up, making look like the cave was empty - now she knows why.

 _Oh Daph, we both have to keep secrets from the universe._

They hear a rumbling sound from deeper in the cave, and Bloom gets really angry. That's what she thinks of as Daphne's home, and now Tritannus put one of his monsters in there.

What comes out is a sludge-beast, with glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth. It shoots a blast at Bloom, who makes a wall to block the attack. She's wondering where the Keepers are though - and Tritannus - and her wall breaks and she's slammed into a rock.

Like the monster answered her question, she looks over when she senses heat signatures moving around - heat signatures with magic, familiar magic - and sees the Keepers fighting Tritannus.

She instantly decides to fight him right there, her friends are busy dealing with his sludge-pet.

She roar-yells "Tritannus! I'm gonna beat you so bad you won't be able to twitch your tail!" She looks really angry, making Tritannus decide he has what he came for and to get out while he still can.

She lets a Fire Blade loose at him, knocking him into the wall he's swimming past. All she can think about is making him tell her where Daphne is and taking her there - preferably with him in fire-chains pulled so tight he can hardly breathe.

She wraps him in said chains when he pushes himself out of the rock, making him involuntarily yell in pain when she squeezes them as tight as she can using her magic. Then, she grabs him by his thick, slimy neck and slams him back into the rock wall, saying "Tell me where Daphne is Tritannus, or I swear I'll fillet you!"

There's going to be hell to pay for kidnapping and torturing Daphne if he doesn't get away - there will be if they ever defeat him for good. He can feel Bloom's hand heating up fast, soon the water is going to be boiling hot around him if he can't knock her out.

Serena yells "Bloom! The lake is almost dry!" The rest of the Keepers join her, yelling about how they have to save the Lake.

 _We have to restore the Source!_

She yells "This isn't over Tritannus!" and decks him as hard as she can with her fist on fire.

She and the Keepers swim off to the cave he put the Sludge-beast in, and arrive just as they finish it off. "We have to restore the Source, it's the only way to save Lake Roccaluce!"

As soon as Bloom left to go save Daphne's home, Tritannus used most of his strength to free himself from her chains. He opens up a portal to his and the Trix's hideout - he's got to do this before the Winx restore the Source of Sirenix.

Back at Lake Roccaluce, the Winx all get into the cave and see the Source of Sirenix.

Bloom suddenly collapses to her knees holding her head. She can hear Daphne's screaming like she's right next to her - she's screaming about her powers. It literally feels like something was just ripped out of Bloom, and she can feel the emptiness like a knife.

Her own magic fills the hole a moment later - letting her know exactly what just happened: Tritannus stole Daphne's powers!

She sincerely hopes the Sirenix Curse will strike all four of them when they use the powers, take their bodies like Daphne's was stolen from her or worse. Stella puts a hand on her shoulder, and asks "Bloom, what's wrong? What happened?"

"He stole them, he took Daphne's powers, Stella!" They have to restore the Source, there's no time for Bloom to grieve right now.

At least Daphne's still alive, Bloom would know if she wasn't. And if she wasn't, nothing at all would save Tritannus and the Trix from her - not even Sibylla's protection.

They join hands around the Source of Sirenix, and the Keepers join as well. Bloom's too raw to try and put up any kind of shield - which is why she can finally do the Harmonix Convergence. Her worry for Daphne was forming a wall against the undersea creatures' energy - she's way past worry, but the wall is gone at the moment.

They restore the Source, and their Sirenix Boxes appear. All but Bloom cheer, she can't really find it in her to be happy when Daphne's powers have been stolen and likely corrupted by Tritannus.

The Guardians use their powers on the Source of Sirenix, summoning Omnia, the Supreme Guardian of Sirenix. She grants them Sirenix and takes them into the Infinite Ocean.

Their Harmonix dresses are replaced with outfits almost like jumpsuits, with leggings, tight-fitting tops, and boots with three-inch chunk-soles. Their hair gets pulled up or back, and in the water it turns colors.

Bloom gets an even lighter shade of red, Stella gets green, Flora gets light pink, Musa gets purple, and Techna gets green highlights.

Omnia says the Infinite Ocean is forever open to them now, but that something evil has entered the Ocean as well - something powerful with allies who have Dark Sirenix. Bloom isn't surprised in the slightest, of course Tritannus and the Trix would come to this gorgeous place to pollute it.

They also get a wish they can ask their Sirenix Guardians to grant - after they please Destiny and earn it.

 _That's it, that's how I can break the Sirenix Curse!_

Now Bloom's seriously excited, she just has to do whatever it is she needs to do to please Destiny in order to earn her wish and break the Sirenix curse and end it forever. None of them have any idea how to 'please Destiny' though - but Bloom's more than willing to try whatever she has to so she can finally free Daphne.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the Trix and Tritannus are just giving Boom more and more reasons to simply kill them and be done with all the trouble they cause. They're practically writing up their death warrants with every thing they do to Daphne.**


	232. Garbage Island

_**Garbage Island**_

The next day, the Winx are in Gardenia at the beach, taking some very well-deserved vacation time. They did get Sirenix after all, no easy feat - especially with Tritannus literally mucking up every turn.

Even Bloom is there, the Winx and Sky finally managed to convince her not to storm the Infinite Ocean to tear Tritannus and the Trix apart. They aren't strong enough, and there's no telling how strong Tritannus and the Trix are - but the angry fire in Bloom's eyes says she knows exactly how strong they are and really wants to tear them apart for being that strong, it's her sister's strength after all.

If those four swimming corpses show up right now, all five girls doubt anything will save them from Bloom's absolute fury.

When they run out to jump in the water, they realize the waves are full of garbage and it's all washing up on shore. Other people in the crowd start to leave, not wanting to get their feet cut or something glass in their arm or anything.

The Specialists show up, and everyone decides to start cleaning up. Stella makes gloves and trash bags appear, and everyone takes a type of garbage to get. Bloom uses her magic to help out with finding stuff, carrying so many plastic bottles she can hardly see - and floating an ever-growing pile behind her.

Soon, the sand is cleaned and they start on the water, but Bloom's looking out at the ocean itself. The Winx and the guys can all tell what she's thinking: did Tritannus have anything to do with all the garbage?

They don't know, but if he did then he'd better get out of Earth's oceans before Bloom can find him.

* * *

 ***Infinite Ocean***

In the Infinite Ocean, Tritannus is looking for one very specific thing: the Emperor's Throne.

Darcy and Stormy don't understand what the big deal about being in the Infinite Ocean is though - another ocean, hooray. He tells them about the Emperor's Throne, and how he'll seize its power and become the Emperor.

Daphne listens with growing horror as Tritannus says he'll use the power to conquer every realm and universe the Ocean leads to - what none of them know is the power is too much for anyone. That's the same reason the Dragon Flame isn't fully active at all times, that much power would drive any person mad with the sheer amount of power. When he's done with his whole speech, she says "Be careful, all of you. Sirenix is cursed - and you could say the power in the Emperor's Throne is to, even without the Sirenix Curse."

Icy says "Oh, be quiet. You're just saying that because we tricked you into telling us how to get it. My mighty Tritannus will be Emperor of the Infinite Ocean."

Tritannus says "And you, Icy, will be my Empress."

Daphne yells "Look at me, what do you think took my body? What do you think Bloom's been looking for all this time?"

None of them have an answer for that - of course that's what Bloom has been trying to break.

Tritannus yells "Come on you beasts, to the Emperor's Throne!"

Darcy asks "So, if she's going to be Empress…what does that make us?"

Daphne just shakes her head, if they get the power it will drive them insane in the first few moments.

When they get there, the Throne looks pretty impressive - it's on top a very high column that nobody could ever climb, good thing it's in water. You can see for miles from the chair, and its actually really beautiful - but none of them but Daphne appreciate the view.

Tritannus and Icy swim up, and everyone, even Daphne, is watching in silence - but nothing happens when Tritannus tries to claim the Throne's power. He tries it again, but still nothing - Darcy and Stormy start to laugh and Daphne feels a tidal-wave sized wash of relief course through her.

Icy says "Stop it!" and both of her sisters shut their mouths. Tritannus angrily stabs the Emperor's Throne with his trident - and it hits him with a stream of what looks like lightning, sending him crashing to the ocean floor painfully. It also drains him of all his power, turning him back into a regular merman.

He hates it when this happens, and Daphne says "I told you, Sirenix will destroy you."

Tritannus knows she is telling the truth, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. He glares at Daphne and yells "Who asked you, fairy? Beasts, lock her up!"

Daphne just looks at him with an expression they can't read - Darcy thinks it might be disgust or disdain. The pollution chains that were holding her wrists up disappear, and one of the Mutants pushes her into a cell underneath the Throne. Its three or four times as large as the cell Bloom was shoved into for two months, but it's still a cell - at least the bars aren't spelled to electrocute Daphne though, they're all pretty sure Bloom would kill them all if she found that out.

Right after the door to Daphne's cell closes, Tritannus feels like he could black out. "Ngh…I need to refuel."

Icy wraps one of his arms around her neck, saying "And I know just where to go."

* * *

Back in Gardenia, everyone has just finished the beach cleanup! The beach is good as new, and Musa and Flora immediately jump in.

Aisha and Nabu are sitting at the edge of the waves, and Techna joins them. She did some research while picking up garbage, and discovered that the source of it all is a giant garbage island off Gardenia's coast.

Stella gets an idea from all the cleaning for an environmentally friendly line of clothing. It'll be low-impact and completely biodegradable - making Brandon worry about what exactly Stella is going to use to make the clothes. Minutes later, they all find out what it is - food!

Its cabbage and pineapple mostly, Brandon doesn't even know what else she spelled together for the dress she's wearing. It all falls apart when one girl in the crowd doesn't hesitate to call the fact out. At least the spell holding the dress together kept the actual dress on her until she got to the sand.

When Brandon goes to talk to her, she's sitting with her arms crossed over her knees and crying into them. He tries to console her, but he ends up getting her angrier.

He said her designs might be a little too advanced for most people - he's privately thinking the food dress would have turned to a very bad idea in a few days. He says they're crazy, impractical, and not what most people would imagine. She storms away and eventually ends up with the rest of the Winx.

They are getting ready to go out and do something about the garbage island, so they transform and fly out. When Stella asks how they're supposed to find a garbage island, Bloom sarcastically joke "Easy Stell, just follow the garbage road."

It's true, there's a trail of garbage leading them straight to the island.

When they get there, they find a purple tornado pulling up garbage from the island. Bloom immediately recognizes the dark magic in it - Stormy's dark magic.

Tritannus surfaces, and the Trix float down - the perfect opportunity to take Daphne's powers back and return them to her.

Musa asks "What happened to the Trix? Looks like they got a makeover gone really wrong." It's true, they now have jumpsuits that look like they're made from dark slime - and they have tentacles sprouting from their backs.

"A makeover with my sister's magic!"

Bloom hears Darcy ask what happened to them, and Stormy sweeps them into her tornado with all the garbage. They do a Sirenix Convergence though, and break the spell as soon as they can link hands.

When the garbage-dust clears, Bloom's staring at the four enemies with no small amount of fury - meaning it's time to split before they get beaten black and blue.

They all dive underwater, and a green glow starts up. Aisha yells "They're trying to escape through the Infinite Ocean!"

Bloom growls out "Oh no they aren't!"

They all fly down into the water, and open a Gate to the Infinite Ocean using the spell Sirenix Gate.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, you'd think they would know better than to get within a mile of Bloom at the moment - they took Daphne's powers, and she's already stabbed Icy as a warning message. Now, they are so screwed - one would think by now they'd know enough from fighting Bloom a few times to _not_ get her this incredibly angry at them. **


	233. Mutated Family

_**Mutated Family**_

When they go through the Gate, they don't see Tritannus anywhere - but nothing will keep Bloom from finding them right now. Luckily, the Selkies find them - and they've seen Tritannus!

He and the Trix went through a nearby tunnel, and it doesn't take long to catch up. Bloom's setting a furious pace and looks just as furious - it will be an absolute miracle if those four survive this battle.

They seem shocked the Winx can enter the Infinite Ocean - but it quickly turns to caution at Bloom's murderously angry glare, taking Daphne was a really bad idea in the long run.

The Selkies give them a power boost, and Bloom, Stella, and Aisha each shoot a blast at Tritannus. Aisha's is blocked, Stella's is avoided, but Bloom's lands squarely in his chest - making him feel like he's just been slightly cooked.

Bloom's got a fireball in each hand and is ready for another shot. Tritannus asks "Ready to destroy me? Well, first…"

Four Mutants swim up and block the Winx - and they have a really bad idea about who they were. Tritannus reveals it's the rest of his direct family, the entire royal family that rules the underwater kingdom!

"Well? What are you waiting for? Blast us."

The fairies all put their guards up, until suddenly they get hit with a fiery blast from the side!

Darcy thinks _He had to say 'blast us.'_

The Trix all look over in confusion to see Bloom floating there looking really angry - and the Bloom that was with her friends vanishes.

Darcy asks "What? But that's my move!"

Bloom angrily growls out "Sorry witch, I learned that when I was a kid! Along with _this!"_

She teleports forward and blasts Tritannus into a rock wall, then grabs Darcy and Stormy by the tentacles. She ties them together at the bases of their tentacles fast, making a neat knot that she double ties - good thing she learned to tie knots to hold captive enemies as part of her Asgardian training, it also came in handy for tying up Duman back in the Pet Shop.

They're back-to-back now, completely unable to do anything in the way of fighting. Bloom fully plans on dragging them away after the fight and forcing them to tell her where they're holding Daphne - and then forcing them to give her back her powers, completely purified and just as strong as they were before if not stronger.

Icy went to help Tritannus, and she gets Bloom's blast as well. The Mutants all swim to Bloom, but she wraps them in fire chains and ties them to a stone - they'll be fine, they just can't help Tritannus against their wills now.

Now the rest of the Winx are free to join in on the fight - but Tritannus releases a wave of pollution that knocks all of them to the ocean floor. It's enough to help Icy out, who makes an ice-wall to block the Winx long enough to grab Darcy and Stormy and free Tritannus's Mutated family.

When the four enemies, and four forced-enemies, are gone, Aisha breaks down in tears. Bloom hugs her hard, and Aisha wraps her arms around Bloom's neck.

* * *

Back in Gardenia, the beach is back to normal for now - though the garbage island is still out there, it'll still keep sending trash to the beach. But a lot of the townspeople were really inspired by the Winx's efforts to clean up, and have volunteered to go out and clean up the trash island.

Bloom can't believe it, some good news for a change. She looks over at Aisha and Nabu standing at the edge of the waves. She's still crying about her family, Bloom doesn't blame her one bit. It's not their fault they had to attack the Winx, it's all Tritannus's.

When Bloom finally gets her hands on him, she just might actually go through with her threat of filleting him - prince or not, he's more than earned it.

Nabu is trying to comfort Aisha, he's having a harder time of it now, Tritannus's transformation was not exactly a shocker, but the royal family of the underwater kingdom on Andros being Mutated is definitely one.

At this point, nothing about Tritannus and how far he's willing to go would surprise her anymore. But that doesn't make the rest of Aisha's family's fate any less horrible.

* * *

Back at the Emperor's Throne, Icy is struggling to get Darcy and Stormy separated.

Darcy yells "Quit it!" just as Stormy yells "Watch it back there!"

"Jeez, I'm trying, but you two aren't making it any easier you know!"

When Bloom double-knotted their tentacles together, she did it fast, tight, and mercilessly - she's really mad about the whole stealing-Daphne's-powers thing.

Icy's never seen a knot like this - she also doesn't see a way to easily undo the knot.

Darcy and Stormy didn't help the situation by struggling so much, and Icy asks "Exactly how did Bloom do this?"

Daphne is trying to smother her laughter from behind the bars - it's not the easiest thing to do when she hears that.

Stormy grits out "I don't know! She just appeared out of nowhere and grabbed us by the tentacles! One moment we're fine, the next we're tied together like this!"

Even with magic, undoing the complicated knot is nowhere near easy - or painless. After an hour, they're finally separated from each other - with some very sore, tender, tentacles.

Darcy moans "You think Bloom's just a little mad about us taking Daphne's powers?"

Stormy asks "You think she isn't? she pulled us so tight I swear she was trying to rip the tentacles out by the roots."

Darcy says "Don't give her any ideas, she gets enough of them on her own."

Icy ices over their tentacles, really glad it wasn't her stuck in one of their positions. Their entire backs are super sore, they can hardly move now.

At least Icy's side healed when they got Dark Sirenix - she gets the feeling that will be the least of their injuries before this is over.

* * *

 **AN: Oh, Icy's right for a change. You'd think they'd make the smart move and just give Bloom Daphne back with her powers so they might have a chance at living. PS. it's never said that Asgardians are trained to tie knots, but I'd think it's pretty safe to assume they learn it at some point like sailors and navy personnel do - they've got a knot for any situation, one would think a culture focused on battles as much as Asgard is would know how to tie some prisoners up in ropes. Also, I just thought it was a really funny punishment for the two witches - the image in my head alone was hysterical.**


	234. Pillar's Seal

_**Pillar's Seal**_

A few days later, Tritannus is still trying to make the Throne work. When he sits in it, he should feel the power to rule the entire Infinite Ocean flowing through him - all he feels is the rough texture of the chair he's sitting on, and a lot of impatience and frustration.

He swims down around the Throne, and then notices one of the two legs are broken - the Throne is literally broken!

Good news for him: the Throne's power might not be a myth.

Bad news for him: how does he fix something so powerful?!

* * *

Back at Alfea, the Winx are in the Simulator. They're supposed to be looking for something called the Coral Circle, and they use a Sirenix Convergence to know where to go.

When they open their eyes, they see a bunch of coral circles glowing - it's a path to the Coral Circle!

When they get there, three pollution-monsters appear over it and the pollution swells up around them. They can't see, but Stella freezes.

Bloom uses her sense of heat to fight the monsters while Stella tries to unfreeze and help out with enough light for everyone to see in. She needs to use the Light of Sirenix - but she doesn't know how.

The Simulation shuts off, and they're back on the platform in the middle. Bloom's angry desperation to defeat Tritannus and the Trix has faded into a dull ache in her chest - one that is fully capable of making her break down in tears if probed.

Sky's been as comforting and understanding as he knows how to be, but it hasn't helped for long. Bloom's cried and raged and cried a lot more - but nothing short of hanging the Trix and Tritannus by their ankles, and tailfin, and saving Daphne will make her feel better.

When their former headmistress asks what happened, Stella says "I don't know, I just…froze."

Mrs. Faragonda closes her eyes for a moment, then says "I see. While this challenge was difficult, it is only a pale imitation of the challenges you will face in the Infinite Ocean."

The thought makes Bloom's blood run cold - and then burn hot enough to boil water. If she finds one of these creatures, she might just tear it apart for the stress-relief.

Mrs. Fargonda goes on, saying "Sirenix is a great power, and as such, it requires great strength of will to master."

She looks at Stella specifically, and says "You must find that strength inside yourselves."

Bloom and Stella say at the same time "Yes Mrs. Faragonda."

Ironically, Bloom is the one Faragonda is least worried about having the strength of will - Bloom's got a will as strong as her father's, and she knows how to use it. She earned her Enchantix because of it, and she'll likely master her Sirenix in the same fashion - being so stubborn and determined that she finally gets it no matter the odds or obstacles.

She says "Traning will resume tomorrow. That's all ladies."

Flora, Musa, and Techna walk out, but Stella stays where she is.

Bloom puts a hand on her shoulder, and she asks "I really messed up, didn't I?"

"Only a little Stell. This is what training's for after all. You'll get it, I know you will."

Stella smiles - trust Bloom to know how to cheer someone up about stuff like this. She might push herself to the brink of exhaustion, but she never makes anyone else feel like she expects them to.

Flora asks "I wonder how Aisha's doing back on Andros?" She went back home earlier today, there has to be something she can do about the rest of her family.

* * *

On Andros, Aisha walks into the throne room in her palace and immediately hugs her parents. They know why she's here though, they heard about the underwater royal family's fate - turned into Mutants and serving Tritannus mindlessly.

But he forgot one thing: King Neptune's sword. Its powerless on land, but in the water it's an object of immense power and strength.

Aisha's parents have it because some mermaids fleeing the palace after Tritannus's attack brought it to them - and now they give it to her to use.

Aisha swears on the sword that she won't stop until Tritannus is defeated and their family is restored - and the sword's power reacts to her Sirenix and glows brightly. Aisha gets the ridiculous thought that she's going to have to ask Bloom to help her connect the sheath to her belt, and hide it there like she does all the time.

If she wasn't so serious, she might crack up and start laughing. For now, she makes the sword and sheath disappear in a burst of sparkles and heads back to Alfea.

* * *

In the Infinite Ocean, Tritannus and the Trix are heading somewhere new.

Stormy whisper-asks Darcy "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere called the Pillar of Light. He's trying to get his stupid Throne to work."

When they get there, it's a giant glowing pillar sticking up out of the ground - they don't know how they didn't see it miles away.

Icy says "Remind me why we're here."

She doesn't have a clue really, Tritannus was in a huge rush to get here and didn't give much of an explanation. "When I discovered the leg of the Throne was broken, I knew there was only one way to restore its power: the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean. This one illuminates the entire Magic Dimension - the other two are Balance and Control. They are the foundation of the entire Magical Dimension - and they get their power from their Seals. So we're gonna snag em."

Icy is catching on, its fairly straightforward now. "And, stick them in the leg of the Throne?"

"Bingo."

"And they'll activate the Throne."

"And we'll rule the Magical Dimension!"

They spin around, Darcy and Stormy could gag. Darcy says "You know sister, if we're not careful we could end up doing the dishes."

Stormy adds "And taking out the trash."

Icy and Tritannus are completely excluding them, it's like they don't even exist anymore - and it's getting really annoying.

The Selkie Guards protecting the Pillar of Light try to fight back, but they aren't enough to stop them. Darcy and Stormy almost wish they were more of a fight, give the two love-fishes a taste of disappointment for a change.

Tritannus hits the seal with a ray of energy and pulls it out of the rock base. When it leaves, the pillar shooting up to the waves disappears - it was made entirely of light!

* * *

At Alfea, the Winx are trying to think of a way to defeat the Mutants without actually hurting them - it's not their fault they're serving Tritannus after all. That would really help Aisha, and it would also take away Tritannus's army of helpers.

Stella asks her Sirenix Guardian for help, and she says that Stella needs to open her heart to her power. She goes back into the Box, but the room suddenly gets a lot darker.

It could just be a reflection of Stella's mood - but she suddenly grabs her head to fight a wave of dizziness. "The sun! Something's wrong with the sun!"

All the Winx go to the window, with Bloom supporting Stella, and they see an eclipse happening. It's going far too fast to be natural, and it stops directly over the sun and shows no sign of moving ever.

Bloom read about eclipses before - but they only happen on Earth.

On all the other realms of the Magical Dimension, the exact same thing is happening - the sun is being blocked!

The consequences for Solaria are far worse than for the rest of the realms. They are all being destabilized, but the king of Solaria needs both of its suns to survive - and the spreading darkness is affecting both of them.

When the Winx all get out to the courtyard, Stella's dizziness is gone - replaced by adrenaline and worry. Her weakness was caused by sudden lack of magical strength, but she's incredibly worried about her home planet.

Mrs. Faragonda gives them immediate permission to go to Solaria, and they all teleport over immediately. When they get there, Stella runs past the guards with barely a hello - they get out of the way of their near-hysterical princess and let her friends through.

When Stella gets into the palace, they find a woman none of them but her have ever met before. She's dressed in blue robes with a circlet with a crescent moon at her forehead.

"Mom? What are you doing here? Where's Dad?"

None of the Winx know what to say, they knew Stella's parents were separated but they never met her mother, Luna, before. She immediately hugs her mother, worried about the worst.

"Your father collapsed. His doctor is with him now, this darkness has affected both of Solaria's suns." Stella knows exactly what that means, and starts sobbing hysterically.

Aisha calls and tells them the problem is coming from the Infinite Ocean - which means Tritannus is behind all this.

Bloom's blood is boiling now, literally. He's killing the father of her best friend!

When Bloom tells her they have a way to help King Radius, but it involves leaving, Flora says "You should stay here, Stella, your parents need you."

Stella says "No, no I'm going with you. If anyone's going to save my father, it's going to be me."

She looks desperate and angry at the same time - about exactly how Bloom feels whenever her family is threatened. Luckily, her headaches stopped ever since the day they first fought Tritannus in the Infinite Ocean - which means Daphne isn't being hurt for now. But Stella's father is - and they have to hurry!

* * *

 **AN: Alright, looks like Bloom has another chance to turn Tritannus into poisoned fillets - I wouldn't eat those if you paid me a million dollars up front. You think Tritannus and the Trix are going to get their butts and tail kicked from one end of the IO to the other? Read and find out!**


	235. Family Reunited

_**Family Reunited**_

They all meet up in the Infinite Ocean, and the Selkies show up to help. They were summoned by the Selkie Guards of the Pillar of Light, and lead the Winx right to it.

When they get there, the Pillar is incredibly weak - the light is fading in and out, and it's hardly glowing at this point.

Tritannus has a lot more Mutants than the last time they fought, he's been busy apparently. It's not an army, but he's building the numbers up to one.

The fight is a stalemate now, with Bloom going after Icy, Techna, Flora, and Musa going after Darcy and Stormy, and Aisha and Stella fighting Tritannus and the Mutants. Stella charges up a spell, but Aisha stops her by saying one of them might be her family.

Stella does have one thing she can do though, and this time she knows she can do it - use the Light of Sirenix. She remembers what her Guardian of Sirenix said about opening her heart to her power, and lets out a massive burst of light that sweeps all the Mutants away. Tritannus's backup is gone, and he yells in rage.

Bloom has a clear shot at him though, and calls on her powers. She holds her arms up above her head and charges up a spell stronger than she's used before with Sirenix: Lava Jab.

She pours fire and strength into it, letting her anger for Tritannus fuel it. Icy sees, and shocks everyone speechless when she takes the hit for Tritannus. She's knocked unconscious, sending Tritannus into a rage about how dare they hurt her.

 _How dare we hurt Icy? How dare they hurt my sister and Stella's father?!_

Bloom can't believe her ears, or her eyes. As far as any of them knew, Icy was the coldest, most heartless out of all three of the sisters - Bloom would have pegged Darcy out of any of them to develop feelings for someone.

Bloom takes a full minute to say anything, and its "That did not just happen!"

All the Winx are looking at each other, silently asking one another if they all saw what they just saw. The answer is yes, Icy did just sacrifice herself for Tritannus and take a hit that was meant to cook him through.

Tritannus swims for the Pillar and slams his trident into it - causing a catastrophic collapse! The stones that were being held up somehow start falling - and even though they're in water, they fall like they're dropping off a skyscraper in is headed straight for Bloom and Aisha, but Stella destroys it with a Light Diamond.

Bloom and Aisha thank her, and Tritannus picks up Icy and leaves. She wakes up practically crushed to his chest and feeling like her insides are slush instead of their normal ice.

When Tritannus sees she's awake and moving, he says "You tried to protect me."

Icy weakly says "Of course. I'd do anything for you."

"I'll never let them hurt you again. I'm gonna bring the whole Magic Dimension down - one pillar at a time." When he sees she is strong enough to swim without falling behind, he lets her go.

At the Pillar, Flora uses Nature Kick to knock Darcy and Stormy to the ocean floor. They both groan at the same time, and Darcy looks up and sees Icy and Tritannus swimming away.

They immediately go to catch up, getting way more than annoyed by now. They enjoyed the fight for a bit, not anymore.

Bloom, Stella, and Aisha catch up to Icy, Tritannus, and his few remaining Mutants. He's only got maybe a dozen left, compared to the eighty he had before.

He sends his family to fight while he, Icy, and the rest of the Mutants swim away. Aisha looks afraid for an instant, then says "Don't worry, I've got them."

She swims up and summons her uncle's sword - and hits two of the four Mutants with a ray of magic from it. The other two swim away, and the two that got hit fall to the ocean floor and start glowing bright blue. When the glow fades, its Tressa and Nereus!

Aisha tackles them in a massive hug, which they return hugely. Nereus won't stop thanking her for freeing them, and Aisha says "No, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She's practically crushing them in her hug, but none of them care at the moment. She starts kissing their faces, Aisha has never been so happy in her entire life. She thinks this must be close to the amount of joy and relief Bloom felt when she first went to Pyros - it's practically spilling out of her now.

Aisha gives Nereus Neptune's sword, and he swears to use it to free the Infinite Ocean from Tritannus's evil. Tressa says she'll fight alongside him - and now Bloom has one question.

"Nereus, Tressa, there's something I really need to ask you. I need to know if you remember anything from while you were under Tritannus's control."

They both concentrate, they have a few fuzzy memories from their time as Mutants. Tressa says "There…there was a woman, but like no other being I've ever seen. She…she was orange, I think."

Nereus says "Yeah, he kept asking her about something…but she wouldn't give it up easily."

Bloom blurts out "The woman is my sister! Daphne! What did he do to her?!"

Tressa stammers out "I think…he locked her up somewhere, but I don't know where. I remember pushing her into this little room or something. Then, the grate closed and it never opened."

Bloom goes sheet-white, she knows exactly what that means. "He-he didn't hurt her after he took her powers, did he?"

Nereus says "No, I don't think so. We'll get her back though, I swear it."

She looks desperate though, his words didn't exactly help in the slightest. They all swim back to the Pillar of Light - which is about to collapse! If that happens, Stella's father will die and all the Magical Dimension will be plunged into eternal darkness.

Aisha tries to stabilize the Pillar, it isn't enough. The Winx all do a Convergence, it works for a second before giving out.

The Pillar can't stand without light - meaning Stella has to save the Pillar herself. She shoots a bolt of light at the Pillar, but it's still collapsing - so she uses the Light of Sirenix again.

That stabilizes the Pillar and completely restores it - even putting the stones back where they were. The Pillar is saved and so is the entire Magical Dimension, and Stella's father.

* * *

On Solaria, twenty minutes later, Stella isn't so sure she wants to go inside the palace. When it was a crisis, her mother was around and they were a family again - now that it's over she thinks things will go back to the way they were before: her parents arguing over everything because they have different personalities.

Bloom offers to go inside with her, but Stella refuses. When she gets in the Throne room, she gets a spark of hope when she sees Luna standing there with Radius sitting on the Throne. Luna runs over to her daughter and immediately congratulates her, saying how proud they both are of her. Radius does so as well - until she says she thought about what both of them would do and put them together.

Radius says "It was well-done, but now it's time to get back to work to stop Tritannus once and for all." That's just the way he is, always moving on to what has to be done.

Luna gets annoyed, and says Stella deserves more appreciation. Stella says its fine, but Radius yells "I just can't do anything right, can I?"

"You could if you tried!"

"And why exactly are you here?"

Now Stella wishes she'd taken Bloom up on her offer of coming with - she could make them stop arguing long enough to realize what they are doing to her.

Luna yells "I was just leaving!"

She strides out past Radius, who storms off further into the palace. "Who does she think she is?"

Stella stands there silently crying, she can save the whole Magical Dimension from certain disaster but she can't make her parents get along.

* * *

Back at Alfea, Stella can't stop crying about her parents. Nothing any of them say or do helps, and she eventually just hugs Flora hard and sobs.

When Bloom gets to her room, her phone chimes her ringtone for Sky. He asks if she's free tonight by sundown - she readily accepts. He's been really busy lately, so she never misses a chance to spend some time with him.

When the call ends, she hears a thump on the windowpane. It's too light to be something small, maybe it was a bird?

 _Maybe it was Duman as a hawk, I really hope not. Oh boy, my life is crazy._

When she gets to the window, it's a floating note repeatedly banging on the window. When they open the door, it flies in and unwraps itself in Techna's hands. "It's from Professor Wiz-Giz. 'Trouble at Lake Roccaluce, come quickly.'"

They all look at one another, and Bloom teleports them over to the path she made all her first and third years at Alfea going back and forth between the school and the Lake and takes off sprinting.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the part where Icy takes the hit for Tritannus was a shocker for everyone - me included when I first saw this episode. Who knew Icy the girl with a heart to match her name and powers would actually fall in love with someone? With Valtor, they all wanted him because he was the strongest person they'd ever seen - he was literally made from a piece of Dark Dragon Fire after all. Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon, please review if you have suggestions!**


	236. Sirenix Lesson

_**Sirenix Lesson**_

In Mrs. Faragonda's office, the Kings of Solaria, Domino, Andros, and Eraklyon are discussing what strategy they should be taking. Erendor and Radius want to work separately to defeat Tritannus, Aisha's father wants to unite - and Mrs. Faragonda says they must come up with a strategy one way or another.

Oritel suggests all the Kingdoms of the Magical Dimension convene to make a strategy, and offers his palace as a meeting place. They all agree, and the holograms shut off.

* * *

On Eraklyon, Diaspro and Queen Samara are talking about event plans. Erendor walks in with a scowl on his face - the situation with Tritannus is giving everyone a lot more stress and anxiety.

Samara asks "What's wrong Erendor?"

"Tritannus. All the kingdoms will meet at Domino, we must prepare." He looks around, and then realizes someone isn't there: Sky. "And where's my son? Where's Prince Sky?"

Samara rolls her eyes and says "Oh calm down, Erendor. He's out."

"Out? How can he be out?"

Samara shrugs and says "Well he can't hang around here all day."

"Why not, I do! Sky is going to be king of Eraklyon, hanging around here is his duty. Where's he gone?"

Samara says "I don't know."

Diaspro coughs politely and says "Your Majesty, I think I know."

Samara good-naturedly asks "Still keeping tabs on Sky then, Diaspro?"

In truth, Diaspro doesn't need to. It's a pretty safe bet that Sky went straight to Bloom.

Erendor asks "Well? What are you waiting for? Go get him!"

"I would, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I don't have the authority to bring him back to the palace."

She's playing Erendor and she knows it - but he doesn't pick up on it because what she said is technically the truth, she really doesn't have the power to boss Sky around. Maybe this time things will go better - the last few times she's tried this sort of thing haven't gone as planned.

She tried to play Bloom into breaking when Valtor had her prisoner, she nearly died; she tried to play Bloom's concern about her brothers, she nearly died on a planet full of dragons; she tried to play Bloom's amnesia, Sky just took the chance to get closer to her - and if the situation were reversed, she would've been worried about maybe dying; she's starting to see a theme with that.

Erendor says "We'll just see about that! An emblem of Erendor, and my scepter, at once!"

A servent comes running up with the objects on a pillow, and Erendor pins the emblem to her armor and taps her shoulders with the scepter. "You are now Special Liaison of Eraklyon. You may speak in my name - and tell Sky I want him back here now!"

She curtsies and runs out of the room at once, saying she'll bring him back. Samara remembers what happened at the Millennium party, and says "I'm not sure that was such a good move Erendor."

She remembers the look on Bloom's face when Diaspro was announced as the love of Sky's life - which Diaspro spelled him to do. She was giving Diaspro a chance to prove herself worthy of their trust again, and she's not so sure Diaspro has earned it yet - especially not a position so important.

* * *

In Magix, the Winx are walking to lake Roccaluce - looking for the trouble Wiz-Giz's note told them about.

Techna points out the fact that the note said there was trouble, not that he was in trouble - and just as they get to the edge of the Lake, a huge creature made of pollution bursts out of it.

Its shaped similar to Wiz-Giz's hat, but the similarities end there - especially since it has the professor in one of its arms!

When they try to defeat it using their spells, it throws their own powers back at them. When Bloom deflects an attack back at it, the creature is noticeably weakened. It can't take its own pollution!

Techna makes a Digital Net to catch a bunch of the pollution, while the Winx all taunt the creature into attacking them. After about five blasts into the net, its full of oily sludge - plenty of ammo against this thing. Techna keeps the net there, while Stella, Aisha, Musa, and Flora hold open the sides.

Bloom calls on Pyros and pulls back at the net, aiming straight for the monster. "Professor, you might want to close your eyes and hold your breath!"

He does exactly that, and Bloom lets the projectile go at high speeds - even setting it on fire for good measure. Wiz-Giz goes flying, and Bloom catches him before he can hit the water. "Excellent work ladies! You did fabulously."

Bloom flies back and he catches his hat - which was the creature all along!

When they are over the ground, he tells them it was all training to prepare them to fight Tritannus.

Bloom seriously considers dropping him right then, but instead she sets him on his feet. "This was your first lesson girls, what did you discover?"

Flora hesitantly says "Well…you said fight fire with fire." "Precisely, and?"

Bloom finishes "And we beat the monster by using its own pollution against it."

It's one of the first things she learned on Asgard - their strength can become their undoing. Her strength is only her undoing when she collapses from using too much of it at once though - real annoying when she blacks out and wakes up three days later with a massive headache.

She looks up and sees its sunset, and yells "Oh crud! Gotta fly girls, see you later!"

She takes a running start and flies off towards Alfea at breakneck speed - giving them all a good idea of who she's meeting.

Back at Alfea, Bloom and Sky take a ride on Ember. They take it slow, giving them plenty of time for talking - which turns into kissing after about five words. Turns out riding a dragon can be really romantic when your too busy kissing the girl in front of you that you don't notice the cold air - the fact that Bloom puts out enough heat for both of them, and Ember's own microclimate of heat, helps with that some though.

When they land, Bloom and Sky slide off Ember's side. They're laughing now, and kiss again. Bloom almost wishes she was hormonal again - it was so annoying and badly-timed because they weren't dating, yet Bloom could hardly stop herself from kissing him and never stopping.

A ship from Eraklyon suddenly lands a few feet in front of them - and they both have a really bad idea of why it's here. Bloom suddenly wants to hop on Ember with Sky and fly off again - and keep flying 'til the ship gives up and returns to Eraklyon.

Diaspro steps out of it in armor surprisingly similar to what is worn on Asgard - with the exception that nobody on Asgard wears emblems on their armor.

Bloom's hand strays toward her hidden knife hilt as she remembers everything Diaspro has done to her - including the story of how she had Bloom's heart broken and her kidnapped. She may not actually remember it all happening, but she knows it happened and its more than enough. Even if she didn't, everything from poisoning her on Pyros and after would be more than enough.

Sky slides his hand into hers, keeping her from drawing her knife without even thinking about it, and asks "What are you doing here?"

He's on the brink of telling her to shove off - and to stay away from the two of them, when Diaspro strides forward. "You have to return to Eraklyon. Get in." She points to the ship with her nose up in the air - fully expecting him to obey.

Bloom really wishes she could put Diaspro's face in the ground, maybe that would convince her to leave them alone and get a life.

Sky says "I don't take orders from you Diaspro!"

The smirk that appears on Diaspro's face makes Bloom's stomach drop - they clearly don't know something. "Actually, you do now. I'm the King's Special Liaison, and I speak in the King's name. And the King says 'Come home, now!'"

Bloom can hardly hold back a growl building in her throat, Ember doesn't even try.

The dangerously low growl makes Diaspro take four steps backward. "Sky, have Bloom call off her stupid dragon at once!"

Now its Sky's turn to smirk, as he says "Sorry Diaspro, but Bloom's so independent. She'll let you talk for an hour, and she'll still do what she wants if she thinks it's really important."

Bloom's getting over her fury about Diaspro's remark about Ember. "I don't take orders from you Diaspro, never will - not even if you become my father's Special Liaison. Ember may be a dragon, but she's not stupid - and I don't control her. If she wants to have you for a snack, well; she's a dragon, we're all people. I bet you can guess how it'll turn out."

She smiles unkindly, Diaspro always brings out the worst in her - her temper, her stubborn pride she tries so hard not to listen to; and every impulse from Pyros to simply bite the artery in Diaspro's neck and be done with her interfering, it's like they're two dragons and Diaspro's invading her territory or something.

Sky says "Bloom, I'm sorry, but for once Diaspro's telling the truth. I have to go back to Eraklyon." He glares at Diaspro, really wishing he had the authority to take her position away right here and now.

He walks forward after kissing Bloom one more time - drawing it out as long as possible, much to Diaspro's annoyance.

Diaspro says "Prince Sky's duty calls, too bad for you Bloom."

She gives Bloom a self-satisfied smirk as Sky walks on the ship, which Bloom responds to with a glare. The takeoff sends a massive amount of dust into both Bloom and Ember's faces, giving Bloom a reason besides an emotional knife in the heart for the stinging in her eyes and the wetness on her face.

Ember uses the gust from her wings to clear the dust from the two of them, but the ship is already gone.

When Bloom checks her phone, she gets a text from Sky with the words 'We'll be together again' and a heart emoji.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, really hated to do that to Bloom and Sky - promise I'll get back at Diaspro soon! Anyway, before I can get onto a tirade about how much I hate Diaspro's character in the cartoon, enjoy the chapter! More updates coming soon, no worries there! Would've loved to see Bloom drop Wiz-Giz on the ground for freaking them all out so badly, but hey, life goes on and they've got bigger things to worry about. Namely one oversized merman with a sick green complexion currently trying to gain a throne.**


	237. Eye of Inspiration

_**Eye of Inspiration**_

That night, Icy and Tritannus are putting the first seal in the Emperor's Throne leg, and they keep saying they'll rule the Infinite Ocean together.

Darcy and Stormy are seriously fed up with the whole 'together' thing; they want to barf, and it completely excludes them. They decide to leave, and pass by Daphne's cell.

"Darcy, Stormy, you have to listen to me!"

They both stop, Daphne hasn't said anything in weeks. Darcy asks "Are you talking to mwah?"

"You have to stop Tritannus from activating the Throne!"

Darcy and Stormy look at each other, and Darcy asks "And why would we do that?"

"It's too much power for anyone. If Tritannus activates the Throne, it will unleash a power that's too great for any person, group of people - anyone in existence - to control. He will destroy all of us, the Infinite Ocean, and every realm connected to it. He will destroy you!" She figures that's the only way to actually get through to these two, because they care nothing for anyone else.

The two sisters look at each other, shocked speechless. Then, they take the easy way out and decide she's bluffing.

Stormy says "Yeah right." and knocks her to the back wall with a mini-tornado. Secretly though, they are seriously wondering if she's right.

Daphne tries to contact Bloom, but Tritannus's bindings are too strong. When he puts the first Seal in the Throne leg, it drains him of every ounce of pollution he has. The bindings on Daphne weaken immensely, and she tries again to contact her little sister.

* * *

In Alfea, Bloom's dreams are as unrestful as ever lately. She can hear Daphne's voice calling for her, but she can't find her. Her sister appears though, and tells her what she already knows: her powers were taken, and she's Tritannus's prisoner.

"I'll find you, I'll save you!"

"No! The Magical Dimension is in grave danger, Tritannus seeks the Seals from the Pillars of Balance and Control. If he gets them, he will activate the Emperor's Throne and destroy everything."

"But, I don't even know where the Pillars are!"

"You must find the Eye of Inspiration. Shining above and below, it lights up Alfea."

Bloom feels slightly hysterical, Daphne chooses now of all times to play the wise older sister who speaks in riddles and expects Bloom to learn something more from the search. "Daphne!"

She's moving backwards, like she's being pulled away. "Alfea, remember Bloom. Shining above and below…"

Bloom wakes up with Daphne's words echoing in her ears, accidentally sending Ember flying off the bed from next to her. "Above and below, the Eye of Inspiration!"

She's woken up like this before, shouting out stuff from her dreams seemingly at random. When she looks at her clock, its midnight - but she can't go back to sleep.

Ember does it for her, after moving to her pillow.

She shakes Flora awake, and then moves to Techna and Musa's room. "Wake up girls! Wake up wake up wake up!"

It doesn't take long to get most of them up, and then they have to wake up Stella.

Bloom shakes her by the shoulders, and she demands to know if they know it's the middle of the night. When Bloom says yes, they know its late, she says "Great, now, I'm going back to sleep." She knocks Bloom's hands away and lays back down.

Bloom's waited for a long time to do this - she floats Stella's bed up and dumps her on the floor. "Bloom! What are you-hey!"

Bloom's got her by the ankle and is dragging her on the floor. "Sleep can wait Stella, this cant!"

They try to find something in the Magic Archive, but while there is every 'eye' expression - including a dragon-eye reference that probably could have been written about Bloom - there is nothing about the Eye of Inspiration.

They are sitting on the front steps of Alfea and Stella really wants to go back to bed. "Daphne said we have to hurry before Tritannus gets the Seals from the other two Pillars!"

Flora says "But we don't even know where the Pillars are!"

Musa adds "Because we can't find the Eye of Inspiration!"

Stella wants to give up and go back to sleep - Aisha and Bloom both refuse to quit. Aisha won't give up on a chance to beat Tritannus, and Bloom won't give up on anything that will get them closer to freeing Daphne and restoring her body and magic.

Aisha summons her Sirenix Box and asks her Guardian about it. She gives them a hint: its big and round and shining bright tonight. They all look around and realize they have been looking at it for the past five minutes: the moon!

They try to think of where it would be shining below them, and Bloom gets a flash of inspiration like a knife to the head - she runs over to the well in a blur of speed while everyone else follows.

She's right, the moon is reflected back at them from the well water. When they all gather, Bloom's sure she has it right - especially when a spiral of magic comes out of the well and they are transported to a room made entirely out of water.

When they look up, they see three dots of light glowing brightly on the ceiling. They have to be the Pillars, and they are in a square-ish pattern. They are around what looks like a chandelier, which must be the Emperor's Throne!

Bloom immediately commits the sight to memory so she can draw the map later, and Techna snaps a picture of it on her phone. They finally get out of the well hours later, and are dragging their feet up the steps so they can go back to sleep - most of them, anyway.

Sleep, actually restful sleep, is not something Bloom can manage at the moment, not with Daphne and visions of things happening unrelated to Tritannus and the Trix haunting her dreams.

Bloom's phone chimes with a news alert, and they see a live news feed of a trash-monster attacking two boats in Gardenia!

Bloom mutters "You have got to be kidding me. Winx, we're going to Gardenia. Tritannus animated the trash island out there."

Stella groans, as Aisha says "That was a big mistake on his part."

They all transform and teleport over - this day just keeps getting better and better.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, the girls got almost no sleep tonight - not like Bloom was getting any decent sleep to begin with though. Seriously, I can't imagine she would - she and Daphne can talk in each other's dreams, she gets feelings that Daphne's in trouble, and even in the cartoon she got dreams and visions from her that she was in trouble. I wouldn't have appreciated the riddle at the moment though, what with Daphne being kidnapped and all - really, she picks right then to spout off a riddle and make the girls hunt for it? Very annoying, the Sirenix Book is one thing - that was supposed to be a challenge, the kidnapped person giving riddles instead of straight answers when it could be the key to rescuing them is just seriously frustrating.**


	238. Trash Monster

_**Trash-Monster**_

When they get to the Trash Island, they find the Trash-monster is absolutely massive and is about to destroy one of the two boats. It looks like the people from Gardenia were cleaning up the giant mound of trash when Tritannus and the Trix showed up.

The beast is about to hit the boat again, but Bloom hits the attack with a Spreading Fire. Her temper is really short at the moment, she's running on maybe three hours of really disturbed sleep. She hasn't gotten one night of decent sleep ever since Daphne was taken - it's getting really annoying at this point.

The Trix and Tritannus swim away, knowing full well Bloom will not care which one of them she has to hurt or how badly she has to hurt them to make them tell her where Daphne is and force them to give her back her powers as they were. They also saw the really short-tempered look on Bloom's face and decided to swim away while the swimming's good.

The Winx try to attack the monster, but it's like it doesn't even feel it. Bloom thinks about their lesson on Lake Roccaluce, and decides to try it on this thing.

They do a Sirenix Convergence and make a shield around themselves. The monster attacks the shield instantly, and the attack bounces back. It explodes into a mountain of trash and sludge.

The people all cheer, and the Winx go after Tritannus. He and the Trix are swimming for the Earth Gate, but find a lot more resistance than when they first went through. It was just Phylla then, now she's gathered all the Earth Selkies.

She nearly beat Tritannus before, but he was weak and out of pollution. Now he traps all the Selkies in toxic tentacles.

The Winx swim up just as they open the portal, with Icy telling her sisters that she'll be Tritannus's Empress with or without them. Her sisters tried to warn her about what Daphne said, they are actually convinced she's telling the truth about the Throne being too dangerous - or at least that she believes that.

Icy called Daphne a 'big fat liar' - but they know Bloom's never told a lie in her life, and she and Daphne are a lot alike. They also know what someone lying sounds like - Daphne didn't sound like she was lying, she sounded convinced of what she was saying and desperate to make them believe as well.

They swim through the open gate before Bloom can lose her cool and throw them all into large rocks and demand they take her to Daphne and free her.

The Winx all free the Selkies with another convergence and they all thank the six fairies. Phylla thanks them most of all, but she's sorry she couldn't defeat the four enemies.

Bloom says "I swear Phylla, we will defeat Tritannus and the Trix once and for all."

She doesn't know when that will be - but she's hoping it will be sooner rather than later - she really needs a night of sleep that goes uninterrupted for a change.

The Winx all stay in Gardenia and help with the Trash Island cleanup, and by the end of the day its completely gone. Tritannus will have to go somewhere else for his refueling from now on - but they don't want to think of where that might be.

Aisha swears to stop him once again - but they need to master their Sirenix powers to do that.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I know, really short chapter - but the girls finding the Eye of Inspiration was the main focus of the episode and the fight took maybe three minutes in the cartoon! Besides, they were all running on little sleep - Bloom most of all - so it wasn't going to be a long fight either way. Either Bloom would've chopped it's head off, she'd have blown it up, or she'd have done something else to beat it easily - and then, if she caught up with Tritannus and the Trix, she'd have gone off on them - temper to match her powers, little very-disturbed sleep, bad combo for her enemies.**


	239. War Council

_**War Council**_

The next day, Tritannus and the Trix go to steal the Seal from the Pillar of Balance. Darcy and Stormy are happy to follow - they get to wreak mayhem and destruction in all the Realms just to get one little object. It's something they can enjoy, along with the fight for the Seal itself.

When they start swimming for the Pillar, Darcy and Stormy spot a large sea creature heading for them.

Darcy asks "What is that?"

Icy looks over and says "It's just a fish."

Darcy adds "A big fish."

Stormy says "A really big fish."

It must be twenty feet tall, and twice as long - and the razor-sharp teeth in its head don't look like they were made for eating kelp. It rushes straight for Icy, who notices just in time and moves fast.

"Did you see that? It tried to eat me!"

It comes around for another charge, but the Trix all attack it. It's knocked backwards maybe two feet - but their combined attacks didn't faze it one bit.

Darcy is paralyzed for a moment, but unfreezes right before the fish can eat her. It goes for Icy now, who swims as fast as her limbs will propel her. The fish is faster though, and catches the end of her hair.

She tries to pull it out, but its only when the fish opens its mouth to eat her that she can keep swimming away. She calls for Tritannus, and even Darcy and Stormy are grateful when he hits the creature with a blast of his pollution.

Icy asks "What is that thing?"

"Just a creature from the depths of the ocean. It's a Devourer of the Abyss. Its unstoppable, it will eat anything in its path!" Icy's floating behind his shoulder, and Darcy and Stormy join her.

Stormy says "I'll say." and Darcy adds "We noticed."

"Its fin is its weak spot, but now I control it." He focuses, and brings the Devourer fully under his control.

Daphne watches with horror as Tritannus waves his trident and the giant fish follows its movement like a puppet on strings.

All three witches are impressed, now they practically have a guard for the Throne. Icy and Tritannus have a better idea though: send the Devourer after every Selkie in the Infinite Ocean, starting at the Pillar of Light.

It swims off and Daphne knows she has to warn Bloom. Problem is, it's going to take a while to get through Tritannus's bonds to contact Bloom now that his strength is restored. He didn't strengthen the bonds around her when he came back from Earth, but they strengthened just by being in the same area as him.

* * *

Back at Alfea, Flora and Bloom are talking about what's going on today.

Flora, Techna, and Musa have a training session with Codatorta, the teacher in charge of training the boys at Red Fountain to fight everything from witches and fairies to wild creatures of all kinds. He's supposed to be the toughest training master in the entire universe, and he's one of the few people Bloom can't readily defeat in a sparring match.

Bloom wishes she didn't have to miss the training session, but she, Stella, and Aisha have to go to Domino for the Sovereigns Council. All the royal families will be gathered on Domino for the meeting - including Sky.

Bloom doesn't know whether to feel excited that she's going to be seeing Sky so soon again, or annoyance and despair that Diaspro will basically his chaperone until she's removed from her post - either because Erendor doesn't need her as Special Liaison anymore, or because she does something stupid and is forced out.

Bloom's betting it will be the second option, Diaspro's jealousy won't be easy to hide - and impossible to hide for very long.

Aisha points out the fact that the fate of the entire Magical Dimension hangs in the balance, and they all agree that the only way to defeat Tritannus is for the kingdoms to unite. He can be in any of their oceans at any time, how are they supposed to defend against a threat like that?

Stella's question is about their outfits though - which seems ridiculous to Bloom when Daphne is still Tritannus's prisoner.

She first gives them outfits that make them look like they belong on a safari or something, making Ember growl at them. Bloom would scold her, except she would growl at someone wearing this outfit as well - she takes one look in the mirror and nearly lets one out in warning.

Stella changes the outfits to the dresses they wore to the Return to Life celebration of Domino, which even Bloom thinks is more appropriate - and she hates dresses.

Twenty minutes later, they are all in the Domino Throne room and Marion is welcoming everyone to the War Council - because that's what it is after all. Bloom and Sky are across from each other with the two thrones between them.

 _Hey Sky, missed you._

 _You to Bloom, turns out father wanted me back so suddenly because of the Council._

 _And Diaspro just happened to be the only applicant for the job of bringing you back?_

 _No, but she knew I was likely with you and, well…_

 _Yeah, I know. She probably volunteered for the job. Ten spells says she'll try to use her new authority to get between us._

 _Not happening Bloom. Never has, and it never will._

Diaspro nudges Sky in the ribs, whispering "Focus, Sky."

Bloom's really glad she moved her knife to her bag before they got ready for the Council - the bag that's around her shoulders in the pocket-dimension she made for it. She's pretty sure people will notice if the king of Erakklyon's Special Liaison disappeared in the middle of the Council and never came back, but she could at least work out some frustration for an hour on a punching bag or something.

Marion pulls her out of her thoughts when she introduces Nereus and Tressa - two members of the underwater royal family of Andros everyone had thought lost. He tells them that the thanks go to Bloom, Stella, and Aisha for freeing them, and they curtsy in response.

The Council starts with Marion and Oritel declaring that they believe the only way to defeat Tritannus is to unite - but Erendor immediately says Eraklyon can defend itself. Bloom is speechless with shock as the other kingdoms begin to argue.

Thankfully Andros, both kingdoms, want to unite - but kingdoms like Zenith and Solaria want to defend themselves.

Bloom really can't believe they want to try to fight Tritannus alone - but, they haven't been in the Infinite Ocean, haven't seen how it connects all the realms. Tritannus can go to any of their worlds anytime from anywhere in the Ocean - it seems obvious to Bloom that they need to unite because that particular fact is so clear to her. She can also see its going to be a long, incredibly frustrating day - probably more, these things can last for days if necessary.

 _Great Dragon, I wish I were doing something straightforward like the training session back at Alfea…_

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, too bad the Devourer didn't have icy for a snack - she probably would've given it a stomachache though. What a shame, the universe wouldn't be any worse off without any of those three. Too bad, but I've got plans for them that don't involve being eaten by a large fish. Anyway, enjoy! Hope you like the chapter, keep reading to see how the training session with Cordatorta goes!**


	240. Wild Dragon

_**Wild Dragon**_

Musa, Techna, and Flora walk through the courtyard to see their boyfriends waiting with Windriders. When they ask why the boys are here, Riven says "You'll see."

Codatorta arrives riding a massive red dragon with what look like moustaches coming from its face.

Flora says "But…that's not a normal dragon!"

Helia says "Nope. Its wild. A savage beast."

Timmy adds "Totally untamed."

They are getting a slight kick out of scaring their girlfriends a little, and all three girls can tell.

Musa mutters "Where's Bloom when you need her to deal with a dragon?" They all know she'd much rather be here - but she has to be at the Council.

Codatorta lands and says "Specialists, take up your Cordon, if you please."

They immediately jump on their bikes and fly up, while Codatorta says "Now, Winx, as you can see this is a wild creature. It's not evil, but it will follow its instincts. And those instincts are to fly away, and incinerate you if you get in the way. Your job is to use your Sirenix powers to control it."

He takes the harness off the Dragon's head, and says "Good luck ladies." The dragon takes off immediately, trying to get past the guys.

Flora whispers "Anyone have an idea of what dragon that is?"

Techna swallows nervously and says "No, but Bloom would know just by looking at it." They all know it's true, but there's no way they can call her up and ask what to do about controlling a dragon.

Ember's napping in Bloom's room, and they locked the windows and doors so she couldn't get out and interfere with the training session.

They transform and fly up, and Musa suggests Flora try being nice to it. It's true that Flora could be nice to anyone - anyone they don't all hate with a burning passion, like Tritannus for instance - but the dragon doesn't seem to appreciate the gesture. She slowly flies closer, but Techna rushes in with a shield to block the fireball it shoots at the Nature fairy.

She yells "It's going to be a long day, girls!"

* * *

For the next twenty minutes, they try feeding it flowers - bad idea, it burns them all and nearly gets Flora as well - they try singing it to sleep - it roars and disrupts Musa's singing every time - they even try reasoning with it.

That gets the most laughs out of the boys, but Musa's glare silences them before she can cast a spell to do it. Techna asks "Exactly how does Bloom do this? Nothing we've tried has worked!"

Musa says "Dragons, this kind of dragon anyway, must be meat-eaters. Look at those teeth!"

Flora says "That explains why the feast of flowers didn't work."

Riven yells down "Don't forget being nice to it!"

Musa yells back "That's right, laugh at us!"

Flora looks really closely at the dragon itself, and notices it won't let anyone touch the long tendrils coming from its lip. When she points it out, Musa offers to go for them while they distract the dragon.

Flora and Techna get the dragon to follow them and go in opposite directions at a tower. The dragon looks around, and Musa flies up and grabs one of the tendrils and lands between its shoulders.

Flora and Techna cheer, and Riven yells "That's my girl!" If Musa wasn't so relieved that she didn't get roasted, she'd try to figure out how to get the dragon to send him flying five feet away with a gust of air from its wings.

Flora and Techna land behind her and ride a few circles around the school. Now they get why Bloom and Ember go flying so much - this is great!

They land and slide off the dragon's back to the ground. Codatorta congratulates them and puts the harness back on the dragon's head. "Now, what have you learned?"

Techna says "Every creature has a weak spot."

Flora adds "And once you find it, you can control it."

Musa doesn't know what to add, so she says "This dragon…doesn't eat flowers?"

They all laugh, and suddenly Techna's phone chimes with her ringtone for Bloom.

"Hello?"

 _Winx, you need to go to the Infinite Ocean!_

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, what a time to be without the dragon-expert of the group! Bloom could've figured the problem out in moments - or just connected with the dragon to control it. Enjoy! More updates coming soon!**


	241. Council Discussions

_**Council Discussions**_

It's been nearly an hour since the Council started and all the talking is starting to give Bloom a headache. She knew it would take a while, but she's getting the distinctly horrible feeling that this will take forever - or at least two weeks. She might actually go crazy if that is what happens, especially if Diaspro is here the whole time.

Bloom goes to a nearby door and opens it quietly with a little magic from her palm - and she can hear a pair of footsteps following her. She can guess who it is by the sound though, all the ladies are wearing heels that click on the tiles - so it has to be either a prince or a king following her, and there's only one person on that list who would follow her into a deserted hallway.

She turns around to see Sky closing the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stella is talking with her father, saying she thinks Oritel is right about uniting.

"Stella, you don't understand, you are so young."

"Father, I may be young, but I'm also the princess of Solaria and its Guardian Fairy. I've fought Tritannus - I know what I'm talking about."

Radius smiles and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I know, and your courage and bravery bring honor to our house, my beautiful daughter."

"Then please, at least think about what I'm saying. Tritannus can go anywhere, at any time. He has to be stopped, and the six of us all agree that the only way to do it is to unite!"

Radius says "I will, Princess of Solaria."

Stella could hug him right now, except it's really not the right time.

* * *

In the hallway, Bloom hands Sky a square of blue cloth. "Here, get it warmer and it'll grow into my jacket. When you try to put it on, it'll grow into your size. Zip it up and put the hood up to activate the concealment magic in it - its real handy for getting some time to yourself, Sky."

She can't count the number of times she used it to ditch the useless detail of guards assigned to protect her. Considering the fact that she can take them all on at once, it's a fairly useless point of Oritel's. The idea is that she's supposed to be protected at all times - she can protect herself better than they can protect her.

"Thanks Bloom, I really appreciate it. I'm sure Diaspro won't though - because I fully plan on shaking her as much as I can."

Sky puts it in his pocket as Bloom bites her bottom lip and looks down. "You know she's trying to use her new position to come between us Sky."

"Hey, that's never gonna happen Bloom. I'm yours, always will be." Bloom doesn't have to say that's exactly how she feels, how she's felt for years - even when she was trying to keep something like what Diaspro did from happening again by keeping her distance.

They nearly kiss, but just as their lips brush, the door opens. "Prince Sky! Your father requests your presence, Your Highness."

Bloom glares at Diaspro, really wishing she could just hit her like she did when they were battling in Greenwich or Pyros.

Sky grits out "Thank you King's Special Liaison."

 _She's lying Sky._

 _Yeah, but there's no way to prove it. Sorry Bloom._

Sky leaves his hand around her waist for a moment before leaving.

Diaspro curtsies to Sky, and turns to Bloom when he's out of earshot. "Look, Bloom, take my advice and leave Sky before he ditches you completely."

Bloom walks away while asking "Why should I listen to a word you have to say Diaspro? Tell me, I'd really like to know before I take into consideration a letter that comes out of your mouth."

Her tone is sarcastic and meant to get Diaspro angry - it works. She glances back over her shoulder after pulling down an illusion that shows no emotions or thoughts in her face and says "Oh, and by the way, you'll never get between Sky and I - so you give it up, because I'm too stubborn to give anything up."

Diaspro's the one glaring now, and says "Just giving out some girl-to-girl advice, don't be surprised when you realize you should have listened, Bloom."

Bloom's had enough now, and growls out _"Princess."_ She can't believe she's actually going to say this, but she's had enough of Diaspro and her superiority complex.

"What, Bloom?"

Bloom whirls around angrily, her eyes on fire and the illusion she made before gone. "It's Princess Bloom, to you. When our paths cross in Magix, or Earth, or anywhere but here, you can and will call me whatever you please because I'm nobody important there. But here, as a guest of my family - at a royal Council no less - you will address me as Princess Bloom. Have I made myself clear?"

She suddenly realizes Diaspro's against the wall and she's maybe six inches from her face, but she really can't bring herself to care about when she marched forward or how threateningly she did it. If Diaspro's afraid of her now, she can only think of that as a good thing.

"Crystal, Princess Bloom." Diaspro slips out from between Bloom and the wall - literally caught between a rock and a hot place - and goes back into the room with all the other royals.

She's a few shades paler than normal, looking as if she just had a big scare - she did, she thought Bloom was going to stab her or something. That's been a worry of hers ever since she discovered Bloom has a knife and sword.

Suddenly, Bloom gets dizzy and hears Daphne's voice.

 _Bloom, the Selkies are in danger._

"Daphne?"

 _You have to go to the Infinite Ocean. Tritannus has sent a monster to devour the Selkies._

"Where?"

 _Near the Pillar of Light, look for a giant fish._

Bloom doesn't question Daphne, it's the Infinite Ocean after all - she wouldn't be surprised at anything they find in there anymore.

"Daphne? Daphne!"

Daphne's presence fades from Bloom's perception - she's gone again. When she looks out the door Diapsro left slightly cracked open, she sees the Council is still under way - there's no way this is ending any time soon unless something happens. "We can't leave now!"

She gets out her phone and calls Techna.

 _Hello?_

"Winx, you need to go to the Infinite Ocean!"

Techna asks _What? Slow down and explain, Bloom._

"Tritannus sent something after the Selkies, it's going to eat them!"

That's all Techna, Flora, and Musa need to hear, and they immediately hang up.

* * *

 **AN: Any guesses about whether Diaspro is finally going to get the hint to stop trying to get between Bloom and Sky or risk getting Bloom's knife between her and the Dominorian Princess? Honestly, you'd think she'd be more worried about that considering she's known about it as long as the Trix have - are all Bloom's enemies total idiots?! Read on and find out! Updates coming soon!**


	242. Devourer

_**Devourer**_

The Devourer has Sonna, Lithya, and Desyiree trapped in the little cave they hid in; it keeps smashing the rock wall, trying to get to them and eat them.

Lithya spots a pile of rocks at the ceiling and gets an idea. When the Devourer breaks through the small opening but gets stuck, they blast the pile and make a hole in the ceiling to escape. After a minute, it breaks free and follows them - but they have a solid head-start and are determined to keep it.

Sonna and Lithyia hide behind a rock while Desyiree swims on to draw it away - and gets cornered by the Devourer! Despite leading it through massive rock formations and cliffs, it finally catches her backed up against a wall.

She can't swim fast enough to the top - but Flora, Musa, and Techna suddenly swim up. They finally managed to track them all down, mainly by listening for the sounds of massive destruction.

Desyiree lets herself get eaten then, but fights to keep herself in the Devourer's mouth. Flora attacks the Devourer at that, but it isn't even hurt.

Musa tries as well, but Techna gets a lucky shot and hits the bulb on its head. The first two attacks didn't even slow it down, this one makes it almost dizzy and it sinks about a foot in the water.

Pollution starts leaking from the bulb and its mouth - so all three girls give it everything they have and hit the bulb hard. It breaks Tritannus's control over the Devourer, and it lets Desyiree out immediately.

The Devourer swims off right after she swims out, heading back to its home in an Abyss somewhere far away from the Throne and from the Pillars. They've never been so glad to be rid of a fish in their entire lives - and they've sworn off seafood for a while, if not permanently.

* * *

Back at the Council, there's another formal discussion. Nereus and Tressa understandably want to go fight to free their parents - Bloom doesn't blame them. But their aunt and uncle say they will fail and everyone should unite.

Marion agrees, saying they need one united army of all their forces to defeat Tritannus. King Radius agrees to join if the other kingdoms do - giving Bloom a small spark of hope.

She'd so much rather be fighting Tritannus instead of talking about doing it - but she can't because he's one of the royal family of the underwater kingdom of Andros. If she could have turned him into mutant fish sticks, she would have tied him up when Lake Roccaluce was draining and floated him above the water to dry out. She might have even hung him upside down from a tree - with a note that said not to touch him or even talk to him. The thought would be slightly ridiculous if she wasn't absolutely serious about stopping him no matter how she has to. Everyone else will work to stop him because he's putting the entire Magical Dimension in danger - she and Aisha have a much more personal stake in the matter: Bloom has to save Daphne and Aisha has to free her aunt and uncle.

She's pulled from her thoughts by Oritel asking Erendor what he thinks. He stubbornly shakes his head and says "No, Eraklyon will defend itself!"

The spark of hope Bloom felt is instantly crushed - and it has no chance for revival as the Zenith's king also says his planet will defend itself.

Radius sighs and asks "How can I join an alliance that doesn't exist? Solaria, to, will defend itself."

Aisha groans, and says "It's all falling apart!"

Stella asks "What do we do now?"

Bloom bites her lip, she is getting incredibly frustrated.

Sky sees and walks over, and Bloom whispers "Sky, you have to reason with your father. Convince him to join the alliance, it's the only way we can beat Tritannus."

Sky says "I know Bloom. But once he's made up his mind, it's really hard to change it - a lot like you when it's really important. He thinks Eraklyon can defeat anything, but he hasn't fought people like Valtor or the Trix. Plus, nobody really knows anything about the Infinite Ocean. He thinks Tritannus can't get to Eraklyon except from one specific point - the Gate or something."

 _Sky, he can go into any ocean connected to the Infinite Ocean - any part of any ocean. He could be in Eraklyon's waters right now, there's no way to guard every single part of all the oceans on a planet - no matter how big an army the planet has or how well-trained that army is. If Tritannus decides to attack Eraklyon, then the place will be helpless to fight him or follow him. The jellyfish he mutated on Solaria could petrify people, the Flower of the Depths turned carnivorous, the coral in the Yellow Sea here on Domino nearly turned Aisha, Stella, and Flora into pincushions, the-_

 _Bloom! You're getting upset, calm down. I'll try to convince him, but it won't happen in one conversation. I've tried this before, it never works. Just don't flip right now, the Council isn't over for a while for this exact reason. Right, there's still time - unless something happens like Tritannus attacking another Pillar or something._

"Bloom, look at me." When she does, he sees a bunch of stress and worry in her gaze. "Bloom, we're going to figure this out. We're going to stop Tritannus, I'll figure out a way to reason with my father, and you're going to break the Sirenix Curse."

Diaspro comes over just then, and says "Sky is Crown Prince of Eraklyon, and must follow his father's lead, Princess Bloom."

Sky is about to say something, and is actually wondering about the way Diaspro uses Bloom's official title like she's a little afraid of Bloom, when his fiancée takes a step forward and asks "And exactly who asked you to interrupt a conversation between a prince and a princess, _King's Special Liaison_? Unless it was King Erendor, I suggest you shut up and leave - because we both outrank you without the post the King of Eraklyon assigned you, meaning we can both tell you to leave us if it's not directly from him."

Diaspro turns bright red and then turns away before Bloom says any more. Sky could kiss her right then, he really can't tell Diaspro to shut up and go away - no matter how much he chants it in his head.

 _I'll try Bloom, I'll try until the Council is over - and then even after that if he isn't convinced by then._

Bloom smiles back and nods. Sky goes over to his father and starts talking with him.

* * *

 **AN: Ok, really love having Bloom make Diaspro shut up and go away - it's hysterical. Wondering when the Council will be over? Read on and find out! Enjoy, more updates coming soon!**


	243. Earthquake!

_**Earthquake!**_

Tritannus and the Trix are swimming towards the Pillar of Balance, and he's getting excited for the next Seal. Icy says they'll rule together, but Darcy and Stormy know full well that 'together' means the two love-fish and not the two third wheels being excluded.

When Tritannus says she already rules, the two sisters are fed up with it for one day - and Stormy actually covers her ears and starts making noise to drown them out.

They keep going to the seal, and Daphne can warn Bloom about the threat soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Domino, King Erendor is over the edge of walking out on the council - they're halfway to the door!

Oritel says "My fellow Sovereigns, Tritannus has already taken the Seal from the Pillar of Light! Will we allow him to take the other two?"

Erendor crosses his arms and asks "And how do we know he'll take the other two?"

Bloom is ready to explode right then, but Marion puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her - stop her from saying Tritannus wants to activate the Emperor's Throne and conquer everything.

Crystal's mother asks "So your suggesting we wait and find out?"

Nereus says "We must protect the Pillars of Balance and Control!"

Tressa agrees with him instantly, but Erendor says "And I must protect Eraklyon!" Sky closes his eyes for a moment, wishing he could convince his father to see past Eraklyon's safety to the safety of the entire universe.

Everyone starts talking again, but Bloom has exactly one person to give a piece of her mind to - and she's never been shy about doing so. Sky winces, knowing exactly what's coming when Bloom marches over. She always said she felt out of place in royal situations, but she plays the part of the confident princess well - at least to him, maybe she's just too angry and frustrated to feel out of place right now.

"Father, we must defend the Pillars."

"No, we must defend Eraklyon. Our planet comes first, and as Crown Prince I'd expect you to know that."

"But the best defense of our planet is to join the fight against Tritannus."

"No, for us, the first priority is to protect Eraklyon."

Bloom interrupts, asking "How can you say that?"

They both turn to her, and Erendor says "Princess Bloom, this is between my son and I. I did Not ask for your opinion."

"And the entire Magical Dimension did not ask for this threat, but we have it anyway! Tritannus threatens Eraklyon, but he does not threaten _only_ Eraklyon. The Solar Eclipse that happened recently?"

"Yes? What about it?"

"It darkened the skies of every planet in the Dimension, because it happened due to the Pillar of Light being attacked. What can you do if he attacks the Pillar of Balance? Try to stay on your feet as the planet is shaken apart?"

Erendor can't answer that, but Diaspro steps in before he can admit she has a point. "I think you've overstepped your bounds, Princess Bloom."

Bloom immediately faces Diaspro, getting angry at the entire situation - and Diaspro only helps build and focus that anger. "Oh really? And I suppose you think you can advise King Erendor on this? What do you know of the Infinite Ocean? Or how the Pillars hold up the entire Dimension?"

Diaspro takes a step back, wishing she hadn't tried this - Bloom seems really angry, and now it's all focused on her. "You act like you have a personal stake in this Bloom."

"What? You mean besides the fact that he's threatening my planet, the planets of my friends, and fiancé, and has teamed up with the three witches that have been a thorn in everyone's sides for years now? I do." Bloom's glare is about a thousand times more focused, Diaspro didn't think it was possible.

Sky inwardly groans, Diaspro was already on thin ice with Bloom - she might have just broken it altogether. Sky whispers to Erendor "Father, Diaspro is about to make a very big mistake. You have to stop her, now. She's deliberately goading Bloom, and she's about to push a button she shouldn't."

Diaspro asks "Oh really? And what's that? Is this stake because Tritannus is Aisha's cousin?"

 _And it's too late._

Erendor says "Diaspro, that's enough. You are not helping here."

The damage is done though, and Bloom says "No, they kidnapped Daphne."

There's a fire in her eyes that wasn't there when they started talking, meaning Diaspro went too far.

Erendor asks "They what?" He vividly remembers Bloom flooring the captain of the guards in two seconds flat in the throne room, the only reason he's still alive is because Sky talked her down.

Diaspro looks at Erendor for help out of this hot mess she put herself in, Erendor looks at Sky to talk Bloom down, Sky shrugs at both of them - Diaspro put herself in this mess after all.

Bloom continues, saying "And trust me when I say this, nobody is going to stop me from rescuing my sister…no matter who they are, or what they can do." She's staring directly at Diaspro when she says this. It might be a promise, or it might be a warning to Diaspro: get in my way, and you'll regret it.

Before anyone can figure out how to respond to that, or if Bloom just put a threat on Diaspro's life or not, the ground starts shaking hard. And it doesn't stay at a steady pace, it instantly gets stronger, stronger every second.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Alfea, Flora, Musa, and Techna are back at their apartment with Riven - who gets a little too into the song he's listening to. He starts humming away, and only stops when Musa taps him on the shoulder. "You were humming."

"Sorry, guess I got carried away by the music."

"You're talking to the Fairy of Music, remember?"

"How could I forget?" He kisses her, then realizes Techna and Flora are carefully staring out of the window - and suppressing laughter.

He ignores them and asks about the song he was listening to - it was Musa's Mother's favorite song. The sound underneath the music itself was the Singing Whales of Melody, who's song keeps the whole planet in balance.

Suddenly, the ground starts shaking and Musa's father calls her - the singing Whales are gone!

They race to the Odyssey Explorer and head to Melody - the ocean is in chaos and the planet feels like its shaking itself apart.

* * *

On Domino, everything is in chaos with the Earthquake starting. Diaspro stumbles and tries to grab onto Sky, but he moves to Bloom's side - who, ironically, is the only one who's keeping their balance perfectly. She suddenly hears Daphne's voice in her head, but she can't answer without looking absolutely crazy.

 _Bloom, Tritannus is on his way to the Pillar of Balance, you must stop him!_

Bloom would say she's a little late, but the voice fades. Usually, it's a vision of Daphne, Bloom didn't close her eyes this time though.

"Sky, we have to go to the Infinite Ocean! This is Tritannus!" She doesn't even stop to think as she kisses him before running to find Aisha and Stella.

Oritel is yelling for everyone to return to their kingdoms, so it's a total panic. Bloom gets to Aisha and Stella by the pool Nereus and Tressa are sitting in, and then gets a call from Musa.

 _Bloom! The Singing Whales of Melody have been taken!_

"Musa, Tritannus got the Seal from the Pillar of Balance! The entire Dimension is being shaken apart! Do you know who took them?"

 _No, my dad was watching them on the Song Wharf. He said the sea took them._

"Well, if the sea took them, we can search for them right after we fix the Pillar. Promise. Meet us in the Infinite Ocean!"

 _Done. We'll be there in no time!_

The call ends, and Bloom, Stella, and Aisha transform and jump into the pool Tressa and Nereus are in to get into the Infinite Ocean.

* * *

They all meet up a few miles away from the Pillar of Balance, and the Selkies are waiting for them. They decide to ambush them, since Tritannus and Icy are headed right this way. Bloom wonders where Darcy and Stormy are - but if there's two less people to fight, she won't complain.

 _They could be the reason Musa's Singing Whales are missing. I'm sure of it, in fact._

Its more than likely, she's seen disgusted expressions on their faces when Icy and Tritannus fought side by side before while they were feet away without even a 'good luck' from the two of them. Bloom can bet Icy and Tritannus are excluding Darcy and Stormy completely, so they went to cause some mayhem on their own.

All six girls hide for the ambush and successfully spring it, Bloom, Stella, and Aisha on one side and fighting Tritannus, Musa, Techna, and Flora on the other and dealing with Icy. Their selkies go with, giving the Winx a power-boost during the fight.

Darcy and Stormy are nowhere to be seen, making the fight really short and _really_ easy. Three on one is hard enough, three on one with an angry Bloom on the side of three is impossible to beat basically.

Bloom, Stella, and Aisha fight Tritannus, while Techna, Musa, and Flora fight Icy and knock her out. Tritannus sees and tries to go to her, Bloom blasts him in the stomach hard enough to put him through a rock formation. He lands on the ground in a steaming heap, feeling like he was just cooked through - Bloom's just warming up though.

Icy wakes up to Flora, Musa, and Techna waiting for her.

Musa asks "Have a nice nap?"

Bloom gets an idea, and goes over behind Icy. The next thing the ice-witch knows, Bloom's arm is around her neck once again.

"Hey Tritannus! Missing someone?"

He looks up and his face turns to rage and horror in equal measure when he sees Bloom keeping Icy in a chokehold. "Put her down!"

"Hm, not yet. First, hand over the seal."

"And why would I do that? You wouldn't really hurt her badly. Your just another fairy."

"Wanna bet?" Bloom pulls her other hand back in a fist, which starts glowing fire-orange with a Dragon Punch.

She looks at Icy and says "Seems you three have horrible taste in guys, as always. You'd think by now he'd know I'm not like most fairies. I guess your little boyfriend here is about to learn that the hard way."

Icy's clawing at Bloom's arm, which is heating up fast.

 _Why does she keep doing this?!_

Icy sees no way out, and only just realizes Darcy and Stormy are missing, when Bloom's voice pulls her out of her thoughts. "Let me put it this way Tritannus, so there's no way anyone could get confused. Put the Seal back, release my sister without another scratch on her, give her back her powers exactly the way they were before you ripped them out of her, and surrender - or we'll all find out what a spell can do at this close range, especially one fueled by as much anger as I have for you all ever since I learned you took my sister and tortured her." Icy swallows, they are so dead.

Icy can feel the scorching heat just under Bloom's skin - its burning her, and not a little.

Suddenly, a giant shadow falls over all of them and everyone goes slack with shock. Two giant purple whales are floating there, and Musa breathes out "The Singing Whales…"

Two voices laughter drifts down, and Icy feels a sharp pang of relief - especially since Bloom's arm drops from her neck and the fairy swims a few feet back to get a better look at the whales.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Icy had better be very grateful to her sisters for saving her neck in the nick of time - literally. Tritannus tried to call Bloom's not-bluff to get Icy out of danger - it really didn't work, she was in very real danger of finding out exactly how much damage Bloom can do at such a short range and with so much anger and a reason to do it. Really, you'd think by now they'd know Bloom isn't an ordinary fairy and that she won't hesitate to put an end to them once and for all if she thinks she has to.**


	244. Rejections

_**Rejections**_

Darcy and Stormy order the Singing Whales to attack, while Icy swims as far away from Bloom as she can manage - she forgot exactly how scary Bloom can be when she's threatening to kill you while holding you in a headlock.

The Singing Whales let out a continuous soundwave that gets straight into the Winx's heads and gives them massive migraines. The song is horrible, far worse than the sirens' song back on Tir Nan Og. Bloom and Musa are the most affected, and Bloom actually sinks to the ocean floor in pain.

Icy isn't impressed by her sisters' efforts to get her to even notice them, too busy looking for Tritannus. He's watching three of the Winx deal with the agony they're in, and that's when it comes to a head between the three witches.

Darcy and Stormy have absolutely had it with Icy ignoring them - it's always been the three of them, no matter who they teamed up with. They started fighting each other over Valtor because they wanted the power he had, until he turned into a demon and scared them witless.

Now, Icy hardly even talks to them and is obsessed with Tritannus - it's like they don't even exist anymore. When Icy says she'll never leave Tritannus, the two sisters swim off and leave the battle to its fate.

They're starting to envy Daphne, the way Bloom always seems to think of her and how she'll apparently do just about anything to get her back - Icy only seems to care about herself and Tritannus, it used to be they only cared about themselves and each other and nobody else.

Darcy mutters "Can't believe I'm saying this, but Icy could learn a thing or two from Bloom. Starting with the way she never seems to abandon her family like Icy has us."

Stormy says "Yeah, I'm with you. And I can't believe I'm saying this either."

"This talk never happened, agreed?"

"Totally. I'm so confused."

* * *

Musa calms the Whales while Tritannus and Icy get away, using her Sirenix Special Spell: Voice of Sirenix. She sings 'Return to Me' and the spell is broken.

They go back to Melody, and the Winx go and fix the Pillar of Balance. They do a Convergence spell that stabilizes it, this time it works. The Pillar of Balance looks like green crystal - with a tiny piece above the base holding up the massive body of the pillar - definitely not how Bloom would've designed a pillar holding up the entire Magical Dimension, but hey it works. There are several smaller versions of the Pillar in a circle around the Pillar, and its tilting one way than another haphazardly until the Convergence spell stabilizes it. When the spot where the Seal was is fixed, the shaking of all the planets instantly calms and slows to a halt.

The Winx go back to Melody, where everything is back to normal. Musa was considering using her wish to bring her mother back to life, but she knows that would be wrong.

She also knows Bloom would consider the same thing if she didn't have somebody else to bring back: Daphne. She already told them she would use her wish to break the Sirenix Curse forever, which takes all the guesswork out of what she should use it for.

Bloom glares out at the horizon, angry at whoever decided one fairy's life should be so difficult - honestly, who has luck as bad as hers when it comes to trouble?!

* * *

That night, Mrs. Faragonda calls all six girls into a meeting. She says they need to acquire new skills if they want to defeat Tritannus.

Stella guesses stronger spells, Musa thinks its stronger convergence magic, Techna thinks it might be faster flying - it's none of these.

Mrs. Faragonda says they need to understand the natural world - filled with creatures of all kinds and abilities. She makes a large snake-like creature appear, but Bloom calms it and starts stroking its back.

"I thought as much, Bloom."

"What?"

"It seems your understanding of the natural world is better than that of most people, including most people far older than you. You would have no trouble in the challenge tomorrow."

Bloom looks confused, and asks "Why would I have better luck than everyone else if none of us know what it's going to be?"

"You survived on Pyros where most others wouldn't have, you learned how to work with one of the most dangerous and deadly creatures in this universe. Compared to them, almost anything should seem like nothing to you."

It's true, but Bloom never mentioned any of this to Mrs. Faragonda before.

"As such, you are excused from tomorrow's lesson with Professor Palladium."

Bloom remembers one day on Pyros with Roxy, Ember, and the Wizards. A nest of birds had recently hatched in a tree near the cave, and Roxy wanted to take a closer look at them. They all thought Bloom would lower the branch or climb up and help Roxy up - instead she grabbed a handful of Thornbush berries and started imitating the birds. They were just old enough to fly, and soon enough, one of them flew down to her hand to start eating the berries. Roxy grabbed a handful, after getting some thorns in her hand, and started tryng to call them down as well. The mother bird was watching them closely, but nothing happened to her babies other than eating an easy meal and being the objects of Roxy's fascination.

 _Great, looks like I have nothing to do tomorrow._

* * *

The next day, on Eraklyon, the palace is mostly put back together from the massive earthquake that suddenly slowed to a stop.

Sky is looking out the window and missing Bloom - and really wishing he could convince his father to trust Bloom's instincts the way he's learned to.

He's about to call her, when Diaspro comes in. "Prince Sky!"

"What, Diaspro?"

"Everyone has gathered for the strategy session."

"Oh, right. I'll be there shortly."

When Sky doesn't move, Diaspro gets an idea. "I probably shouldn't say this, but…Bloom was out of line at the council. You know this, Sky."

Sky whirls around, glaring at Diaspro and wishing he could tell her to leave and never come back. "No, you were out of line, Diaspro. Bloom was telling the truth, as we all found out when that quake started. You, on the other hand, only goaded her into her fury and brought up why she was trying so hard to make the alliance happen."

"Really? The last thing she said before the quake started sounded like a threat."

"Maybe it was, I'm not going to presume to know everything, or even anything, about what Bloom's going through. But I do know this: Bloom would do anything to get Daphne back - no matter who stood against her."

"Is there something your referring to?"

"Yeah, the time you put a spell on me at the Millennium party, Diaspro. Bloom has her memories back, in case you didn't hear. She knows exactly what you did now, and she's not going to put up with anything else like it right now."

"If your suggesting I'd do something to-"

"Diaspro, I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, and if Bloom so much as thinks you're helping Tritannus and the Trix, she won't hesitate to go through you to get to Daphne."

Diaspro swallows, remembering the literal fire burning in Bloom's eyes on Domino. "She-she doesn't think I am, does she?"

"I don't know. I might, if I was allowed to talk to her for more than a few minutes before being interrupted though."

Sky turns to leave the room, and Diaspro says "If she comes for me…"

Sky laughs and says "If she comes for you, all the guards in the palace won't be able to keep you safe Diaspro - especially if she thinks you were involved in Daphne's kidnapping. Bloom can evade any guard, go places without being noticed - or she could just walk up the side of the palace and be waiting in your room for you one night."

Diaspro's gone paler with every word, and she looks like she could throw up. Sky doesn't feel any pity for her, she's the reason she and Bloom aren't on good terms after all.

"If your saying Bloom's going to be waiting for me invisibly tonight…"

"I'm not, I'm just saying what she can do. If I were you, I'd stay exactly in line for the rest of this fiasco with Tritannus - Bloom's not looking for someone to take all this out on, but you made yourself a very good target in the council yesterday."

He leaves before Diaspro can say another word, leaving her alone with the communicator in his room. She decides to take out her fear on Bloom, and calls her up - despite the danger that she could end up waiting for Diaspro that night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom is rubbing Ember's neck, when she looks over at her phone.

Ember glides over to the desk and nudges her phone. "You want me to call Sky?"

Ember thrums as an answer. "Okay…hey, he's calling me!"

She pushes the accept button, but Diaspro's face appears instead.

 _Good afternoon Princess Bloom._

"Diaspro? What do you want now?"

 _I'm just calling to inform you that, as King's Special Liaison, I'll be handling all of Prince Sky's communications - including phone calls. In future, if you want to talk to him, you must go through me. That is all._

Bloom's voice has gone deadly with her anger, and she says "You have got three seconds to tell me why I should believe one word out of your lying mouth Diaspro."

Diaspro blinks and visibly swallows, but says _That is the new protocol. Of course, you could always not call._

Bloom's face turns redder than her hair - which catches fire and starts giving off smoke.

"Listen to me, you lying little snake hiding behind a title and a tiny little badge-"

Diaspro hangs up before Bloom can get out another word, shocking Bloom speechless for a moment. Then she realizes her hair is on fire and concentrates to put it out.

She then immediately calls Sky, knowing there's no way he'd agree to that. She gets denied, twice.

Ember suggests he could be in a meeting, Bloom doesn't know and doesn't care if it's true or not.

The rest of the Winx are all at the lesson with professor Palladium, so she can't exactly cry into Flora's shoulder right now.

Then, she remembers the quarry she goes to whenever she needs to let off some steam.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I've had just about enough of Diaspro's interfering - and I wanted to give her a good scare, so there you go! If anyone thinks SKy was a little out of character, Diaspro's the reason Bloom got kidnapped, she's been trying all this time to get between the two of them, and she really did set Bloom off at the council on Domino. Honestly, I'd have no pity for someone who did all that, and Sky only told her what Bloom can do - not that she would do it, but then Diaspro made that petty little call... Enjoy Bloom's attempt at working off some stress and steam! More updates coming soon!**


	245. Letting Off Steam

_**Letting Off Steam**_

Ogron finds Bloom on a destructive spree in a quarry they found not long after coming to Magix. Duman said it smelled like Bloom had been there before - now he knows why she'd be out in the middle of nowhere.

The entire quarry is definitely deeper than the last time he was here, likely because Bloom came here. It's covered in scorch marks, plants, and ice. She's currently in her Loveix form, he guesses she's been working her way up through her transformations for a while now.

This is every bit as random and shocking as the night they found her in Gardenia Park beating a punching bag until it broke. Bloom's fighting rock golems, blasting them apart and then reforming them when they're all gone.

After maybe a minute, her Loveix form doesn't satisfy her and she changes to Harmonix. When Ogron sees it, he thinks once again Sky's incredibly lucky - even if Bloom has a short temper at times and could destroy everything there is.

After a few minutes, Bloom changes to Sirenix - which Ogron thinks is probably the transformation outfit he can most easily imagine her in. It's not a dress, for one, and the boots look like they can give a good kick to the side. Her mermaid top and leggings are a lot more Bloom's style then the Believix outfit. Finally, she just explodes with a burst of fire and melts the rocks to bubbling goo.

She flies over and transforms after sitting down next to him. "I was wondering when you'd find this place, Ogron. Wondering what I'm doing out here instead of saving the world?"

"No, those four have to take a break at some point, right?"

Bloom snickers for a moment, thinking about how that's exactly how they used to refer to the Wizards.

Ogron eyes her choice of clothing first, Bloom's outfit reflects how practical she needs to be. It's a mix, she's wearing tall boots, ones that would probably really hurt someone, and the pink and light blue skirt and top. "Someone your thinking of fighting?"

"I wish, it might let off more steam than this is."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're not training or something?"

"Let's go with or something. If Tritannus and the Trix try one more thing today, I swear there's going to be toxic fried fish in the Infinite Ocean."

"So that's what's going on? All the world-saving has finally gotten to you?"

"Daphne being kidnapped, us having to restore the pillars time and again - it's a lot, to say the least. But that's not what drove me out here to blow stuff up in private."

"So…what is?" Ogron's pretty sure anyone should have broken under the stress Bloom is under by now – she'd have broken someone under the stress she's under.

She takes her phone out and presses a few buttons. What comes up is a picture of Diaspro's face. "Push that button to hear the call. If I hear it again, I'm going nuclear." She gets up and transforms again, and starts destroying more rocks while Ogron plays the message again.

* * *

By the time the recording is finished, he's speechless and Bloom's destroying ten rock golems at a time - meaning she probably heard it, she's got good senses after all. He presses a few buttons to keep the recording from playing again, and ends up with a video that plays automatically.

The first thing he spots is Bloom in a dress - not her Enchantix dress either. Its deep blue, and she's actually wearing makeup - and dancing with Sky while singing 'Teenage Dream' into a microphone. To most, she'd look like she's concentrating on the song - he knows her well enough to know she was scared stiff. The video ends after Sky kisses her then drags her out to a balcony with Ember sitting on it.

Bloom is suddenly sitting next to him again, and says "Techna sent us all that after the disaster with Ultron - and every time one of them plays it they all start teasing me again." She rolls her eyes and he hands her back the phone.

After a minute, Ogron remembers what he was originally listening to - after Bloom uses a little magic/telekinesis to shut his mouth for him.

"You know Sky wouldn't agree to that. There's no way he'd agree to that."

"Yeah, I know. But I also know Diaspro could just as easily go straight to Erendor and convince him this is such a great idea!"

"So…that ring on your hand means nothing?"

She sighs and looks at her hand. "Good eye. It does, but Diaspro is working to get as far between us as she can."

She glares at the quarry, then picks up a rock. "Watch this. You want to see exactly how stressed I am?"

Ogron doesn't say a word, and she crushes the fist-sized rock to pebbles in an instant. Then, she covers her mouth as she fails to stop a yawn.

"Magix, that jealous brat is doing this at the worst possible time and she knows it."

Suddenly, a new voice says "That's why she's doing it Bloom." Ogron jumps a foot in the air, Bloom doesn't so much as twitch.

When he looks over, there's a new person standing on Bloom's other side - long black hair, dark armor, a concerned look on his face for Bloom. Ogron instantly recognizes him from the dream he entered in Bloom's head - if the blonde-haired guy in armor was Thor, this must be Loki.

Bloom says "Ogron, this is my brother, Loki. Loki already knows who you are though. The scrying bowl, you see. That's also how we're seeing him."

"Right, so, he's not actually here?"

Loki shakes his head, and passes his arm through Bloom's shoulder. "It's an illusion. One I'm doing standing in front of a bowl farther away than you can imagine."

He sits down on Bloom's other side without another word. At another yawn of Bloom's though, he opens his mouth to ask her something.

"Don't bother, brother, yes I slept last night. I just haven't been getting actual sleep - more like a watered-down, disturbed version of it. If it's not Daphne - it usually is Daphne - its visions of a guy with purple skin, armor, and a golden glove with six slots for the infinity stones. He's going to be real angry I destroyed one of them."

Ogron asks "What's an Infinity Stone?"

"Six stones that are on the level of the Dragon Flame in terms of power. The Aether was one of them, though I didn't know it at the time. The Tesseract is another, Vision has the one from Loki's spear, a sorcerer named Dr. Steven Strange has a fourth in a metal artifact he can wear around his neck - I saw him fix devastating damage by turning back time with it. He used to be a neurosurgeon - but something happened, his hands shake now. I don't know where the last one is though."

Loki asks "You got a vision about them?"

"Yeah, in a dream. I'm guessing Mr. Glove is the guy that gave you the spear?"

"Yeah, but I never learned his name or why he wanted all of them."

"Wait, I forgot one, its locked away by a bunch of aliens. I've seen a group of beings travelling together in a ship. One is a talking raccoon that likes big guns, one is a tree-person that only says 'I am Groot' - then there's the green woman, the girl with antennae coming from her forehead, and the giant blue person with red tattoos all over his body and no shirt." Bloom rubs her temples, feeling a stress headache coming on fast.

Ogron just stares at her, then says "You have the weirdest luck, Bloom."

"What luck? My sister has been taken, tortured, and locked away, I've got a hole in my memories I probably don't want to fill, the universe is likely going to be destroyed by a psycho-mutated-merman, and all the royal families can't put their pride and narrow-mindedness aside to work together long enough to stop Aisha's cousin and the Trix!" She blasts a pile of rocks to a smoking crater in the ground, then puts her face in her hands and breaks down in tears.

Ogron just stares, this is completely new to him, the leader of the Winx complaining and breaking down in tears about what she's up against. After a minute, he gets it though: If she's the one in immediate danger, she can just fight her way through it - if someone else in in trouble, it's a different story. And the fact that she can't get the people who need to work together to work together long enough to stop him doesn't help matters - Diaspro just pulled the final straw out of Bloom with that call.

And her destroying stuff is her trying not to feel sorry for herself - it was working until Ogron got her talking. Loki looks over at Bloom, then says "Well, then nobody will miss them too terribly if they disappear."

Despite everything, Bloom lets out a snort of laughter. Now Ogron knows where she gets her sense of humor - aside from the fact that most of her life after a certain point has been terrible and she'll take anything she can get.

She wipes her face and summons a piece of pizza loaded with peppers and pineapple. When she notices Ogron staring in shock once again, she asks "What now?"

"I've never seen you eat a piece of pizza before."

Loki asks "What's pizza?"

Now Ogron has something new to gape at - Bloom didn't know about pizza before she came to Alfea?!

In response to Loki's question, she holds up the piece in her hand. To Ogron, she says "There's a lot of things you haven't seen me do. They might make some damn good fruit smoothies on Earth, but nobody makes pizza like the place here in Magix. In case you're wondering, yes, I became addicted to it in my first trip there."

Loki asks "So…where's Sky in all this? Thor and I could tell you two were a little more than just friends."

"Ha-ha, I never said he was just a friend Loki. As for where he is, he's stuck on Eraklyon. His father is being a stubborn idiot about joining an alliance to stop Tritannus," she glares at the quarry again, then mimics Erendor's voice, "because Eraklyon can take care of itself, and our first duty is to our planet."

Loki puts a hand to his forehead, Ogron's impressed at how Bloom can make her voice sound like someone else's.

Her voice is her own again, as she goes on. "Honestly, the Infinite Ocean connects every planet in the Magical Dimension - unless he has enough men to patrol all the oceans on Eraklyon all the time, _he can't freaking defend the planet!_ "

She lands on her back with a thud, but doesn't start crying. Instead, a snatch of the song 'Come Back, Be Here' by Taylor Swift plays out of nowhere.

 _And this is when the feeling sinks in, I don't wanna miss you like this, Come back... be here, come back... be here._

Bloom puts a hand to her face, a glowing hand that's working some healing magic into her head. Ogron remembers the stress headaches she'd get, he's surprised she's only got one right now. "So it is you."

"What's me?"

"The music coming from thin air. You're doing it."

"Yeah, it's another illusion. Sometimes I do it without even realizing I'm doing it. By the way, what's with the leaves in your hair that don't grow in Magix?"

Ogron blinks, wondering what she's talking about. He gets his answer when Bloom magically pulls a leaf from his hair and floats it between them.

"I happen to have spent a lot of time in this forest Ogron, and I know for a fact that this plant doesn't grow here. But I know it grows in Italy - we were walking through them a while ago, and everyone but me was complaining about the heat."

She looks at him with one eyebrow raised, and he gives up trying to trick her before he even gets a word out. "You've been visiting Sibylla, haven't you?"

"I'm not admitting anything."

Bloom cracks up, and says "That's more than an answer for me, remember?"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

Loki asks "Better now, Bloom?"

"Yeah, for now." She flips herself up in a backflip and heads back to Alfea. "Anybody else I should watch out for on Earth, Ogron?"

"Gantlos keeps coming back with ice in his hair, Anagan comes back covered in leaves - but we're in a forest, so that's ordinary by now."

He shrugs, and Bloom smirks. "Ice, huh? Well, Icy's taken with Tritannus, so…"

Her eyes flash orange with amusement, and she says "It's about time you four found some people to talk to besides me, you know."

"We're ancient retired fairy hunters, who else would talk to us?"

"Oh, I don't know. Aurora and Sibylla for instance?"

She teleports away with a grin on her face, a weak one, but still.

When he looks over, Loki is gone.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I gave the Wizards something to do other than scry Bloom all the time - her brothers are one thing, four guys with no relation to her other than a month spent on Pyros with her keeping them alive is quite another. Seeing as Earth is all those four knew for so long, going back for a bit isn't too surprising - though where Gantlos ran into Aurora is up to everyone to wonder. You think the Infinite Ocean is going to serve up some toxic friend fish anytime soon? Keep reading to find out!**


	246. Confronting Diaspro

_**Confronting Diaspro**_

That night, on Eraklyon, Sky finally turns his phone on again after turning it off during the strategy meeting. He got two calls from Bloom in a row right in the middle of it - something must be wrong.

Before he can call her back though, his phone practically explodes with a barrage of texts from her - she was really desperate to get in touch with him. The last one is the first one he gets to read, and it says 'ask Diaspro about any new protocol concerning you' and nothing else.

"Now what could that mean?" Sky has a sick feeling in his stomach though, he left Diaspro alone in his room when he left for the meeting.

When he calls though, Stella picks up instead.

 _Hello?_

"Stella, is Bloom there? I need to ask her about something."

 _She's out cold, sorry. We're all wiped out from this lesson about the natural world, but Bloom just went to that quarry she found and blasted away for a while. She's passed out - she hasn't been sleeping well lately._

"I need to ask about something she texted me. It said something about some protocol and Diaspro. I know that's a bad combination, but Bloom sent me so many texts my phone practically exploded when I turned it on."

Stella doesn't answer, and he hears her calling for Techna. Techna's voice comes over, and she also sounds exhausted.

 _What's wrong?_

"There's something I need to know. Bloom texted me about some new protocol about me, but she didn't give any details except to ask Diaspro - who will likely deny any knowledge of whatever she's talking about."

 _Right, does your phone show you made any calls to Bloom recently?_

"Hang on…no. Could you check her phone?"

 _Already on it. It says you made one earlier._

"It didn't come from my phone…the communicator!"

Techna says _The entire exchange should be recorded there, but you'll only see Bloom's face and reactions. And they probably won't be good, knowing Diaspro._

Sky already has the communicator running, and finds the last call made - and, of course, it's to Bloom's phone.

 _Good afternoon Princess Bloom._

 _Diaspro? What do you want now?_

 _I'm just calling to inform you that, as King's Special Liaison, I'll be handling all of Prince Sky's communications - including phone calls. In future, if you want to talk to him, you must go through me. That is all._

Bloom's voice has gone deadly with her anger, and she says _You have got three seconds to tell me why I should believe one word out of your lying mouth Diaspro._

 _That is the new protocol. Of course, you could always not call._

Bloom's face turns redder than her hair - which catches fire and starts giving off smoke.

 _Listen to me, you lying little snake hiding behind a title and a tiny little badge-_

That's where the recording ends, probably not where Bloom was planning on stopping.

"Oh great, just fabulous. So Bloom calls me, desperate to know Diaspro was lying, and I have to reject her calls because I was in a strategy meeting. Just fabulous. I'll be lucky if I ever get a text from Bloom again until this mess is over." He runs his hands through his hair and says "There's no new protocol, Diaspro was just lying again. I'll try to make sure my father doesn't approve any ideas of Diaspro's like that, but…"

He sighs, really wishing he could just get away - run away like he and Bloom were going to. "Great, just great."

Stella's voice comes over the phone, and she says _We'll tell Bloom Diaspro was pulling more of her crap again, you just make sure it doesn't become true, Sky. And we'll tell her you say hello and sorry and all that. Talk later, night._

The line goes dead, the rest of the Winx are probably crawling into bed for the night.

Sky stays awake though, going through pictures of him and Bloom. He's wondering if she still has the ring he gave her on, and the pendant of Eraklyon. She was wearing both of them during the council, much to Diaspro's annoyance and their shared satisfaction at her annoyance - she's been doing far too much for them to feel bad for her.

Suddenly, the royal pain herself walks in carrying a torch. She says his father sent her to check on him - he doesn't believe a word of it.

"Diaspro, just go away. I know what you told Bloom, and nobody is very amused. Your just lucky she didn't set your hair on fire or blow something up by accident."

Diaspro smirks and asks "What, she can't control her powers?"

"No, Bloom's temper just has a way of lashing out at things - especially when someone is lying to her about not being able to talk to her fiancé. Which happens to be me - and there's nothing you can do about that, no matter what you try."

"Sky-"

"No. Let me make one thing very clear Diaspro. You may be King's Special Liaison, but I can talk to my father and he can replace you in a heartbeat - or simply dismiss you. Now, unless you actually have a message from my father, leave my room now. And in case you're thinking of telling my father about this little conversation - there's no recording of it, unlike the recording of your call to Bloom on my communicator. Techna sent it from Bloom's phone to everyone's - so deleting it will be useless by now."

The threat from Sky is all too clear: leave the two of them alone, or he'll find a way to make her leave them alone.

* * *

 **AN: Seriously, I'd be getting real tired of Diaspro's BS as well. Honestly, girl needs to get a life and stop bugging them. As for the comment about Bloom's powers - before anyone messages me complaining, she's under more stress than anyone could imagine, she hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep since Daphne was taken, and Diaspro is the definition of a 'royal pain'. Any momentary loss of control over powers that react so well to emotions can be completely explained away by all of that - especially given everything Diaspro's done over the years. Anyway, enjoy! more updates coming soon - and Happy early Thanksgiving!**


	247. Neck Burn

_**Neck Burn**_

"Aarrghhh! I can't believe Bloom!" Icy is sitting on a large rock while Tritannus tries to look at her neck - its red and raw from the heat from Bloom's arm as she tried to force the two of them to give up.

It almost worked, until Darcy and Stormy showed up with the Singing Whales of Melody. They got away with the Seal, but they heard Musa free the whales - and they can only assume they kept the Pillar of Balance from falling.

"Bloom never used to be this scary!"

"Yeah, calling her bluff didn't work out the way I hoped." Tritannus tilts Icy's head up to get a better look at the burn on her neck - given the fact that Bloom can control heat, she can make a burn that doesn't seem all that bad actually be horrible, or make one that looks terrible be as fine as it could be with the damage to the outer layer of skin.

Neither of them have any doubt about it being bad though, just brushing against her neck makes her scream in pain and there's blisters all where Bloom's arm was - she wasn't holding back.

Icy pants "It's Daphne…Bloom wants her back…and she won't calm down…until she has her back."

Tritannus guides her hand up to her neck and says "Here, put some ice on that. It can't hurt things any worse, after all."

Icy does, covering her entire neck in frost that doesn't melt from the water. "I can't believe she did this again!"

"Again? When did she do this to you the first time?"

"We'd kidnapped her, took her under Cloudtower when my sisters, Valtor, and I took the place over - we stuck her in a cell, it should have been impossible to escape from. That didn't stop her from trying though - she tricked us by turning invisible somehow. When I walked in, she grabbed me in a headlock and demanded we release her. Darcy shut the door when she grabbed me though, which is why she didn't just drag me out with the two of them against the wall under threat of me being burned out. Valtor came a few minutes later and knocked her out somehow, but she was likely going to go through with her threat - and that was before she did the impossible and escaped. She went to Pyros, and we flew in on some ritual or other when we discovered she was alive - she left a dummy in her place so we'd think she was dead, it worked. Ever since that ritual, she hasn't been like anybody else in this universe - she's not squeamish about blood and guts, if it comes down to killing her enemies or not doing enough to protect her friends she'll gladly kill her enemies, and she's just scary now! I was scared the last headlock she put me in, but not the way I was earlier! It's like I was her prey or something!"

Tritannus has finished looking at her neck, but he keeps her close to him. Icy's still freaking out about how she nearly died. "We made a mistake when we kidnapped Daphne, she's the reason Bloom's so not-herself. When she didn't know Daphne was our prisoner, she was her usual self in a fight. Hard to fight, but not nearly so willing to take our lives to win. When she showed up at Domino palace, she was furious! She must have known we had Daphne sometime between the last time we'd fought and then - she wasn't finished with us, not by a long shot. And now, they're all getting stronger, I can tell. And Bloom's just getting angrier as we keep going. We have to get the last Seal fast, or we might find Bloom waiting here for us when we get back."

"Icy, we'll get the seal in a few days. As soon as your neck is healed, we'll snatch it right out of the Pillar. 'Til then, relax. And if Bloom comes here looking to end us, we can just threaten Daphne and make her back off."

"You're sure that would work?"

"Would she back off if it was the only way to save her friends?"

"Maybe, but you remember what she did when we reintroduced Aisha to her extended family? She came out of nowhere and left an illusion of herself by her friends."

"Icy, I won't let Bloom near you. She tries anything, Daphne will be the one to pay the price."

Icy's still a nervous wreck about Bloom, she could tell Bloom was deadly serious about blowing her brains out with a Dragon Punch. She's used to be on the giving end of threats - not on the receiving end, from a fairy at that!

Fairies are usually gentle and passive compared to witches, Bloom's many kidnappings have apparently stunted that; reserving it only for her friends, family, and Ember. Her enemies get no mercy from her - especially not when they've kidnapped her sister.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Icy's a total wreck after being on the wrong end of a threat for a change - maybe they should have thought of that _before_ they took the sister of the most powerful person in the whole dimension! Honestly, like they didn't see some trouble over that little stunt coming - they should have seen a lot more coming though, Bloom's furious and she won't stop being furious until she gets Daphne back. Anyway, sorry about the short chapter - not a whole lot to wrote about with Icy's freak out though - but more updates are coming soon! Enjoy!**


	248. Dates and Destruction

**_Dates and Destruction_**

The next day, the rest of the Winx are in the Simulator and are supposed to be looking for anything unusual. Stella asks Bloom to define unusual - it could be anything in this universe.

Giant tentacles sprout out of the water and try to grab the girls, Aisha swims out of range fast and blasts it - she's had a thing about tentacles ever since the final test in Sibylla's cave. It emerges from the sand - it's a giant octopus, one that shoots lightning from its eye.

It grabs Bloom and Stella, then Aisha and Musa. It hits Flora with a beam of lightning and slams her into the rock wall.

Techna is the only one who can do something - except for Bloom, who stabs the tentacle holding onto her with her knife. It makes the creature mad, but it doesn't make it let go.

The newly-named Electroctopus tries to hit Techna as well, but she dodges and calls on all her strength. The next time the electric beam is shot at her, she absorbs the strength from it and uses it against the Electroctopus. It sinks back under the sand, and the simulation is over - Techna discovered her Sirenix Special Spell!

It's called Aura of Sirenix, and its used for exactly what she just did. Bloom is still occupied with how they're supposed to keep the third seal out of Tritannus's hands - it's the only one left and he could already be on the way!

When they get back to the apartment, Stella fills the air with sparkles in celebration - and she and Musa planned something for Techna, and got everyone else in on it.

They set up a date between her and Timmy. A real one, romantic and non-electronic.

When Techna stares at Bloom, she says "Wasn't my idea, but I didn't stop them. Consider this my one and only payback for recording me while I was dancing with Sky and singing 'Teenage Dream' while wondering what I was not being told." She shrugs, then starts pacing the room - trying to think of any way they could stop Tritannus before he gets the third seal.

Ideas flit through her head, all of them dangerous and risky. They could storm their hideout at the Throne, they could wait at the Pillar for them, the list goes on and on. She considers just going over and destroying the seal for an instant, but she's learned that the straightforward approach usually gets turned and twisted around in this universe.

Meanwhile, Techna seems entirely shocked by the idea of going on a physical date with Timmy instead of texting him like they do for hours on end every day. She and Timmy are having a perfect relationship - but it's all online and no face-to-face time.

The rest of the Winx insist that they should have some time together and not on their phones - which is why they are sending the two tech-geniuses to the coolest restaurant in Magix City. Techna has reservations about the idea, and so does Timmy at Red Fountain.

He says he's not a 'date' kind of guy, but the other four guys are not backing down. Nabu and Helia give him advice while Riven leans against the wall - he's not much for advice. Brandon tells him the outfit they have him in looks great, but he's not so sure - of course, Timmy's the one who picked out huge, baggy sweatshirts in Gardenia while it was still summer.

Unfortunately, the advice Timmy gets and the advice Techna gets are exactly opposite - until Bloom tells Techna to be the girl Timmy fell in love with, herself, and everything will turn out fine. Four girls stare at her, and she asks "What?"

Stella asks "That's all the advice you have?"

"Asgardians don't go on many dates - at all, really. All the dates I've had in my entire life are the ones you all know about. But Timmy loves Techna, Techna loves Timmy - how hard could it be for two people who see everything logically?" She has a point, a somewhat skewed point, but a point.

Techna's in a light green dress with a flower the same color in her hair - Timmy's brain might melt before he can say anything at this rate. Stella grabs Techna's phone and puts it on mute before she can do anything - Brandon does the same with Timmy's.

* * *

At the restaurant, Techna got there a few minutes early while Timmy is barely on time - Helia suggested he stop for flowers, having the Fairy of Nature for a girlfriend and all. They're both incredibly nervous, and try to act on the conflicting advice, it doesn't turn out the best.

Timmy's brain is half-gone after getting a look at Techna in her dress, and both are trying to do exactly what their friends said.

* * *

A few minutes after Techna leaves for her date, Bloom is lying on her bed and trying to think - and then suddenly she hears a familiar voice.

 _Bloom._

"Daphne?!" She sits straight up, and a vision of her sister appears in front of her.

 _Bloom, Tritannus is heading for the Pillar of Control tomorrow. You must go to the Pillar and destroy the Seal!_

"What? I considered that, but…"

 _Destroy the Seal of the Pillar of Control! You must destroy it!_

The vision fades, leaving Bloom confused and with a headache. She had considered destroying the seal, but only as a last resort - the Pillar would crumble and the Magical Dimension would fall!

But the more the rest of the girls talk, the more it makes sense to her - Tritannus wouldn't be able to activate the throne, and they can stabilize the Pillar before anything goes wrong. They all transform and head to the Infinite Ocean - good thing Tritannus is feeding himself more toxins right now.

After he put the second seal in the Throne, he was weakened by it once again - and he insisted on Icy staying by the Throne so her neck could heal, good thing she was up at the top when Daphne contacted Bloom. The Winx meet up with the Selkies and they all head to the Pillar of Control - and it isn't far, Bloom's thinking of storming the Throne after destroying the Seal.

* * *

Meanwhile, Techna and Timmy's date is going more or less alright - but it gets a lot better after the restaurant when they go for a walk and relax a little.

* * *

In the Infinite Ocean, the Winx make it to the Pillar of Control and head over to destroy the Seal - but a giant eel attacks them.

Bloom ends up riding it like a horse, and yells "Destroy the Seal, I'll handle this thing, Winx!"

Stella asks "Bloom, are you sure?!"

"Stella, I might not be much use for date-advice, but I can wrestle a dragon to the ground - an eel is nothing!"

"Right, good point."

The four fairies destroy the seal and stabilize the Pillar while Bloom rides the eel around like a rodeo bull - it's trying to throw her off by bucking ferociously. Every time one of its many long, thin tentacles comes near her, she slashes it off with her knife - making it scream in pain.

Finally, once the Pillar is stabilized, the eel decides it's had enough punishment and swims away. Bloom wishes she could see the look on Tritannus's face when he sees the Seal is gone - she'd pay good money to see that actually. It doesn't make a difference though, because now there's no way for Tritannus to activate the Emperor's Throne.

* * *

When Techna gets back from her date, she only blushes when Stella asks how it went.

Bloom gives Techna an out by saying "You'll never guess what we did while you were with Timmy."

"What?"

Musa says "We made sure Tritannus can't activate the throne. All that's left is to stick a fork in him. Maybe Bloom'll cook him."

Bloom snorts and says "Yeah, stick him on his own trident, hold him in a bonfire for a few moments. Barbeque fish anyone?"

They all laugh, even Aisha. In her view, he's more than earned it - and she knows it would take a miracle not even a spell could pull off to keep Bloom from taking Tritannus's life.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, not they can't activate the Emperor's Throne! Wondering what they'll do next? Read on and fid out! Enjoy, more updates coming soon!**


	249. Doubt and Decisions

_**Doubt and Decisions**_

The next day, the Winx are all in a volleyball match. Its them against Krystal's team - and the Winx are winning easily. They're more coordinated, used to working together so much they can practically read each other's minds.

Aisha passes the ball to Stella, who hits it over the net and almost scores - except Krystal saves it. Professor Palladium says "Remember, if you're facing a powerful opponent, direct attacks might not work. Try feinting to win."

When the ball goes over the net, Bloom takes the advice to the word and hits it over to Musa, who catches on and smacks it to Techna. Techna hits it back to Bloom, who hits it so hard the other girls don't even have time to react when it passes them.

They all high-five, and Flora spots Helia. Before she can go over though, Krystal runs over and tells him how fun the match was.

"Um, yeah, it looked like a blast. But there's something I have to say to Flora."

By the time he looks over, Flora's long-gone and Bloom's glaring at them both before going after her old roommate. Krystal realizes what she should have seen weeks ago, and thinks _I think I really messed something up._

* * *

On Eraklyon, Sky gets out of the palace and pulls the hood of Bloom's jacket down. It worked exactly like Bloom said it would, the guards never even looked at him. All he had to do to avoid Diaspro was stand behind a corner as she walked past - she never looked back.

His phone rings, and its Helia calling.

 _Sky, where were you? You missed the game!_

"I couldn't get out of the palace fast enough, Diaspro's kept me locked up in here like Bloom locked herself up in their dorm the third year."

Suddenly, Diaspro's voice calls out "Going somewhere, Prince Sky? Because I wasn't aware of any outside appointments on your schedule - and, as King's Special Liaison, I would know. Because, I'm in charge of you. Guards, please escort Prince Sky back to the palace."

Helia heard every word, and grimaces in sympathy.

 _She's really not letting up, is she?_

"No, she isn't. Helia, she's not letting me out of her sight for a minute."

 _You have to do something. Sky, you really need to talk to Bloom. Take it from me, it might be too late by the time this is all over._

"Yeah, but I don't know if she wants to talk to me."

 _She will, she's just getting twitchy to get Daphne back. You know that, we all know it. According to Brandon, from Stella, she spent hours trying to think up a way to storm the Emperor's Throne on their own and take the four of them down._

"That's crazy, even for Bloom. She might be the toughest person there is, but Tritannus has an army of Mutants."

 _Yeah, and Bloom's got the Dragon Flame, Asgardian training mixed with a martial arts style imprinted on her muscles, and enough anger for all of them at the way they've been treating Daphne._

Sky groans, knowing full well Bloom would do something that insane if she got desperate enough - and he can imagine she's getting desperate enough. The guards catch up to him, and he doesn't say a word as they walk back to the palace.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom's sitting on her bed and holding the Destiny Shell she and Sky found. Flora comes in without a word and sits on her bed - then starts crying and says she thinks Helia wants to be with Krystal.

"Flora, why would you think that?"

"They're old childhood friends, and they have a lot in common, and she's a healer, and she's fun - and I'm not!"

Flora buries her face in her hands and starts crying harder - Bloom sits down next to her roommate and leans Flora into her, saying "Flora, Diaspro and Sky are old childhood friends - but you don't see that relationship working out so well. And as for her being a healer, so am I, but you don't see Helia chasing after me. And your fun to, and they just know what they have in common because they figured it out a long time ago. None of that means he wants to be with her and not you. Take it from me: your wonderful, and Helia's lucky to have you as his girlfriend. Just like I got lucky to have you as a roommate."

Flora wipes her eyes, and Techna says "Talk to him, tell him how you feel."

Both girls stare at Techna, and Bloom says "Alright Loki, you got us. Drop the illusion already - Techna would never say that."

Techna crosses her arms and says "Bloom, it's really me - and it worked for Timmy and I!"

Flora giggles, despite herself, and says "Thanks you girls, you're the best friends ever."

Bloom sighs in relief inwardly, and helps Flora up as Techna's phone starts buzzing.

 _Alert, Alert. Breaking news from Zenith._

She presses a button and an image of King Cryos appears. They walk into the common room thinking he's going to join the alliance, but that thought dies when he says Zenith will defend itself.

Out of all of them, Techna is the most angry - she understands the decision.

It's completely rational, but completely wrong. Cryos doesn't understand that Tritannus threatens everyone when he attacks a Pillar.

Bloom says "So we have to go to Zenith and convince him to join the alliance."

They all agree, and Stella says "Oh, I've never been to Zenith - I can't wait to go shopping!"

Everyone sighs, and they all get dressed to go to Zenith.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, another short chapter - sorry! On the bright side, Sky knows Bloom's jacket works as advertised. Want to know how things go on Zenith? Read on and find out!**


	250. Haywire Tech

_**Haywire Tech**_

On Zenith, the climate is carefully controlled to optimize the security droids - meaning, its freezing cold in Zenith. Everyone but Bloom is shivering, even though they're in heavy coats and fur-lined shawls and scarves - Bloom doesn't feel the cold, calling on a bit of magic to warm herself.

Stella complains about the cold, until she sees a sight that warms her and makes Bloom go cold - a shopping mall. Its apparently the best store in the entire Magical Dimension, but there's no items - there's the Shop-o-tron 2000. It can instantly make any item you want appear - and Stella is ecstatic to try it.

She pushes her way to the front of the line, and orders the top five items in the Lynphea line-up - and they instantly appear in her arms. She's on the verge of spouting off a long list of orders, when a hand as strong as iron grabs her upper arm.

"Come on Stella, you've got your order. Now, stop holding up the line and lets go already."

"But, Bloom-"

"Nope. You've shopped, you got five new dresses, now come on. Time to do what we actually came here for."

Bloom's dragging Stella away by the arm without even breaking a sweat - Stella's trying to pull her arm out with no luck. "Bloom!"

"Don't drop your dresses Stell. Now let's go!"

She calls back to the line of people "Sorry folks, she's just addicted to shopping!"

"Bloom!"

"Save it for after we convince Cryos, Stell. You'll spend all day here."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tritannus and Icy head to the Pillar of Control. The Selkies are easily beaten, but the Seal is nowhere to be found - because the Winx destroyed it yesterday.

Tritannus blows a gasket and stabs his trident into the Pillar, causing it to send a beam of energy into the sky.

* * *

On Zenith, the atmospheric shield makes clouds and lightning, and the droids go crazy and starts attacking people. Bloom instantly knows this is because of the Pillar of Control - apparently it controls technology.

The lightning makes the droids go crazy and they go for the palace. The Winx transform and fly up to stop them - but they aren't in time to keep the droids out of the throne room.

King Cryos tries to call for more guards, but the security system is unresponsive - and they don't actually know any way to fight or defend themselves.

Its looking like they'll be shot to death by the droids meant to protect the city, when Techna and Bloom come in punching and kicking - literally. Techna hits one droid with a Techno-Punch, while Bloom uses a Dragon Kick.

Techna then shields king Cryos and his advisor with a Digital Net while Flora and Musa confuse the droids by attacking one another intentionally.

The droids stop to watch them fight, not knowing what their targets are supposed to be now. Bloom, Techna, Stella, and Aisha grin and destroy the droids while Musa and Flora keep the distraction up.

Cryos and his advisor come in a moment later, and King Cryos asks "How did this happen?"

Bloom automatically answers "Tritannus attacked the Pillar of Control, your majesty. It seems the Pillar of Control deals with technology, keeps it working right. When it was attacked, all technology malfunctioned. Zenith was affected worst because it's the Technology planet. I'm guessing the Selkies just restored the Pillar though, your atmospheric shield is working again."

They all look out and see its true, and the droids that didn't get destroyed are working right as well. Cryos says "Our technology failed us, but you, Techna, and your friends did not. I thank you."

The rest of the Winx walk up beside her, and all nod at Techna in support. "King Cryos, I urge you to support the alliance. Only together can we defeat Tritannus."

He nods in assent, and says "Yes, I believe that is the only rational decision."

Everybody sighs in relief, and Techna's Sirenix Box appears. Her guardian says she has earned her wish, like Musa did when she freed the Singing Whales. She wishes for the people of Zenith to feel connected to the rest of the Magical Dimension. Her guardian waves her hands in the air, and grants the wish immediately.

* * *

Later that day, Bloom is standing on the balcony and talking to Ember. "I learned a lot today from Techna, but I wish I knew how to fix all this, girl. Everybody thinks I'm some miracle worker once they find out I've got the Power of the Dragon Flame - if only it were that easy. If it were, Daphne would be free, with her body; Tritannus would be stopped; and Diaspro would butt out and never try to get between Sky and I ever again."

She sighs and looks at the ground below. Suddenly, a floating piece of paper appears and unrolls.

Bloom snatches it out of the air and starts reading. "Prince Sky of Eraklyon requests a diplomatic meeting with Princess Bloom of Domino?!"

Bloom feels torn, and then angrily bursts out "If he thinks I'm suffering through a dress I can't breathe in, heels I can't even stand in, and Diaspro trying to get me humiliated and embarrassed in front of everyone…"

She trails off, and before she can say anything else, she hears "Actually, I don't."

She whips her head up to see Sky sitting on a Red Fountain windrider. Her jaw drops, and she holds up the paper mutely.

"It was the only way I could get away from Diaspro without her being able to send the guards after me. So, you want to go for a ride?"

His question is answered when she uses the railing as a step and jumps onto the rider behind him. She pulls his helmet off and kisses him hard before he can say another word.

"Sky, you have no idea how happy I am to see you."

He laughs and says "As happy as I am to see you. Let's go, Bloom."

She whispers "Maybe this time, after everything stops being so crazy, we can run away and never look back after this adventure."

She plunks the helmet back on his head and summons her own. They go riding for hours, enjoying being together again after what feels like forever.

Bloom's been going nuts worrying for Daphne - they can all tell, especially since she's been yawning more and more and pacing whatever room she's in so much she is likely going to wear a path into the floor like she wore a path into the forest floor in her first year going back and forth visiting Daphne.

* * *

 ***Emperor's Throne***

That night, Tritannus is still raging about how he can't activate the Emperor's Throne. Icy assures him he will be Emperor, but neither of them have any idea how to make it happen. Tritannus suddenly turns his rage to Daphne, who has been watching his display the entire time. He's acting like a spoiled child, which, in reality, he is.

"You! You know how to activate the Throne! Tell me!"

Daphne looks at him, and says the same thing she's been saying all this time. "You must not activate the Emperor's Throne. The Sirenix Curse will destroy you, and you will go mad with power until it does."

"Really? You're just saying that."

Now the temper that they've felt from Bloom so many times makes a rare appearance in her sister. "Look at me! Look at what the Sirenix Curse did to me! Do you think I chose to be a disembodied spirit? Do you think I chose to have no clue if my baby sister lived or died when Domino was destroyed?! You know nothing! And I wouldn't tell you about a way to activate this cursed throne even if I knew how! You are nothing but a spoiled child, trying to prove himself otherwise." She gives him a look she never thought she'd have on her face: contempt and condemnation.

Tritannus practically explodes with anger, but Icy says "Who are you to talk? What would you know about my Tritannus?"

"I've spent more than enough time listening to him whine about not being Emperor, and getting back at his family - who, by the way, are eternally on guard duty it seems - to know more than I could ever have wished. I've been telling you all that the Sirenix Curse will destroy you if you activate the Throne, but none of you listen when I'm trying to keep you from my fate!"

Icy laughs, and asks "Then why did you tell Bloom about the power?"

"Bloom only wanted to restore my body to me, and I waited until she made it clear it was the only way to defeat you. You want to destroy everything, and your hunger for power will consume you when the Curse strikes!"

Icy has had enough, and freezes Daphne in a block of ice - glaring at them and looking as defiant as Bloom. Icy says "Ugh, this must run in the family. Bloom did the exact same thing when we had her locked away in Cloudtower."

"Did what?"

"She stopped caring about what she had to do to get free and did whatever it took to get us angry and walking away. Now, Daphne doesn't seem to care about whether the Curse strikes us or not. I'm guessing we just hit her flashpoint for her temper."

Tritannus nods, and says "That must run in the family for sure. Daphne seems like a mellower version of Bloom."

"You know, if Bloom ever finds out about this, she's going to go ballistic."

"No kidding. We'll just have to make sure she never finds out."

Neither have any idea of how they're going to manage that, especially if Bloom gets within a mile of the Throne.

* * *

 **AN: And they've just hit Daphne's breaking point! You think they're going to be able to keep Icy's reaction to Daphne's outburst a secret from Bloom? Read on and find out!**


	251. Two Wishes Granted

_**Two Wishes Granted**_

The next day, Bloom wakes up shaking like she saw the rest of the Winx doing on Zenith. She has no idea why though, especially when Ember starts thrumming worriedly against her and sniffing her face and neck. Bloom just closes her eyes and tries to make her body go still like it was when she shut her eyes.

Last night was confusing to say the least - she's not sure what she was dreaming last night, but she couldn't do anything - like she was under a freeze spell or something.

Ember jumps off the bed and runs over to Flora's. Bloom hears her whine and growl worriedly, and Flora asks "Ember, what is it? Bloom having a nightmare?"

A few more moments gets Flora sitting up - and she jumps out of bed and races over to check on Bloom when she sees her shivering. "Bloom! What's wrong?"

The sun is just coming up, so it's not too incredibly early - unlike the time Daphne had them going on a night-time hunt to find the Eye of Inspiration. Flora runs and gets the rest of the girls, and Stella's complaints cease the moment she sees Bloom shaking like she's freezing cold.

Techna scans her with her ladybug scanner, and everyone's jaw drops when the thermal image shows a spot of red at Bloom's heart surrounded by blue. She's freezing cold!

Stella immediately jumps onto Bloom's bed and starts rubbing warmth into her arms - which are cold as ice. It doesn't work, Bloom's shivering doesn't slow even for a minute.

Techna says "Bloom, try healing yourself. Or breaking whatever spell is on you."

Bloom focuses, and her body floods with warmth when she calls on the Dragon Flame's power. Her shivering instantly stops, and the thermal image floods with white instead of blue. Everyone sighs, until Bloom starts shaking again after letting the power fade.

When the last bit of fire trickled out of her system, she started shivering once again - not good. She has access to all of her magic, and there doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her - except for the fact that she's mysteriously cold for no reason they can determine.

Bloom gets an idea and says "Stella, please tell me you've designed some long-sleeved shirts lately."

"Yeah, why?"

"Let's just say I'm putting an order for one. Plus, I can show it off around Alfea."

Stella snaps her fingers and a deep blue shirt appears. "Great! But why do you want a long-sleeved shirt Bloom? You, of all people, don't need one."

"I've got an idea for how to fix this - or at least hide it."

Bloom lays the shirt out in front of her and starts glowing orange as she stares at it. The glow spreads to the shirt when she lays both hands on it - but none of the other girls know what she's doing. She's putting a spell on the shirt, making one up to fit her exact needs.

She needs the shirt to hide the sense of her power from everyone else - people would freak if they sensed her ready to explode with power at the slightest jolt. She imagines the fabric of the shirt as a barrier of sorts, keeping her magic trail inside it until she takes it off.

When she's done, the blue is threaded with orange for an instant before it fades. Stella is inspired by the thread of magic though, and makes it a pattern stitched onto the blue material. Bloom puts it on, and calls on her magic again.

This time, there's no way to tell she's calling on her magic, especially when she puts her sunglasses on after a few seconds of reworking the spells to keep her irises blue as well as looking human.

* * *

Later that day, after breakfast, Bloom and Stella are sitting on her bed and she can't understand why nobody wants to wear her clothes. Bloom says they look fabulous, and she's gotten compliments all day about the shirt.

That cheers Stella up a bit, especially when Bloom suggests they hold another fashion show - and Stella gets the idea to invite her parents, because they couldn't argue at a fashion show. Bloom gets an idea, and says "I'll keep them from fighting until the show starts, alright Stell?"

Stella looks hopefully at her best friend, then hugs her hard. "Thank you Bloom. You have no idea what that would mean to me!"

When the two royals arrive, they meet each other outside the Winx's door. They ask each other, at the same time, "What are you doing here? I got an urgent message."

They break off, and King Radius says "If you would let me speak-"

"I was just trying to answer your question!"

A cough to the side interrupts them both, and they see Bloom leaning against the wall casually. "Let me stop you both there, please. You both got an invitation here, correct?"

The two adults nod at her, and she says "Good, that's what Stella was hoping for. By the way, you two aren't hearing this, but Stella really misses you two being her parents."

She pushes herself off the wall and says "Follow me please. And please, for Stella's sake, don't argue for a few hours." She gives them both a look that isn't demanding, but is more than just pleading.

She opens up the door, then another to reveal Stella. Both parents are thrilled to see Stella again, but glare at each other for the other's happiness. Bloom raises an eyebrow at them, they are not good at getting along. Stella leads them to the common room and the family takes a seat while Bloom leans against a wall unobtrusively.

Radius asks "Now, what was so important that I had to leave my kingdom and come here?"

Stella says "Well, today is a really big day for me."

"How?"

Luna says "Radius, please, let her talk."

"I was just asking a question!"

Before Luna can give a reply, Bloom clears her throat and looks at each of them in turn.

Radius and Luna both go silent for a moment, then Luna asks "Is that why Bloom's here? To keep us from arguing?"

Bloom says "Yep. Good guess, your highness."

Radius laughs and says "Well, I have to day, you are full of surprises, Princess Bloom. You make an excellent friend to Stella."

"Thank you, I try." She tilts her head to Stella, who clears her throat and continues.

She tells them how she's felt for years, hurt when they argue - which is why she has Bloom here for help. They both promise to try and listen to each other and her, and then accept her invitation to her fashion show that night immediately.

When Stella leaves, they turn away from each other - and Bloom smacks her hand to her forehead loudly. "Really? You two won't even look at each other?"

Luna doesn't have an answer for that, and says "Your good at fading into the background."

Bloom grins and says "It's a skill. As for why I'm not with Stella, let's just say I'm your guide until the show. And before you say you don't need a guide, it's a favor to Stella."

They get the hint, and resign themselves to spending a few hours together not arguing - at risk of whatever Bloom could do to keep them from arguing. It's not the best arrangement ever, but they can tell Bloom's doing her absolute best to help their daughter.

Bloom leaves them at the front of the crowd so she can get ready for her part in the show - after making them promise not to break out in a full-scale argument in the middle of the show.

When Stella goes out on stage, her Sirenix Box appears and her Guardian tells her she earned her wish by showing great courage in telling her parents how she feels. She wishes for her parents to always listen to each other and her, and her wish is granted.

She gets the fashion show started, and Bloom walks out and sees Radius and Luna acting very differently than when she left them. They're not turned away from each other, Luna's actually leaning into Radius!

She's shocked speechless, but knows something more than a few-minute talk happened without her. As she turns away, she sees a familiar head of blonde hair - but she has to walk away before she can be sure if its Sky or not.

After Aisha gets back in the Odyssey, she says "Bloom, I think I saw Sky out there!"

She immediately blushes, and asks "You think he saw me?"

Techna laughs and shows them a text from Timmy just now - of Sky looking dumbfounded and like his brain is melted. "I'd say that's a yes, Bloom. I'll text Timmy that you say hi to Sky."

When all of them go back out, the crowd starts chanting Stella's name - giving Bloom an idea. She whispers to Flora, who whispers it to Techna and so on. They make a pyramid and Bloom picks Stella up and sits her on top of it!

The crowd goes nuts at that, cheering wildly. Stella thanks the Winx for being her models, then thanks Brandon for helping her be the best designer, and person, she could be. His face goes bright red, until Riven and Sky push him up onto the boat to share the spotlight.

Bloom spots Roxy trying to keep Artu off the Odyssey - and has to keep a laugh from bursting out.

Suddenly, Riven jumps up and makes his own announcement - and the rest of the Specialists come on up and Nabu summons instruments. Riven wrote a song for Musa, and they've been practicing in secret for a while. Riven may be singing for Musa, but the rest of the guys are playing for their girlfriends as well.

The night ends better than anyone could have ever imagined, especially when Bloom gets the news from Stella about her wish and how she used it - then she and Sky sneak a kiss in after the show is officially over.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Stella learned from the last time Bloom offered to keep her parents from arguing - and she really is good at fading into the background, despite her fiery hair. Another thing she learned from Loki, how to be unobtrusive when she wants to be. Also, Happy Thanksgiving - and thank you all for the views and feedback!**


	252. Diaspro Dismissed

_**Diaspro Dismissed**_

The next day, everyone is back at Domino for another War Council - and this time, everyone seems to see the true threat Tritannus poses.

Bloom is the only one who isn't actually dressed formally - though she looks the part. She's still shivering whenever she's not calling on the Dragon Flame, so she is wearing her new shirt, some jeans, and sneakers under an illusion spell that makes it look like she's wearing her dress.

If nobody touches her, nobody will be the wiser about the fact. She would have done an illusion of her own, but that requires constant concentration - which could be noticed. It's different in a fight, everything is happening so quickly her mind just keeps up with it. In here, they're all just standing around talking - so if Bloom zones out, people might notice.

It would be risky to use an illusion spell somewhere with little magic - like Earth used to be, it's still regaining its magic though - but the entire Magic Dimension is packed to bursting with magic in the air itself; so nobody notices a thing different about Bloom. The difference between Magix and Earth is immediately noticeable: to Bloom, all the heat signatures on Earth were the exact same, except for her friends, Nabu, and the Wizards of the Black Circle. In this universe, everyone's heat signature is different - made unique by the magic trail that mixes with it.

* * *

Bloom pulls out of her thoughts when Flora stands up and gives her idea for stopping Tritannus.

They all agree that they have to stop him, and stop him now, but they all have different ideas about how to do that. King Cryos suggests securing the gates so Tritannus can't escape, Tressa and Nereus want to storm the Throne and overwhelm him, Aisha's parents say that would be rash - it goes on and on.

Flora's idea is to cut him off from his source of power: Earth's polluted oceans. When she's done speaking, the rest of the Winx gather around her - and Bloom says "Flora speaks for all of us. If we cut Tritannus off from his source of power, he'll have no choice but to face us."

Suddenly, a steam of bubbles rises in front of Nereus and Tressa. "Something's coming from the Infinite Ocean!"

Everyone gets ready, thinking its Tritannus or a number of mutants come to kill them all. Oritel, Sky, and Erendor get their swords out, and Bloom makes a fireball the size of her fist in each hand.

Its Phylla though, who comes to tell the Winx that a bay on Earth called Paradise bay is being attacked by Tritannus right now!

He's polluting the water, making acid rain fall, and has taken control of a factory at the edge of the water and is using the smokestacks to spill out endless pollution.

Sky volunteers to be the leader of a strike team against Tritannus, and Erendor says he's proud of Sky. Bloom says "We're with you Sky."

 _I'm with you._

Everyone agrees, except one person. "That's crazy! It's too dangerous!"

Diaspro pushes her way through the crowd, and asks "Why should my prince risk his life to save some polluted puddle on earth?"

Sky asks "What?" He didn't think Diaspro would ever go so far as to openly defy the will of his father - or any of the other rulers, in fact. He and Bloom both knew she'd use her position to get between them in secret, but this is open defiance and abuse of her title.

Bloom says "May I remind you that the 'polluted puddle' on Earth is where Tritannus is right now? And the longer we wait, the more it feeds his strength - so he can further pollute Paradise Bay, giving him more strength. If we keep talking - if you keep stalling - he'll turn that bay as black as tar and only leave when he feels like it. And we'll be too late to stop him."

Sky yanks his arm out of Diaspro's hands, and says "Nothing is going to stop me from going, Diaspro."

Erendor finally realizes what Diaspro's been doing since he appointed her as his Special Liaison, and relieves her of the title at once. "Diaspro, you are a disgrace. You are relieved of duty immediately."

Diaspro looks shocked that Erendor took the pin off her armor, then she gets angry. Like the spoiled brat she is, she burst out "Ugh, it's not fair! This is all your fault, Bloom!"

"My fault? What did I do?"

"You always ruin everything for me!" Diaspro tries to storm out of the meeting, and ends up walking straight into the pool Tressa and Nereus are floating in.

The entire council bursts out in laughter, Bloom and Sky most of all. Diaspro gets her head out of the water, only to find the entire room is laughing at her. This time she makes it to the door without making a bigger fool of herself than she already has.

For Bloom, it seems life doesn't have it in for her entirely - revenge is oh-so-sweet, especially when she didn't have to do anything to Diaspro!

Erendor says "Now to the task at hand."

When Phylla asks how they're going to restore Paradise Bay, Nereus and Tressa tell them of something called the Breath of the Ocean. It can restore damaged waters, but it's been lost for centuries - it's nothing more than a myth now.

Bloom says "If it can stop Tritannus and his pollution, we'll find it. Let's go Winx." They all run out of the palace and transform - and head to the Infinite Ocean.

* * *

 **AN: YES! I've so wanted to put that spoiled brat in her place! Honestly, that girl needs to get a life. Sorry about the wait for chapters, I was camping and there was no Wi-Fi. And then a three hour drive back to school - so much fun! Haha, not really. Finals are coming up, please don't get mad if I drop off the uploads for a few days for a bit - not giving up on the story, just getting into the situation that the Winx stayed up three days in a row for - they all passed though, hopefully I will to!**


	253. Saving Paradise

_**Saving Paradise**_

When they get to where the Breath of the Ocean is supposed to be, it's an island just at sea level.

Bloom always thought the Infinite Ocean would be…well, infinite. She never though it would suddenly end and you come out into open air like every other ocean she's been in.

And the island itself looks like it was originally underwater - Techna says the Sirenix Curse made the sea level drop, the Three Ancestral Witches did a lot more than should ever be possible with one curse.

The sea level was a good twenty to thirty feet higher easily before the curse, and Techna says a grid-search of the island would take two and a half weeks.

The island itself is really creepy, and Bloom has a very bad feeling about what's waiting for them here other than the Breath of the Ocean.

They do an Insight Convergence spell, and let their emotions take them where they need to be. They get ambushed by giant grasshoppers - ones that can turn invisible and visible at will.

Bloom whips out her sword and does the same thing, confusing the creatures immensely.

Flora says "No, don't hurt them!"

Everybody yells "Flora!"

Stella adds "In case you haven't noticed, they're trying to rip us limb from limb!"

"They're just acting on instinct, protecting their territory!"

Bloom says "They're protecting the Breath of the Ocean, and those rock formations!" She points to some nearby rock formations, and nearly gets her finger sliced off. "Case in point. Flora, we'll hold them off, you search those rocks and find the Breath of the Ocean!"

Flora flies away while her friends keep fighting the giant creatures; but not hurting them seriously, Bloom hasn't chopped one's head off yet. She finds it in minutes, the fact that its glowing in multiple colors helps when the entire island is barren.

She pulls it out and uses it to bring the entire island to life with plants. The grasshoppers disappear in the wave of magic, and the Winx all fly up to her.

Bloom says "Flora, you did it! You found it!"

Aisha says "Now, let's go save Paradise Bay!"

* * *

When they get there, the Alliance Task Force has just arrived. Mer-people are swimming with dolphins and large fish, droids are flying next to windriders with soldiers and Red Fountain students - basically, it's the entire force of all the worlds of the Magical Dimension.

Icy gets worried, it's just the two of them against all of them - Tritannus doesn't get worried until a wave of fire knocks them both underwater. When they look behind them, they see the Winx floating there - Bloom holding her sword and Flora holding a multi-colored stone the size of her head.

Icy mutters "Oh crud, you think Bloom knows?" Bloom's glowing like a campfire, so she knows something is wrong. Tritannus summons his army of mutants, and the fight begins.

There's a family stranded on their powerboat at the edge of the fight - they were visiting Paradise Bay on vacation when Tritannus showed up. Now, they're caught in the crossfire - so Bloom goes and saves them while most of the force is busy trying to fight Tritannus and Icy.

Mutants are climbing up the sides of the boat, so she throws them off by their tails. She lands and they thank her - and when a Mutant jumps up to grab her, Bloom whirls around and swings her sword in a wide arc. A wave of fire is let loose, knocking the Mutant straight into the middle of the battle.

The family's son says "That was awesome! Do it again!"

Bloom looks at him for a moment, then smirks and says "I'm going to be doing it a lot in the next few minutes. You three need to get out of here." She yanks hard on the starter cord, and the engine roars to life.

The family gets a safe distance away from the fight - then they can only watch in amazement as, literally, the craziest thing they have ever seen unfolds in front of them.

The sun suddenly breaks through the clouds and gives all the human and normal mer-people new strength, Stella recognizes her mother's work in that. Luna must have called upon the second sun of Solaria to help them in the battle.

The Mutants are quickly defeated - and Tritannus and Icy make good on their escape. Tritannus is even stronger than usual, he's got an overload of toxins at the moment - Bloom wasn't kidding when she said he could make himself infinitely strong if they let him.

But, it's a win, somewhat, for the Alliance. They drove Tritannus and Icy out of Paradise Bay, and now Flora can restore it with the Breath of the Ocean. She uses it, along with her Sirenix Special Spell, Flower of Sirenix, to restore the bay to its usual beautiful state.

Flora then earns her wish, and uses it so people on Earth would care about their planet and clean it up instead of polluting it.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Icy and Tritannus had better unfreeze Daphne fast or risk Bloom finding out they've not only tortured her but have also frozen her solid in a block of ice - I really can't see that ending too well for them. At any rate, courses are ending soon for the semester! Which means finals...ugh, so boring! Especially when they're at 7:30 in the morning! Wish me luck, I'm going to need something to stay awake! As for the story, they're just lucky Bloom went vegetarian on Pyros - so were the Wizards, actually. I really wouldn't have wanted to be them if Bloom ate meat and they clapped a hand over her mouth - the result would definitely have been a lot of blood and pain from them.**


	254. Battle for the Infinite Ocean

_**Battle for the Infinite Ocean**_

The next morning, its breakfast as usual at Alfea. Stella asks "You know why I love breakfast?"

Bloom answers "Because it's the first meal of the day?"

Five of the six friends laugh, Flora's too down to laugh - she keeps thinking of Helia and Krystal. Breakfast magically appears on the table in front of all of the students, and Bloom says "Pass me that fruit bowl please. I could eat the entire tree after yesterday."

Musa laughs and floats the bowl of fruit over to Bloom. Stella says "I adore breakfast."

Bloom adds "And lunch."

"Mm-hm."

Techna adds "And dinner." Musa tacks on "And don't forget regular snacks."

The five girls laugh, and Stella says "So I have a healthy appetite. I'll work it off." She's eating away from a bowl of fruit and cereal - another thing Bloom loves to have for breakfast.

Krystal is watching the six girls, as down as Flora is. She knows she messed up big-time, and is kicking herself for not realizing what was happening sooner. She's really kicking herself for not getting the hint Bloom tried to give her with the picture of Helia and Flora kissing - she just saw a lot of talent, Bloom was trying to show her what she was getting between.

Aisha suggests they go dancing in the Alfea ballroom - and everyone but Flora agrees immediately. Bloom isn't one for dancing usually, but she knows how down Flora is and is trying to cheer her up. It doesn't seem to be working.

Bloom notices Flora is still at the table, and asks "Aren't you coming Flora?"

"Oh, yeah, in a minute."

Bloom gets the message, and says "Ok, if you want to talk…magix, I can't believe I said that. Most of the time, people don't want to talk. But-"

"Bloom, I get it. You're here for me, and I appreciate that."

Another thing Asgardian childhood didn't equip Bloom for: giving comforting speeches to heartsick friends. She does the best she can, but, now that that know what kind of things Bloom learned as a kid, it's kind of obvious where she makes things up as she goes along. Ask her to plan a battle, she's got it in five minutes after intense questioning about the enemies. Ask her to plan a date, she suggests they go for a walk in the park with their own food and wing it from there.

When Bloom walks away, Krystal walks over and asks "Flora, do you have a minute?"

"Princess Krystal?"

"I need to talk to you…about Helia."

* * *

Minutes later, Flora and Krystal are sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

"Flora, I want you to know I never meant to come between you and Helia. I had no idea you two were dating, I swear." Flora looks down at the grass, wishing she could disappear and travel far away in it.

Krystal takes her hand and says "Flora, helia and I are good friends, but he's in love with you."

Flora slips her hand out of Krystal's, and gets up. "I wish I could believe that, Princess."

* * *

In the ballroom, they're all dancing - and Flora seems tired and drained. Bloom's tired as well, but she's running off of her usual, disturbed sleep - and she's still shivering when she's not having fire go through her veins.

It's getting almost ridiculous, whatever spell Icy put on her either needs to be broken or ramped up to where it is more than just annoying in her opinion.

Bloom's slip-ups are mostly because she keeps yawning and she hasn't had much time to practice something she learned when she was sixteen - and which she's really out of practice. Turns out getting kidnapped again and again doesn't give you a lot of time to practice dancing or etiquette.

Suddenly, Aisha's shoes turn to magical ballet shoes - and Bloom can feel a power in the mirror she's dancing in front of. Aisha says "If you open your heart, I guess you get new slippers!"

Everyone but Flora laughs, and Stella gives it a try. She sees a vision of her parents together, and when she looks down she's wearing new ballet slippers. Techna sees herself and Timmy together and laughing, and she's suddenly wearing slippers the color of her outfit. Musa sees the Singing Whales, and Bloom sees her and Sky together.

Flora gets even more depressed that they all got their shoes so easily, and knows she'll have to try now. Now she knows how Bloom felt before she lost her memories - faking being alright when you're so obviously not really sucks!

She walks away, but Bloom saw that coming. "Flora, don't go. We know your sad."

Musa says "And we know why."

Techna adds "But we're your friends."

They get her smiling for the first time all day - and then a bunch of origami surrounds her as she tries to open her heart. Helia apologizes for the whole mess - and they finally make up and Flora gets her shoes.

* * *

Later that day, Aisha gets a call from Tressa and Nereus - that can only mean trouble.

Tritannus sent a massive army of Mutants to the Pillar of Light - they need the Breath of the Ocean to call every Selkie in the Infinite Ocean there to fight to defend it. The Winx are on the way, and Bloom has the feeling this is the last battle before they finish Tritannus and Icy once and for all.

Unfortunately, they can't just hand the Breath of the Ocean over to Tressa and Nereus - they're surrounded, but the Mutants were once their friends and family; two of them _are_ their family!

They have to find a way to get Tressa and Nereus the Breath of the Ocean without destroying the Mutants. Everyone agrees, it's not their fault Tritannus mutated them and is controlling them.

Nobody has any idea how they're going to get to Tressa and Nereus - but they can worry about that when they get there.

Unfortunately, they probably should have worried earlier - Tritannus must have summoned every Mutant he has under his control to the Pillar!

There are hundreds easily, but Bloom gets an idea. "Shields up Winx! We're going to knock our way through!"

It's the only idea any of them have, so they all activate their shields and start pushing their way through the crowd of Mutants. It's not unlike making their way through a crowd of people, they just have no reservations about how hard to push right now.

They make their way to Tressa and Nereus, who are at the Pillar, and Flora hands them the Breath of the Ocean. Tressa uses it to open all the Gates of the Infinite Ocean - and hundreds of Selkies pour out of them. It's their own army, and Bloom takes her own sword out and lights it on fire - an amazing feat, considering she's underwater.

Nereus says "Selkies, defend the Pillar of Light!"

Both sides clash, but Bloom's only interested in two beings in this fight: Icy and Tritannus. She's knocking Mutants out nonstop, but she can't find them.

* * *

As the battle goes on, its clear Tritannus is losing - Mutants keep getting overwhelmed by mass attacks of Selkies, and each of the Winx are holding their own - and Bloom's just a fighting force, none of the Mutants that get near her come out conscious.

Icy and Tritannus are watching as the Fairy of the Dragon Flame decimates their Mutant army searching for them - so she can defeat them and force them to free Daphne, no doubt about it.

Tritannus gets a thought, and says "Wait, we can just use the Sirenix of a fairy who's mastered it!"

Icy doesn't need any time to catch on, and says "Daphne! We already have her Sirenix. We don't even need to thaw her out!"

She starts laughing, but trails off when Bloom lets loose a wave of fire that knocks most of the Mutants out. Then, she turns directly to them and screams _"THAW HER OUT?!"_

Icy says "Uh-oh."

Tritannus asks "We're so dead, right?"

"Yeah, swim for it!"

They take off at breakneck speeds, faster than either of them knew they could go - turns out having Bloom on their tail while this mad is a very good incentive to swim for their lives.

Nereus gets in the way, so Icy yells "Out of the way!" and hits him with a blast of ice to the chest.

He goes down, and they hear Aisha scream in horror. Neither Icy nor Tritannus look back, they can feel the water starting to boil from Bloom's fury.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Icy and Tritannus have just signed their death-warrants right there. if Bloom had any reservations about killing them before, you can bet she just lost them - this certainly explains her mystery-shivering, she and Daphne are closely linked and can feel what the other feels sometimes. PS. Sorry I haven't updated in a while - but I just took my last final and have passed all my classes! So this is a celebratory chapter, hooray! More updates coming soon, especially now that I don't have to worry about huge tests. Enjoy, please keep reading! Any suggestions or feedback welcome and appreciated!**


	255. Freeing Daphne

_**Freeing Daphne**_

Nereus isn't moving no matter what Aisha does to try and wake him up - and she tries everything she can think of. She tries shaking him, pouring some of her magic into him - even slapping his face lightly in desperation.

When she breaks down crying, her Sirenix Guardian appears, summoned by her desire to save Nereus. She's earned her wish for her part in the battle against Tritannus, and for finding her Sirenix Special Spell, and she uses her wish to bring Nereus back to life.

Nobody knows if the wishes start working immediately, or if they take some time to work - Bloom's going to go nuts wondering if that's the case - or if it depends on the wish.

Apparently, Aisha's wish is the kind that works immediately - because Nereus stirs and groans. "Why is it that they keep hitting me there?"

Aisha hugs him hard, then realizes Bloom went after Tritannus and Icy by herself. "Nereus, do you think Tritannus and Icy should get a chance to live?"

"Why? What's happening?"

"It's not what's happening, probably, its what's going to happen. Bloom just went after the two of them like she is going to bring all hell down on them - you heard her scream at them."

"Yeah…'thaw her out?' What's that mean?"

"I think it means Icy and Tritannus don't have long to live. They must have been talking about Daphne."

"Oh…oh no."

The two cousins look at each other, then take off swimming in the direction of the Throne - with Tressa following right behind them. "I go where you two go. Where are we going?"

Aisha says "To calm Bloom down before something really bad happens. Icy and Tritannus went too far, they froze Daphne - and Bloom overheard it."

Aisha told them about how Bloom is impossible to fight most of the time - when she's level-headed and not overflowing with strength, power, and erupting with anger. Tritannus and Icy don't stand a chance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Icy and Tritannus are still swimming at their rapid rate for the Throne. They're hoping that threatening Daphne will force Bloom to surrender - but Icy gets hit with a blast of fire from behind and gets shot feet forward. She lands in a steaming heap on the ocean floor, so Tritannus picks her up and keeps swimming.

"Ooh, what just hit me?"

"One incredibly angry fairy."

Icy makes a wall of ice three feet thick, it only holds for a moment before exploding.

They make it to the throne, maybe five seconds before Bloom catches up with them, so Icy snaps her fingers and unfreezes Daphne. Tritannus opens the cell and picks her up by the throat - and swings her around for Bloom to see.

He moves her to the side, and says "Look how the tables have turned. Not too long ago, you had Icy in a chokehold and said we had to surrender or we'd find out what one of your spells could do at such a close range." He grins nastily, while Icy grins from behind him.

Bloom's vision goes orange, and the next thing she knows, Tritannus has her knife embedded up to the hilt in the elbow connected to the arm that was holding Daphne, she's holding his trident in both hands, Daphne is on the ground, and Icy is nowhere to be seen.

"Argh, Icy! I swear you'll pay for hurting her!" Tritannus is gripping his arm in pain, and Bloom yells "Fire of Sirenix!" she channels the blast into his trident, making it explode as she snaps it in two like a twig.

The last two Mutants, who were on guard duty at Daphne's cell even still - and who were knocked out of the way in Icy and Tritannus's haste - turn back into King Neptune and Queen Ligea. They clear the fuzz out of their heads just in time to hear Tritannus scream as all his strength pours out of him - and Bloom's knife stays the same size as his arm shrinks.

Bloom doesn't feel any pity for him though - to her, he's still a monster, he just doesn't look it. He does, however, look like he went swimming in many paints the color of purple, blue, and deep, angry red - everybody can guess why. She picks him up by the neck and slams him into the throne with one hand, and pulls her knife out with the other.

Nereus, Tressa, and Aisha swim up at the exact moment, and Aisha says "Bloom! Don't!"

Bloom doesn't let him go, but she doesn't plunge the knife with water boiling around it straight into Tritannus's head yet.

Nereus and Tressa swim up and hug their parents, while Aisha swims over to Bloom. "Bloom, don't lose yourself over him!"

"Aisha, we've both wanted him to be stopped all this time - and now you decide he should live?!" Bloom's grip on his throat tightens with her shock and disbelief, but she doesn't seem to notice – everyone else notices the noises coming fromt Tritannus's normal-sized throat though. "You'd better have one spectacular reason why I shouldn't just put him out of our misery right now - especially after everything he's done."

Ligea swims over and sees what Bloom wants to do. "Don't! He's…"

"Your son?" Bloom actually looks compassionately at Ligea, a huge feat considering how angry at Tritannus she is. "No offense Queen Ligea, but Tressa and Nereus are also your kids - and they haven't been trying to destroy the Magical Dimension, and they didn't kidnap Daphne and _torture_ her."

Bloom's look turns angry once again, and the fire on her knife flares brighter - like it knows it's going to get blood, or its reacting to Bloom's anger. Ligea has no answer for this, she's right after all.

King Neptune says "While my son deserves to die after all he has done, all the crimes he has committed…"

They never thought this far ahead, really. None of the discussion at the Councils was about how Tritannus should be punished - now Aisha, Tressa, and Nereus realize Bloom had her own ideas for that ever since Daphne was kidnapped.

Tritannus chokes out "You wouldn't…"

"Kill you? I stabbed Icy, didn't I?"

Aisha asks "When did you stab Icy?"

"At Roccaluce Gorge. The Trix tried to kidnap me - probably to make Daphne tell them what they wanted."

The fire in Bloom's eyes ignites, and so does her body. Tritannus starts clawing at her hand with his good arm - it doesn't do a thing except start his hand cooking as well.

Daphne puts a hand on Bloom's shoulder and says "He's not worth it Bloom. He's nothing more than a spoiled child, all this time. Don't do this over him - let him go to jail and stay there, where he belongs."

The fire on Bloom's skin dies, and she releases Tritannus's neck. "You are one lucky fish-boy. I can't believe this." Bloom turns away from Tritannus and puts her knife back in its sheathe.

Everyone relaxes, until Bloom whirls around suddenly and slams him back into the rock even harder than before. Nereus and Tressa move to swim forward, but Aisha stops them - she's pretty sure she knows what Bloom's doing.

"I'm only going to say this once Tritannus. You get to keep your life only because my sister is a better person than I am. But, if you so much as look at her wrong, nobody in this entire universe will be able to keep me away from you - get it? You lay one finger on Daphne ever again, I will kill you. And this is the only warning you'll ever get, next time you'll just get my knife between your eyes." She lets him go abruptly, and swims over to Daphne to get a better look at the Throne. Daphne whispers "Thank you Bloom."

Aisha, Nereus and Tressa are tying Tritannus up, not being too careful about his ruined arm and battered body either. Bloom's knife did a lot of damage when she put it in his elbow, however she did it, but it got a hundred times worse when his arm shrunk down to its current size. And, it was his Trident-arm that was holding Daphne up - he's pretty much screwed. His arm is bleeding - but he probably won't bleed out right this instant, and the bruises just hurt with every single movment he makes including breathing and existing.

Bloom looks up at the Throne and asks "Daph? Has anyone ever tried something like this before?"

"A few times, but they never succeeded. Its why the legs of the Throne were broken in the first place."

"How'd they do that? Nobody should have the kind of power in that chair, Daphne."

"It took an immense amount of power - and a group of people to pool their strength together to make that power, and they nearly died Bloom." Daphne looks over at Bloom and sees what she's thinking. "Bloom, no, you can't be thinking what I think you're thinking."

Bloom looks over at her sister, who sees exactly what she was afraid of: determination in spades.

"Bloom, if you destroy the Throne…"

"Then nobody can ever try something like this again. At the very least, I have to get the Seals out of the Throne, Daphne."

Daphne knows there's no changing Bloom's mind, not on something this important to her. Bloom takes the Seals out of the Throne legs, and the Throne tries to drain her like it did Tritannus so many times - she makes a shield and blocks the attacks. She destroys the seals as well, making it impossible for anyone to activate the Throne - ever. She decides to leave the Throne intact for now - it can always be destroyed later if she decides to.

Tritannus gets mad because Bloom still seems full of strength and power while he could do nothing when the Throne drained him. Everybody is staring at Bloom in shock, and a bit of awe, and nobody is watching Tritannus. He takes the chance and lunges at her from behind her back - and Bloom reacts, jamming her knife into his chest up to the hilt.

It went right to his heart, and the blood spurts out in an explosion when she takes the knife out. Nereus and Tressa look horrified, Ligea and Neptune look shocked and resigned, Bloom looks like she was expecting that to happen eventually - someone to startle her from behind and get stabbed fatally. She's just glad it was Tritannus and not someone going about their business or doing their job - a department store worker for example.

Aisha says "Ok, that happened…"

Tressa says "You said…"

"I said I wouldn't kill him right then. I didn't tell him to be an idiot and rush me from behind."

Neptune says "Enough. Tritannus met his end by his own choice. We cannot change the past, but we can accept it. Bloom, thank you again for freeing us from Tritannus's control."

"Not a problem, King Neptune. Thank you for not getting mad about what just happened."

They nod in understanding, and then the rest of the Winx arrive.

Stella asks "What happened here?"

Aisha says "You know how Bloom always said one day someone would startle her from behind and get stabbed to death before she could stop herself?"

"Yeah…"

"He rushed her from behind. Guess what happened."

"Oh…wow. Didn't he know that would happen?"

"He had to, Bloom said if he so much as glared at Daphne he'd die."

They all look at Tritannus's body, then at Bloom - who's floating next to Daphne. She looks at them and shrugs - she said it would happen eventually, they can all tell she's just relieved it didn't happen to someone who didn't do anything to deserve it.

In all truth, Tritannus likely would have received a death sentence anyway - or he'd have been banished from the Magical Dimension to Oblivion. Before he died though, he said he was sorry he hadn't crushed them all when he had the chance - which, ironically, makes his death a bit easier for Ligea and Tressa to bear. Nereus had resigned himself to the fact already that he'd lose his twin, that he's already lost his twin, but Ligea and Tressa still cared for him a bit.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, that is why you don't push Bloom past the edge of all self-control - she will go ballistic on you! And for someone who's part-dragon, going ballistic has a lot more painful consequences that most people - Tritannus and Icy clearly have no survival instinct at all. I know everyone was likely itching for a huge fight scene between one extraordinarily pissed-off Bloom and the people that got her so angry, but I kind of figured I couldn't write it down and keep it rated T - rest assured, Icy got a good beating as well, her ancestors and the great-grandkids she'll never have will feel that for all time! Now would be about the right time to grow some survival instinct right about now, seeing as Bloom would likely flip out on her again. Hope you enjoyed Tritannus finally getting beaten for good and Bloom getting Daphne free - I know Bloom is going to enjoy sleeping for the first time in months. More updates coming soon, enjoy!**


	256. Magic of Tonight

_**Magic of Tonight**_

Icy's swimming away from the throne, but she has no idea where to go.

Bloom went ballistic when Tritannus held up Daphne. She propelled her knife into his elbow faster than she could track, he screamed and dropped Daphne, then she practically went feral on the two of them, and the two Mutants that turned out to be Neptune and Ligea too far away to stop Bloom - and then she summoned Tritannus's trident and used her spell to help destroy it.

By the time Icy came to, Tritannus was beaten already, and Bloom was about to kill him - she heard him yell about her being hurt, but had been put through a rock formation and didn't see a thing.

She's black and blue now, covered in scratches that should be called gashes, burn marks, and moving hurts like hell. Suddenly, she hears two familiar voices - voices she thought she'd never hear again.

"Ugh, sister, I think we're lost."

"Gee Darcy, I'd never guess. At least we're away from the future Emperor and Empress - ugh, gag me still."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Icy swims forward desperately, needing something familiar. "Darcy! Stormy!"

Her sisters appear, looking shocked and offended. Darcy says "Oh look, lose another fight to the Winx, future Empress?"

"Not just lost a fight, lost everything!" Both girls lose their offended and disgusted expressions in favor of shock.

Stormy asks "What do you mean everything?"

"Daphne lost her cool a few days ago, after we went to the Pillar of Control and discovered the Winx had destroyed the Seal already. I froze her, and-"

Darcy interrupts her right there, incredulously asking "Wait, you froze Daphne?"

"Yeah. Turns out Daphne can lose her temper like Bloom can - Bloom just loses it a lot quicker and bigger than Daphne."

Stormy says "Ok, go on. What happened next?"

"During the fight at the Pillar of light, Tritannus realized we only needed the Sirenix Powers of a fairy who'd mastered them - and we had Daphne already. I said we didn't even need to thaw her out to activate the Throne - and Bloom heard me!" Darcy and Stormy's jaws both drop, they're wondering exactly how Icy is alive. "We swam as fast as we could to the Throne, and Bloom was right on our tails - literally! I tried to slow her down - the ice walls never lasted a moment longer than Bloom got to them. I unfroze Daphne and Tritannus tried to use her to make Bloom give up - and then…she went ballistic! She let out this massive scream of rage…and…and…"

They can guess how the story ends: Tritannus is dead, Daphne is free - and Bloom may or may not be looking for them. If that's the case, they need to get as far away as possible before she shows up - from Icy's story, she's angrier than they've ever gotten her before.

Icy gets an idea though, and says "If we can't beat the Winx ourselves…Tritannus told me about a creature that might just get the job done. It's called the Beast of the Depths, and it's the one creature in the entire Magical Dimension stronger than the Dragon Flame."

Darcy and Stormy look at one another, trying to decide if the risks of getting Bloom angrier at them are more or less than the idea that they could destroy her - knowing Bloom, she'd find a way to kill the Beast herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, with the Winx, Daphne, and Aisha's extended family, Bloom earns her Sirenix wish for stopping Tritannus.

She wishes for the Sirenix Curse to be broken and its legacy to be ended forever. They all instantly know it works when Daphne starts glowing brightly, and her transparency seems to blow away - she's got her body again!

Bloom immediately rushes forward and wraps Daphne in a giant hug. "Bloom! Thank you! I can't believe it, after all this time…I need to breathe again. Bloom, you're a little tight, you know."

Bloom loosens her grip on Daphne somewhat, but doesn't let her go - nobody is convincing her of that for a long while, if ever.

* * *

That night, on Andros, everybody is celebrating. A bunch of students from Alfea came, including Roxy and the girls who are currently in the Winx's old room when they were attending as students, and all the royals from the Councils. Loki and Thor are watching as well - glad to see Bloom seems far more relaxed than they've seen in weeks.

The Winx appear on a stage that rises up from the water - and they're all in their party outfits. They play the song Bloom and Musa wrote specially for this occasion. It's called 'Magic of Tonight' and the crowd goes wild when the stage floats up.

"Hello Andros. I'd like to thank everyone for all the support and help they've given us!" The crowd cheers, and Bloom continues "And I'd like to give a special thanks, and all my love, to my family!"

She feels a thousand times lighter than she has the past few weeks, she's been worrying so much it was like an actual weight on her. They start playing, and the crowd instantly loves the song.

 _The party's on, it all comes down to this, we're better together._

 _The dark is gone, let's seal it with a kiss, and send it to never like a fairytale that never ends._

 _We'll let this dance begin._

 _Close your eyes, let's sail into the fun, a whole new adventure._

 _Each and every you and I are one._

 _One hundred percent sure, once again united 'round the globe - let's all let it go._

 _The fear's undone, we won the fight so everybody raise your hands sky high like your hearts have never heard of sorrow._

 _Finally the stars are all alive._

 _We can dance 'til dawn, 'cause you and I know It's a whole new day tomorrow, Starting with the magic of tonight._

 _Fireworks explode into the air, the trouble's behind us._

 _Dancin' party, Planets everywhere._

 _The music reminds us all these worlds are one big family, in it together celebrate with me!_

 _Everybody raise your hands sky high, like your hearts have never heard of sorrow._

 _Finally the stars are all alive._

 _We can dance 'til dawn 'cause you and I know it's a whole new day tomorrow - startin' with the magic of tonight!_

At the last line, Bloom teleports herself over to Daphne and hugs her again, and then Oritel and Marion hug the both of them - in all their years in Obsidian, they never thought they'd get even one of their daughters back, much less both.

When they finally let go, Bloom starts pulling Daphne around in a circle.

They dance like that until the party's over - except for a few minutes when Sky pulls Bloom away and congratulates her. "Congratulations Bloom, you've earned this."

They kiss, until Riven comes around the corner and interrupts them. It's a total accident, but Bloom tries to get her face to turn back to its normal color and goes back to find Daphne.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Icy and Tritannus got beaten up amazingly badly considering how short of a time Bloom went ballistic on them - it was only for a minute or two, but Icy got put through a rock formation and knocked out, she and Tritannus got beaten black and blue and every color in between, and Tritannus got Bloom's knife embedded in his elbow - lesson learned, don't ever set Bloom off like that again. It really won't end well for whoever was a big enough idiot to make her blow a gasket like that. Anyway, more updates coming soon, hope you all enjoy the story! Think the Trix are ever going to grow some brains between the three of them at some point? Read on and find out - more updates coming soon!**


	257. Adjusting

_**Adjusting**_

The day after the party on Andros, Bloom wakes up on Domino - incredibly happy, for once, to be there. It's almost time for Summer Break to start for Alfea's students, another week or so.

Bloom had a weird nightmare, the same one she used to get but a little different, and it woke her up suddenly. In the end, Daphne was taken from her, and no matter how hard Bloom tried to change the ending it ended with Bloom trying and failing to save Daphne.

When she woke, it was a simple matter to sense Daphne's own spark of the Dragon Flame in the castle. It was pulsing in time with her heartbeat, like Marion's does and like her own likely does as well. Once she calmed her racing heart and reassured herself that Daphne was alive, Domino was not being attacked, and it was all just a dream she was worried about, Bloom closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

That morning, Bloom goes to breakfast and is immensely relieved to see Daphne nearly there as well - until she walks into the door and lands on her butt!

Bloom helps Daphne to her feet, saying she'll get used to being corporeal soon - it's only the next day after all.

It's a four-person table, and now all the seats are taken for a change. Marion talks about the party she and Oritel are planning to celebrate Daphne getting her body back, but Daphne freaks and runs out of the room. She trips three times and bangs herself against the door - then bangs on it to open it.

Bloom says "I think I know what's wrong. I'll go talk to Daph." She teleports over to the door and follows Daphne out to a balcony. "Daphne?"

Daphne's shaking and trying not to break down completely when Bloom walks over. "I didn't think it would be this hard. Living, pretending everything's normal."

Bloom doesn't say anything, knowing, or at least having a good idea of, what she's talking about. Daphne goes on, saying "I was incorporeal for nearly two decades Bloom, and now I'm supposed to be perfectly normal in a body again. And its…"

"I know Daph, or I have an idea anyway. I felt much the same way after waking up back in Alfea after Diaspro poisoned me on Pyros. Everybody expected me to be completely normal after what happened, but I couldn't just snap my fingers and be alright." Bloom carefully moves so Daphne can see her and hugs her older sister gently.

After a moment, Daphne hugs her back, taking ragged breaths into her shoulder. "Bloom, how'd you do it? You seem completely normal after what happened to you under Cloudtower. Between being imprisoned by Tritannus and having to adjust to being corporeal…"

Bloom lets Daphne hug her until she lets go, then says "I never remembered whatever happened to me under Cloudtower, Daphne. I gained my memories back when I got us the Gem of Courage, but that part never returned. The way my memories go: Valtor knocked me out, then I got a vision from you telling me to find my dragon and I woke up with Buddy staring at me on Pyros."

Daphne looks at Bloom for a moment, then hugs her hard again. "Bloom, I can't do this. I'm not you, I can't put up an illusion of being alright for the world."

"Daphne, you'll get used to being corporeal. As for what happened to you under the Throne, and in Tritannus and the Trix's hideout, if anybody tries to take you, they'll get the business end of my sword at their throats instead."

Daphne takes a deep breath and says "You didn't change that much, did you?"

"No, this blunt threatening of anyone trying to take someone I care about is something from Pyros and growing up learning to fight in Asgard. They don't spare any thought for someone trying to harm a loved one, and neither do I. Nobody's going to take you away from me again, Daphne. That's a promise."

Daphne takes one last breath before pushing herself off Bloom's frame. "Thanks Bloom, you're the best sister ever."

"That's what Loki and Thor say…oh! You still have to meet them!" Bloom grins, and Daphne smiles in spite of herself.

"You told me all about them. Thor's not arrogant anymore, and Loki's back to being quiet and caring in his own way."

"Daph, me telling you about our brothers-by-adoption and you meeting them are two different things!"

Daphne laughs and says "I guess that's true. Let's go back inside." She turns around and immediately trips on her long scarf - good thing Bloom catches her before she can fall face-first.

"Jeez Daph, you're as bad as I was growing up!" They both start laughing, and Bloom helps Daphne back to her feet.

Suddenly, Bloom hears something and looks out at the horizon - the Winx and the Specialists are here! Bloom starts waving her hands, then gets an idea and sends up a ball of fire to signal them. She can tell which rider is Sky, the one that waves back at her and speeds up. Bloom teleports them down to the steps below and the ship and Windriders land a minute later.

Bloom takes the stairs two at a time, doing a flip that puts her in a handstand for two of them and runs over to greet Sky. She jumps into his arms, spinning them both around - but Daphne takes the worst spill Bloom has ever seen just before the two of them kiss when she goes down the stairs.

She immediately loses her balance, then steps on Timmy's shoe, somehow wraps Brandon in his cape, and hits Helia in the stomach by accident before falling to the ground. Bloom and Sky look at one another, and Bloom immediately teleports over to her sister.

Bloom helps Daphne back up, saying "Don't worry Daphne, you'll-"

"I know, I know. I'll get used to being corporeal soon."

* * *

When they get in the palace, the party is setting itself up. Instruments are flying out and setting themselves up, food is flying out onto tables, and decorations are setting themselves up.

Stella says "Wow, your parents are really going all out for your welcome-back party."

Bloom says "Yeah, there'll be dancing and we'll sing a few songs, and people will be everywhere!" She doesn't sound overjoyed about the last bit, but the first two make it worth the crush of people - especially since she'll likely get to steal a dance with Sky.

Musa and Stella share a grin and say "Really? Last we knew, you weren't big on parties, Bloom."

Stella adds "Finally, we can drag you to a store and get you a party dress if I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing!"

Bloom says "Contrary to what I did on Earth, I happen to like a party, even if it's not exactly my scene - I do not, however, like getting kidnapped from a party or having my heart broken in one."

Sky groans, expecting a reminder of the Millennium Disaster, as he refers to it now, but Bloom simply says "But I seriously doubt either of those things will happen since Diaspro won't show her face anywhere near Domino after she was humiliated in front of everyone." They all laugh, remembering how Diaspro got herself removed from her post.

Daphne, on the other hand, says "People? Dancing? Music?" She tries to walk forward, but Stella is standing on the edge of her scarf.

Bloom can tell Daphne's on the edge of a panic attack - she's been there far too many times to count over the past few years, until she lost her memories - and falls straight into all the girls. Everyone grabs onto Bloom, who's holding Daphne up - she has the best sense of balance ever since Pyros, she kept herself upright during an earthquake after all. Stella says "You know, that 90's muffler has got to go! You need a makeover."

In Daphne's room, Flora, Aisha, Musa, and Techna are sitting on Daphne's bed while Stella and Bloom stand with Daphne between them. Stella says "Time to meet the new you!"

Daphne takes the edge of her scarf out of Stella's hands and says "But I like the old me."

Flora says "Don't try to fight it, you won't win."

Techna adds "Yeah, just ask Bloom. It never ended well."

Daphne looks over at Bloom for help. Bloom says "It's true, I tried and it always ended up going Stella's way - after a few hours of her insisting, but still."

Aisha starts trying to teach Daphne how to dance, Bloom took a while to get the idea: move your body in whatever way feels right for the music, try not to crash into someone else.

Daphne starts getting the hang of it, until Stella says she needs a whole new look, because her current one is apparently too dreary.

Techna hands Daphne her new phone, with all their numbers programmed in already and the internet enabled. Its magic-compatible as well, so a fight with the Trix or something like that won't fry it.

Techna pushes her back into the dance lesson with Stella, Bloom, and Aisha, and Stella has just come up with a new outfit for Daphne. It looks amazing, and now it's time for the party to start.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah I can totally understand having some problems with being physical after not having a body for over a decade - balance, walking into stuff, etc. As for Daphne herself, think of her as a more patient, mellow version of Bloom - not as fast to anger, and with the patience to talk a situation down instead of knocking the opposite party out if diplomacy is an option. She's the former Holder of the Dragon Flame, so she's still got a connection to it - making her nearly as strong, if not every bit as strong, as Bloom is in magic. She's not nearly as much of a fighter as Bloom is - different upbringing, a lot less exposure to weapons, etc. - but she has her own strengths. Give her some time to adjust to having a body again - which, by the way, must feel incredibly heavy and clumsy, as the only way I can describe it, compared to being a spirit that can go through walls and such - before jumping to conclusions, please! To all my reviewers, suggestions are much appreciated and helpful, not asking you to stop or saying I'm not listening- I am listening, promise. Enjoy! More updates coming soon, not abandoning the story!**


	258. Party Attacked

_**Party Attacked**_

When the rest of the Winx get out, they find there's a huge crowd waiting - but they get spots in the front with the Specialists.

Oritel and Marion come out first, and then Bloom and Daphne walk out after them. Bloom had the option of going with the Winx or staying with Daphne, she opted to stay with Daphne.

Truth be told, Bloom's been just a little twitchy about letting Daphne out of her sight for more than a few minutes - paranoia from Daphne's recent kidnapping, it'll fade with some time. Until then, Daphne's just going to have to accept the fact that Bloom's going to be a little clingy for a bit. She knows how clingy Bloom got about Ember and her friends - and especially Sky, even though she tried to put some distance between them to protect him - so it's not like this is completely unexpected.

When Daphne and Bloom walk out, everybody starts cheering. The outfit Stella made for her is a sea-green dress the color of her scarf and her hair is pulled up. All in all, she looks fantastic, and Bloom guesses she's going to have to get her fighting staff ready to beat some princes off Daphne.

Daphne tells everybody that she is ecstatic to be back and can't wait to get to know everyone. People start coming forward, making Bloom tense up for a moment before relaxing when they simply welcome Daphne back.

Daphne's just thanking a boy that's maybe six or eight years old, when a shadow falls over all of them - it's the Trix!

Daphne gasps and Bloom mutters "And today was going so great…"

Her hands burst into flames, as Icy says "Well Daphne, it looks like a party. And you didn't invite us!"

Bloom mutters "That's because you three aren't welcome."

Icy continues, as Bloom steps in front of Daphne, "And we brought you a gift!"

A giant brown creature with tentacles and limbs the thickness of trees clambers over the wall around the palace, and Marion yells "Quick! Into the palace!"

Icy says "Beast, get Daphne. And feel free to eat Bloom and her pesky dragon."

That sets Bloom off, and she looks over at Ember, who's with Sky. Ember glides over and Bloom says "Daphne, get inside. Seems the party is going to have an extra item on the menu."

Daphne blanches, and says "You can't be serious."

"They want you, they have to go through me, Daph. And ask the last guy who tried that, it didn't end well for him."

Ember thrums in agreement, and breathes a hole in the air with a fireball. She flies through it while Bloom transforms and takes her sword out. Ember grows to her full size and starts fighting the creature, while Bloom helps and the rest of the Winx distract the Trix while everybody gets in the palace.

Daphne wants to help, but she hasn't regained her powers yet - Bloom says she still has them, the same way she still had hers when the Trix stole a piece of the Dragon Flame from her. Daphne can't make herself believe - now she sees how much trust Bloom had, still has, in her.

* * *

Once all the people are safely in the castle, and Oritel and Marion pulled Daphne inside when it was clear she had frozen during the fight, Bloom stops fighting the creature after the rest of the Winx try to help and it's still coming.

Icy says "Well, that didn't work, did it Winx?"

Bloom says "Alright, new plan: kill you three, see if that breaks your hold on it and it leaves."

All three witches stare at her, and they can see she's completely serious. They seriously underestimated how far Bloom would go to protect Daphne.

The Specialists are fighting as well, but all of them together can't beat this thing. Bloom is shielding everyone from behind, keeping Stormy at bay. The witch tries to shoot lightning, but Bloom reflects it back at her with her sword.

Everyone gets inside, and Sky has to drag Bloom away from the creature - she can't win, it's supposed to be impossible, but Bloom's done the impossible before. When the creature tries to get inside, Bloom slashes a good four inches off the tentacle and lets loose a wave of fire from her sword that knocks the creature about ten feet away from the door.

Bloom lets out a high-pitched whistle, and Ember roars in answer before shrinking down and escaping back into the palace where Bloom is. The creature has about ten new slashes that are freely bleeding, and many bite and claw marks all over its body, evidence of its fight with Bloom and Ember.

Darcy says "Well, that didn't exactly go as planned."

Stormy groans as she floats back up with her sisters, and says "No kidding, I think I'm seeing double. Darcy, if your making illusions of the both of you, please quit it."

Icy says "Well, at least Bloom had to retreat. Even if her prince Charming had to drag her away for it to happen."

* * *

As soon as Bloom is behind the doors, Brandon and Riven close them. After a moment of glaring at the doors, Bloom sheaths her sword and starts looking for Daphne - she's practically pushing her way through the crowd to find her sister. "Daphne? Daphne!"

Marion waves Bloom over, and Daphne's just looking at the floor in shame. She didn't help fight, she didn't do anything - she just froze!

Bloom immediately hugs Daphne, not caring about what happened and didn't happen. Daphne didn't help fight, but she also didn't get killed in the fight - and the second part is all that matters to Bloom.

When Daphne tells them the creature outside is called the Beast of the Depths, none of the Winx have any idea what that means. She also tells them it can't be beaten, only controlled.

Stella says "Alright, lets control it then!"

Bloom has a feeling, from the way Daphne's crying, that it isn't so easy as that. Oritel walks up and says "Only one person can control the Beast of the Depths."

Daphne says "The Nymph of Domino - me. But…I can't! I lost my powers, I can't do anything!"

She runs over to Marion and hugs her despairingly, while Bloom goes over and starts talking to her quietly. "Daph, remember what you told me when the Trix took a piece of my powers? You said I still had them, I just had to have confidence in myself."

Daphne keeps sobbing, and Bloom sighs. She can try her hand at comforting people, but it's really not her strong suit after Pyros - especially when there's a giant threat looming directly outside the doors, that gets her twitchy to stop it and end the danger.

When its clear Bloom isn't going to be able to calm Daphne down, Sky pulls her away by the wrist. He whispers "Bloom, if Daphne thinks she's lost her powers, get her to think she gained them back."

"Sky, how?"

Sky has no answer for that, but the Winx know six beings who might. They call on their Sirenix Guardians, asking for advice on how to restore Daphne's confidence in her powers. The Guardians tell them the only way for Daphne to regain confidence in her powers is the Inspiration of Sirenix - which they need to look for at the source.

Techna thinks it must be Lake Roccaluce, where they first got Sirenix. It makes sense, the Source of Sirenix and all.

Bloom thiks for a moment, then says "Alright, I'll distract the Beast of the Depths while the rest of you fly out - I'll catch up once you're out of its reach."

Ember thrums, but Boom says "Ember, stay here with everyone. If the Beast breaks in, try to kill it until we get back." Ember thrums again, then grows to her full size.

 _Protect Daphne, Ember. Please, I can't lose her again - or Sky._

Ember sends her a feeling of confidence, her way of saying she will. Bloom hugs Daphne, then Sky - then all of them take off flying towards Magix City.

Bloom distracts the Beast of the Depths thoroughly, jamming her knife into one of its tentacles up to the hilt and dragging it along.

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy are wondering what the Beast is screaming about - until they see Bloom flying off with a knife dripping red in her hand, and one four-foot-long gouge in its tentacle. The Trix follow them, knowing its not like any of them - especially Bloom - to run from a fight of any kind.

They get to Lake Roccaluce with no problem, finding the Inspiration of Sirenix is another matter. There's no artifact or spell they can see in the cave containing the Source of Sirenix - but they figure it out when the rest of them try to cheer Bloom up and start glowing. They already have the Inspiration of Sirenix, they just have to inspire Daphne.

As the Winx swim out of the cave, the Trix show up and start a fight - saying the Winx are the ones who need help.

Bloom asks "Oh really? We need help? There's six of us, and three of you - and I should snap your necks for kidnapping Daphne, all you did to her during that time, and now ruining her welcome-back party."

All three witches look nervous at that, but they attack first to try and get the drop on the fairies. The Winx all dodge the blasts, then do a Sirenix Convergence on the witches - knocking them out.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Domino, the Beast of the Depths is still attacking the palace doors - but it isn't getting in any time soon.

Ember is sitting on the other side of them, using her size and weight as a barrier - it made everyone crack up when she sat down contentedly in front of the doors. Nobody can deny the brilliance of the plan, or Ember's intelligence.

Suddenly, Marion realizes Daphne's missing - and Sky immediately looks around to find her. Bloom will be absolutely devastated if Daphne gets killed not even a full day after she got her body back - but self-sacrifice seems to run in her family.

Daphne's in her room, getting her nerve up to let the Beast of the Depths take her so everyone else will be safe. Just as she runs out onto the balcony, the Winx fly up and Bloom immediately sees what's happening.

Daphne yells "Bloom, stay back, you'll get hurt!"

"What about you?!"

"Let the Beast take me Bloom!"

 _"No way in all of creation, Daphne! You are not letting yourself die a single day after I freed you and broke the curse on you!"_ Bloom pauses to get a breath in and keep yelling at her sister, when suddenly the Beast lunges at Daphne. Bloom takes her sword out and slices the tentacle off. Once the Beast backs off to avoid losing any more appendages, Bloom lands in front of Daphne.

First, Bloom hugs Daphne.

Then, she smacks Daphne hard on the back of the head and shakes her. "Don't you ever try something that ridiculously dangerous again Daphne! I'm not losing you ever again, you hear me?! Never, and especially not to some slimy creature the Trix dredged up out of who knows where!" After that full breath spent yelling at Daphne, Bloom hugs Daphne again hard enough to cut off her air supply.

Daphne doesn't get offended, she knows Bloom expresses her more extreme worry like this - hitting the person who worried her, then yelling at them harshly enough that they won't worry her like that again; but only if she cares about them a lot.

The Winx activate the Inspiration of Sirenix, and all of them, Daphne included, start glowing golden yellow.

The Beast of the Depths decides it's had enough of Bloom slicing off its tentacles - and swipes at all of them with one of its remaining ones. It takes Bloom up in its tentacle, and it manages to restrain her arms as well - and doesn't let go, despite the smoke that instantly starts curling off its flesh.

Daphne starts glowing purple, and transforms into her Sirenix form. It's almost identical to Bloom's except for a different color scheme. Daphne commands the Beast to release Bloom, and then return to the Depths and never bother them again - it obeys.

Bloom hugs Daphne gratefully, then suddenly they hear the door open and everyone comes pouring out. They're all cheering, and everyone's glad to get out of the palace. Bloom hugs Daphne so fast they both spin a few feet through the air, and then the party is back on.

* * *

 **AN: This would be why you don't get Bloom that scared for you - she will yell, smack you over the head, and crush all the air out of your lungs. Not in that specific order, and she may or may not leave out the crush-the-air-out-of-your-lungs part depending on who it is. Sorry I haven't been updating much on this story, but don't worry, it's still going strong! Promise! Please review, feedback is appreciated. And as for the smoke that started up, Bloom can superheat her body when she wants - if anyone's forgotten that - she just didn't do it to Duman back in Gardenia Park. Part of having fire powers, nothing huge or hard to do - especially when you have Bloom's active imagination for magic.**


	259. Media Swarms

_**Media Swarms**_

About a week after Daphne's party, Bloom still hasn't let Daphne out of her sight any more than absolutely necessary. Her attempt at sacrificing herself to keep everyone else safe did not go over well with Marion and Oritel either, but Bloom is being more than a little clingy right now - something to do with the fact that she nearly lost her sister not 24 hours after breaking the curse on her.

Bloom took Daphne out on Ember, going for a ride faster than even her Speedix wings could go. Daphne had to beg her to stop the flight, fortunately they were near the palace by then. She could see Bloom was loving it though, and so was Ember - they're both speed demons, apparently.

Almost as soon as they landed, the two princesses were summoned for an interview - like the reporters mobbed at the front gates weren't enough.

The day after the party to welcome Daphne back, Bloom told them at breakfast there was a mob of people at the front gates. When they went to investigate, she was right - it was a mob of reporters wanting interviews. They are being kept out of the palace itself, thanks to the guards, which means it's a good thing the courtyard is big enough for Ember to land in.

Bloom doesn't know why they held off until two days after Daphne returned - at least they weren't in the way of the Beast of the Depths though. But now, they are in the way of everything from breakfast to time with Daphne. And they're swarming both princesses, and asking the most ridiculous questions doing it.

One person asked who is going to be Crown Princess, Daphne said that decision hadn't been made.

Another asked how Daphne's experience as a spirit and Bloom's growing up with no knowledge of her powers or heritage would affect how the kingdoms they eventually rule will be run. Bloom said they'll find that out when they are on thrones - and then one reporter asked if meat weakened Bloom's powers, which earned him a very confused look from both princesses and silence.

The first time Bloom and Sky left the palace riding Peg, Bloom's horse, they literally had to fight their way through the massive crowd of media reporters to get back to the gates afterward - plenty of them discovered Bloom's elbows are very sharp and she has no problems using them to get through a crowd.

* * *

When Bloom and Daphne get into the room with their parents, there's only about eight reporters present. Only one of them has a camera though, the rest have notepads.

The questions are, surprisingly, a lot smarter than most of what they've heard. Nobody asks if certain foods weaken one of the princesses' powers - seriously, what? - and it seems like the reporters are actually thinking about their questions before they ask them. That is, until the reporter with the camera asks what Bloom might do if Princess Daphne gets the throne now instead of Bloom.

The entire room goes silent, waiting for a response. Bloom hotly asks "What?"

The reporter is getting a glare of death from Bloom, and swallows nervously as she continues. "Are you suggesting I might, oh I don't know, do what Tritannus did and try to kill my sister?"

All the other reporters back away from the man, they can tell he seriously screwed up. Daphne tries to put a hand on Bloom's arm before she does something rash, Bloom teleports forward a moment later. Oritel is glaring at the reporter, but he can't match Bloom's. Marion and Daphne are looking at Bloom worriedly, and not without some sympathy, but she's on a roll now and they know she's got no problem giving someone a piece of her mind.

"If you seriously think I've spent the last five years looking for a way to give my sister her body back, only to try to kill her over a throne, of all things, then you have another thing coming!" She snatches the first thing connected to the reporter - who'd only heard stories of her famous temper until now - and crushes it with one hand. Pieces of the camera fly everywhere, but Bloom hardly even tried.

She grits out "Interview's done." and teleports over to the door before anyone can say another word. The doors open by themselves, and Bloom angrily stalks out as they slam shut with her on the other side of them.

Daphne coldly says "My sister loves me, she'd do anything to protect me. She told me herself she wants me to have the Throne of Domino."

Marion says "That question was not only extremely poorly-thought out, given the circumstances of the last coronation it was completely inappropriate. Bloom freed Daphne and restored her body - do you honestly believe she'd do all that if she wanted to make sure she had Domino's throne?"

They can all see her point, and Oritel says "Princess Bloom was right, this interview's over."

Daphne tells Marion "I'll talk Bloom down. She's still in the palace, I'll find her." Daphne runs out of the room, wishing she was wearing a riding outfit like Bloom was instead of a formal dress. Bloom's riding outfit has boots, Daphne's in heels - not ideal for running.

* * *

When she catches up with Bloom, she's in her room with Ember - lying on the bed and glaring up angrily at the ceiling. Nevertheless, she's rubbing Ember's neck, and getting mass amounts of thrums from the blissed-out dragon.

Daphne walks over and sits beside Bloom, and Bloom says "I can't stand reporters."

"Bloom, he just didn't think his question through."

"What would I do if you got the throne instead? Seriously, why would I go through all the effort to bring you back if I wanted a sure shot at the throne?"

Bloom has a point, and Daphne doesn't say anything as Bloom vents. "I want you to have the freaking throne, Daph. I told you as much, and I'll tell mom and dad to give it to you if they try to make me crown princess. But honestly, even if I wanted the throne as much as Tritannus wanted the one he might have had, why the freak would I tell someone I was planning on killing you if I didn't get it? Besides, unless SKy pops up with a relative close enough to his age, it's a pretty sure bet we're ruling Eraklyon when we get married and Erendor and Samara step down."

Daphne nods, that part was extremely poorly thought out. Anybody with half a brain would lie through their teeth to cover up plans to murder a sibling to get the throne.

"Honestly, do reporters have any brains whatsoever? That guy obviously didn't."

Daphne says "Well, he had enough brains to be scared, Bloom. From what Dad's told me, your temper is not exactly a secret. You don't have much patience for stupid questions."

"I don't have the patience to sit around talking about a problem instead of doing something about it - I swear, I was going crazy during the war councils. King Erendor and King Cryos refused to see that Tritannus threatened all of them instead of just one of them."

Bloom makes a noise of disgust and impatience in the back of her throat, and Daphne chuckles quietly. "Well, guess I'm a mellower version of you then. I don't blow up quite as explosively as you do Bloom."

"Well, look at it this way Daph. You can handle the situations where diplomacy is the answer, I'll take the ones where violence happens no matter what you try. Deal?"

Daphne's chuckling turns to laughter, Bloom's right after all. Bloom says "Tell you what, Daph. When you get named Crown Princess of Domino, I'll be your bodyguard for the whole thing. Anybody that tried to hurt you will get my knife instead - and not the hilt either."

Daphne knows Bloom's serious about that - she does not take threats to her family lightly, and she doesn't stop until she's sure they're stopped. Usually, that means killing the person threatening her family.

Suddenly, Bloom says "Let's get out of here, Daph. I really don't feel like being spied on by reporters anymore for a while."

Daphne has to agree, they've taken to putting their clothes on with magic after discovering flying cameras outside a window. And as for bathing, Bloom turns invisible and Daphne shuts all access to her room and closes all the curtains. All the media is getting beyond old, it's getting ridiculous really.

Both can only imagine that it will be worse than even for a while since the disastrous end to the interview - unknown to them, Oritel and Marion set it up with the agreement that the reporters would back off and stop swarming members of the royal family afterward.

Bloom teleports the three of them to Lake Roccaluce, planning on not coming back for a few hours until she's metaphorically and literally cooled off.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I can absolutely imagine there being a mess of reporters swarming to the resurrected princess - and, I can also imagine them asking a multitude of extremely stupid questions. And given Bloom's lack of patience for idiotic comments and such, that would get old much faster than for the average person. Of course, she's been attacked so many times that she has learned to pick up on things fast and accurately - so stupid questions don't really fit in there. Add in an Asgardian childhood, and being part-dragon and living on Pyros, and it all comes out to equal no patience whatsoever for too many not-thought out questions - especially when it's something like what her reaction would be to being denied the throne of her birth planet, which she still doesn't want. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming out soon! Also, if any readers are interested, found an interesting series of boards on Pinterest, under Tammy Pelkey - my life is so boring sometimes! If I'm not writing a new chapter, I'm either playing a computer game or looking on Social media for ideas for stuff - kind of depressing, when you think about it like that, I know. I don't care though. :)**


	260. Unexpected News

_**Unexpected News**_

When Roxy gets to Lake Roccaluce, she finds Bloom and Daphne swimming in the water with Ember watching from the bank. "Bloom! Daphne! What are you two doing here? I thought you'd be on-"

Bloom finishes "Domino. We were, until about two minutes ago."

"What happened?"

Bloom glares up at the sky and says "Reporters are morons. And assholes. Be very glad you don't have to deal with them, Roxy."

"Uh-oh. What happened? You only insult people when they get you angry."

Daphne says "In the interview we were in, one of them asked a poorly-phrased question."

Bloom explodes "He asked if I would attempt to kill you if you got the throne!"

Roxy yells "What?!"

Daphne says "He asked what Bloom's reaction would be if I got the throne - and given what just happened with the last coronation…"

Roxy asks "Alright, good point. What broke?"

Bloom says "My temper, and then his camera. He's lucky that's the first thing I grabbed onto - instead of his neck."

Daphne asks "Want to come for a swim?"

Suddenly, a new voice says "If she's going in, then so am I." Daphne nearly jumps a foot in the air, and Bloom looks over to see Duman sitting on a branch.

"Thought I said to stay away from here?"

"Then your sister, the whole reason you said to stay away, got taken and her body restored. Besides, didn't even know it was her lake."

Bloom sighs, facepalms, and mutters "Knew I should have drawn a map."

Daphne says "You, your one of the Wizards of the Black Circle."

Bloom says "They retired two years ago after I saved their skins. Three times to be exact."

Roxy says "Good count."

Duman adds "You got your memories back then."

Bloom takes a long look at both of them, then bursts out laughing hysterically. After a full minute of not breathing due to laughing too hard, Bloom manages "I won't tell Morgana!" before succumbing to another round of helpless laughter.

Duman's jaw drops, and Roxy says "Told you she'd just laugh."

"How'd she know so fast though? Aura-reading or not…"

"It's written all over your faces!"

Anagan suddenly speeds past with someone, then turns around and comes back - to reveal Diana holding onto him. Bloom sits back and just laughs some more after a moment, and Duman says "She knows, don't bother asking what she's laughing about."

Diana says "Knows what?" Anagan whispers something into her ear, and she says "She couldn't possibly know after a moment!"

Bloom deadpans "You're in his arms Diana, I'd say that's proof enough that you two like each other."

Diana's jaw drops, and she mutters "Alright, maybe she can."

Bloom says "I've survived way too much by seeing things people aren't saying to not see something like this."

She gets out of the water and wrings her hair out, then climbs a tree while asking "So, how'd you four end up together? Last I knew, you weren't the Wizards' biggest fan, Diana."

Roxy says "I was trying to transform out in the forest, Duman found me and gave me a few tips."

"Transforming? Like Professor Wiz-Giz and Duman do?"

"Uh…yeah? Why?"

"Which is supposed to be highly advanced magic that you don't learn until year three?"

"…Oh. Right. That little detail. I think you rubbed off on me then."

Anagan snickers, then says "I was running through the forest, Diana found me. We got to talking."

"The Amazon Rainforest you mean? On Earth? Because I'm pretty sure Diana wouldn't be here when she's an _Earth_ Fairy." Bloom's smirk says she's teasing them and enjoying it – and that she knows about Ogron and Gantlos also visiting Earth a lot.

Diana asks "So what else can you do besides read people so well? Anagan said you can do illusions well - and that you were raised in a place that's supposed to be only in myths."

"Both are true, want to hear a song?" It seems a sudden switch of topics, until the song 'Roar' plays out of thin air.

Diana's look of pure shock is priceless, and Duman says "Took us forever to figure out all the ghost music was actually her entertaining herself."

Diana asks "So, what's Asgard like?"

"Oh, you know, lots of battle training, lots of feasts, lots of people to defeat in the training ring…" Bloom smiles fondly though, and says "Lots of adventures to go on, if your there at the right time. Probably where the next one is going to come from. If it's not from Magix, it's related to my brothers in some way." She lets out a snort of amusement, and says "First spring break here, Loki ended up on Earth from the other side of space, spent two days trying to get him off Earth and back to Asgard. Fought an army in New York, but you know, it worked out."

Roxy sputters a laugh, Anagan and Duman snicker, and Diana asks "That's the life you lead?"

"Have you heard about what happened after we got back from Pyros? HYDRA tried to kidnap me or something, then me, the rest of the Winx, and the Specialists went to New York to help my brother, his group of friends on Earth and what was left of SHIELD stop them - and then, we had to fight an AI that came out of Loki's spear. And then, Tritannus tried to kill Nereus to get the throne!"

She puts on a fake-shock tone of voice as the explanation goes on, then mutters "And you must've heard what happened after that. Spent a whole year trying to stop him."

Roxy asks "So how'd you finally beat him? I never actually heard."

"I don't really remember that part of the fight. We were all at the Pillar of Light, I heard Icy say something about thawing Daphne out," Duman, Anagan, and Roxy all stare at her in shock at that, "then I followed them, saw Tritannus holding Daphne up by the neck," Duman winces and puts a hand to his own throat, "and the next thing I remember is Daphne's on the ocean floor and my knife is embedded in Tritannus's elbow. Icy was gone at that point, I didn't chase after - I literally had a bigger fish to fry."

Roxy says "Ouch…can't say I'm too surprised at your reaction though."

Bloom says "That's not all though. I broke his trident in two, he lost the rest of his pollution and changed back to a normal merperson - with a very twisted mind - I pulled my knife out of his elbow, and then everyone else showed up. I nearly killed him right then, Daphne's a better person than I am though. But the idiot rushed me from behind, I reacted and stabbed him in the heart."

Anagan and Duman share a look, and Roxy says "Wow, he really was that stupid then?"

"Uh-huh. First he kidnaps Daph; then they torture her; then they freeze our birth parents; then they attack her home, here; then they put her in some tiny little cell under the Emperor's Throne; then they _freeze her_ ; then they're stupid enough to mention the fact in earshot of me during a battle. And then, after I tell him to never go near Daphne again or nobody will be able to save his life, he rushes me from behind and gets himself stabbed in the heart. I'll never get people, dragons are so much simpler to understand."

Ember jumps up onto Bloom's stomach and thrums, and Diana asks "Wasn't she bigger on Pyros?"

Bloom smiles, and says "I taught her to shrink and grow at will. Helps with feeding her, and with her staying by my side. We're both a little attached to some parts of her being so small."

Duman says "Your different again. Are you ever going to just pick a personality and stick with it?"

Bloom smirks, and says "I was a bit of a boiling hot mess on Earth, wasn't I?"

Anagan crosses his arms, and says "Gee, wonder why we'd think that. Wait, maybe because we found you beating punching bags to sandy pulps in Gardenia park one night!"

Bloom laughs, and says "Yeah, that. Give you a hint what's different. What's the one thing I could've done without back then?"

Duman guesses "Paranoia?"

"Close, keep going. Think root causes."

Anagan asks "This have anything to do with your recent amnesia?"

"Everything."

They don't take two seconds to figure out what's different about Bloom, and Duman asks "You got all but your memories of Cloudtower back?"

"Yeah, good guess. Don't know what happened down there, what I do know is that I wanted it to never even come close to happening again."

She looks over, then says "Hey Loki, what's happening?"

* * *

Everyone else looks over in surprise, to see a man with long, black hair to his shoulders and dark armor in green, black, and gold. Bloom's sitting up on the tree branch, and teleports off to stand in front of her adopted brother.

Duman asks "This is your other brother?"

"Yeah, the one who taught me illusions. What's happening?"

"We might've found Odin, he's-"

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE FOUND HIM?!"

Everyone, Loki included, has to cover their ears at Bloom's outburst - her lungs are as strong as ever.

"I mean, Thor and I think we've finally found him. Thor's been going around the Nine Realms keeping the peace, I've been looking for him in my spare time - not a lot, given the fact that I'm the one stuck on the throne. Now I get why you didn't want it from the beginning."

Bloom facepalms hard, and asks "Really? It took you this long on the throne to figure out why I never wanted it in the first place? Where is he?"

"We think he's in New York. Some retirement home - of all places."

Bloom says "I'll be on Asgard in a minute, brother."

She teleports over to Daphne and hugs her hard enough to crush the air from her lungs, saying "Don't get kidnapped while I'm gone. If father asks-"

"Emergency came up, another adventure. I'll tell them. Stay safe, Bloom."

"Whoever has Allfather better give him up the instant I see him, otherwise there'll be trouble."

She yells to the others "Gotta go, next adventure just showed its face!"

Her outfit changes - on its own apparently, no orange sparkles, just a flash of orange as it melts from one outfit to the next - to the one she's been wearing lately, with the boots and blue and pink with her jacket on top of it all and then she growls something to Ember, who thrums back and goes over by Daphne. "Bloom! Is Ember really…guarding me?"

"If we've really found Allfather, then I don't want Ember to get hurt. Watch her for me, Daph?" Daphne nods, and Bloom adds "Besides, she can help with stuff - like keeping princes and reporters off your back."

Bloom teleports away and Duman says "Whoever has that guy had better give him up fast if they want to live."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in a bit - yesterday was my grandfather's birthday, so yeah. Anyway, Thor 3 has arrived! Bloom actually can change her clothes like Loki can, in New Mexico she eventually did after a while. She didn't do it much while her friends didn't know about Asgard - mainly to avoid questions with answers they wouldn't believe - so her friends wouldn't start thinking she was lying to them. In al fairness to Bloom, she did try to tell them the details about her adopted family before - it just happened to be bad timing because Diaspro poisoned her before. And, as I'm sure everyone can guess, the chapters are going to be different from the movie slightly. Loki isn't the same in my story as he is in the movies, he didn't fake his death, he doesn't want the throne, he and Thor - and possibly Heimdall, Sif, and the Warriors Three -have been covering for Odin's disappearance, etc. At any rate, enjoy! Review for suggestions, please! PS, any suggestions of myths to throw out of the Legendarium would be much appreciated. No spoilers though, more updates coming soon!**


	261. Odin's Death

_**Odin's Death**_

When Bloom gets to the room with the scrying bowl a second later, Thor and Loki are standing next to it expectantly. "Looking for someone guys?"

They both jump, and then turn around and hug her gratefully. "Oh, it's so good to see you guys. By the way Thor, Daphne could be your twin."

Loki says "Now if she was the one sent to Asgard, I might actually believe for a minute that Thor had a blood sister."

"Blood or not, I'm still both of yours sister. So's Daphne, so get used to the fact. Now, where's Allfather being held? HYDRA? Some new enemy? You said something about a Retirement home - could someone have wiped his memories and left him there?"

Loki and Thor don't know, but there's one way to find out.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they're standing in front of a retirement home that's being demolished. Loki and Thor are dressed in Earth clothing to blend in better - but Thor's celebrity status makes them stand out.

Bloom asks "When exactly did you guys learn he was here?"

Loki says "It wasn't an exact find. All we learned was that he either was there at the time or that he was there recently before."

Bloom says "Great, so he could be anywhere by now. Wait, do you two feel that?"

Loki and Bloom suddenly look down, and see a swirling energy at Loki's feet. "This isn't me."

Suddenly, he falls through it - and Bloom starts an incantation to follow him, it works. The only thing left where Loki was is a note with an address on it - and Thor has to go there to get his siblings back.

He meets Doctor Steven Strange, a man who clearly does a lot of magic - and it's really annoying after a few uses. Thor's very much appreciative of Bloom not using magic to teleport them around like this - there's no warning, suddenly they're in a different setting altogether with this guy.

He has a list of known dangerous beings, and Loki happens to be on that list - Bloom, he hasn't even heard of. Strange also happens to know where Odin is, apparently, but he has no way of contacting an Asgardian - Thor says "You could have contacted our sister, she'd have told us straight away."

"Your sister? I don't know of any sister of yours."

Thor smiles, and says "Bloom, she's a much more recent adoption than Loki - but you must have heard of her. Her and her friends flying around Gardenia City, and all that."

Dr. Strange's eyebrows rise up into his hairline when he realizes who he's talking about, and then he says "Right, she's part of your family?"

"Yes, came to Asgard about two decades ago. Something to do with her place of birth being unsafe for her - she also happens to be very dangerous, I'd stay on her good side when she gets to Loki and then to us."

"She's…trying to get Loki out?"

"Yes, followed him where you sent him - and I imagine she's not happy about his sudden disappearance. I'd come up with one very good reason for her not to kill you while you tell us where Odin is."

"Right, that. I'll need a strand of your hair." Strange plucks a piece from Thor's head before he can answer, then makes a portal to Norway.

Suddenly, a ring of fire opens up in the air, and Strange look confused and says "This isn't me."

What looks like a beanbag appears on the ground in a burst of orange, and Loki and Bloom land on it in a heap. The ring of fire closes above them, and Loki groans and says "Thanks for the save, Bloom."

Bloom gets off him, then whirls on Strange and whips out her sword, saying "You'd better have one fantastic reason for thinking you can kidnap another of my siblings. You have got two seconds before I open up your chest in one!"

Loki scrambles off the beanbag, and holds her back, saying "Maybe we shouldn't-"

Thor says "He thought Loki was dangerous."

"Should've taken me instead - I'm more dangerous." Fire ignites on her skin, and she asks "Since when do humans on Earth use magic?"

Strange says "For centuries, it's a secret order. Not well known, in any part of the world. You must be Bloom."

"And, judging from the magic I sensed before, you must be the guy who goes around making portals under people's feet to an infinite amount of falling. Care to explain why you did that to us, Dr. Strange? And why you have an Infinity Stone somewhere in here?"

"Loki here is on a list of dangerous individuals, ones who might be inclined to destroy the world. How do you know about the Eye of Agamatto?"

Bloom says "I get visions, some of them had you in them – with a glowing green stone in a metal orb."

Loki says "Sorry, hate to disappoint, but my sister wanted me to be who she knew me as when she was growing up. As in, not inclined to take over the world - so, she changed me. With magic, I'm still not sure how - but she's very angry at you, I'd say sorry before she throws her knife at you with incredible speed."

Strange laughs, and says "Right, like she can really-!"

Bloom's knife ends up between two books a few millimeters from Strange's head, which leans to the side as he takes a few steps back, and Loki says "Told you, she's fast."

Bloom summons her knife back to her hand, and sheathes it, saying "Keep the stone if you can protect it, there's some guy with purple skin after them."

Strange looks unusually calm for having just had a knife thrown at high speeds at his head, and says "While I'd love to get into a very long talk about magic and exactly how you can hide a knife and sword in their sheathes at your sides without anybody knowing, Odin is on the other side of this portal. Also, I don't use the Eye unless I have to. Something about breaking the laws of reality."

* * *

When they get through it, they see Odin standing at the edge of a cliff. They all walk up, and Odin says "This place is beautiful, isn't it?"

Thor says "Father it's us. Your sons, and daughter."

Bloom adds "We've come to take you home."

Odin says "Yes, home. I hear your mother calling me, can you hear her?"

Thor whispers "Loki, Bloom, break the spell on him." Bloom and Loki look at Odin for a moment, then Loki gives him a look that says there's nothing to break.

"No, I'm under no spell anymore. Took me quite a while to break it though, I must admit. Come, sit with me, there is much to discuss."

They head over to some rocks, and sit on them - while Bloom stands and asks "Why didn't you come back? We've been looking for you ever since the Convergence! Loki's been having everyone think you were still around, Thor's been keeping the peace in the Nine Realms, Sif's been here on Earth fighting Lorelei, and Vin-Tak, the Warriors Three have been unofficially in charge of the Einherjar, what happened to you?"

"Bloom, my daughter, that I do not remember even now. I do know that a powerful spell was put on me, but I don't know from whom."

Bloom angrily mutters "Must've been one of Thanos's minions, trying to get one of the biggest threats to their plans out of the way."

Loki says "Father, after mother's ceremony, Bloom…"

Bloom blinks a few tears away, then says "I changed Loki back. Back to who he was before Thor's coronation. And he's been impersonating you all this time, trying to keep everyone thinking you were alright when we thought you could've been dead, and…" Loki holds out an arm to her, and she sits down on one of his legs like she used to when she was a kid.

Odin says "I'm sorry, I failed you. Ragnarok is coming."

Thor says "No Father, I just beat Surta, his crown is locked away in Asgard's vault - and we know of no eternal flame for him to even merge his crown with-"

Bloom clears her throat, and says "Actually…the Dragon Flame has also been called the Fire of Life - it made the Magical Dimension, so theoretically, it's…"

Loki says "Eternal. Well, we already knew you had fire. Surta's dead, no problem anymore."

Odin says "No, Ragnarok is coming. It's only my life that's held her back, and now my time has come."

Bloom asks "What?" There's an edge to her voice that isn't normally there, like she's on the edge of crying - she's every bit as emotionally vulnerable as anyone else.

Thor asks "Who's coming?"

Odin simply says "My Firstborn. Hela, goddess of death. Your sister." None of them saw _that_ coming, not even Bloom. "Her power was growing too strong, so I locked her away, imprisoned her. Her power feeds off Asgard, and once she gets there her power will be limitless."

Bloom forces a laugh that's half a sob, and says "So, your saying you're going to die soon, we've got another sister who's apparently evil, or at least has the capacity to kill everyone around her just by existing, anything else we should know? Great Dragon, if my life weren't so crazy I'd have fainted from shock at the bombshell of Thor having a sister by blood."

Odin smiles, and says "I love you all, my children." He starts glowing a golden color, and then dissolves into golden dust.

Bloom breaks down immediately when she sees, sobbing and holding onto Loki's shoulders. She feels his other arm go around her shoulders as well, and then Thor taking one of her hands in his.

Storm clouds roll in, and heat radiates off Bloom's skin as Odin completely disappears from sight. After a few more seconds of crying, Bloom looks over at the field behind them, and says "Let's go meet our oldest sister, guys. Something tells me we won't really get along." She wipes her face and stand up, heading back to where a green-black portal has opened up.

A woman with hair like Loki's walks through it, but she doesn't look anything like either Odin or Frigga. "So, the old man's dead. Well, had to happen eventually."

Thor says "I am Thor, son of Odin."

"You sure don't look like him."

Loki says "Maybe we can come to an agreement."

"You sound like him though."

She makes a sword appear in her hand, and Bloom draws her own and lights it on fire. "Ooh, feisty. I like you."

Bloom growls "Well, maybe we can get along? We just lost our father, after all."

Loki holds her back, keeping his hands on her sleeves so he doesn't burn his hands, and says "Sister, maybe we shouldn't pick a fight with a woman who calls herself the 'Goddess of Death' right away."

Hela says "Kneel."

Loki, Thor, and Bloom all look at her like she's crazy, and Thor asks "What?"

"You heard me. Kneel, before your queen. I am Odin's Firstborn, after all. Promised me the throne centuries ago."

Loki says "Alright, now you can pick a fight with her."

Thor throws Mjolnir at Hela, who catches it and then shatters it like glass. She makes her hair turn into what looks like a crown, and then two swords appear in her hands.

Bloom draws her knife as well, but Loki frantically yells "Bring us back!" Bloom promptly collapses, with Loki catching her, as the Bifrost picks them up.

They never make it to Asgard though, Hela knocks Bloom out of Loki's arms and out of the pull of the Bifrost, good thing he put her sword and knife back in their sheathes, then knocks him out of the Bifrost as well - that's the last thing Thor sees before she knocks him out of it as well.

* * *

 **AN: Bloom, Thor, and Loki really don't have the best luck with holding onto family members - Bloom, especially. Her birth parents: trapped in Obsidian. Her sister-by-blood, Daphne: cursed to be without a body until Bloom finally managed to break the curse. Loki: fell off the Bifrost. Frigga: run through with her own sword. Odin: just disintegrated into a million spots of light. Anybody wondering what she's going to do to the next idiot that threatens her family or home - any of them? Fair warning, it will be violent, bloody, and the offending idiots and morons will end up dead, no questions there. Anyway, more updates coming soon! Can't wait for the next Avengers movie - May 4th! Hope the one after is close to that December or next January! Please review, hope you all still like the story!**


	262. Tournament

_**Tournament**_

Thor ends up in a place where trash is constantly falling from the sky - he actually has to avoid getting hit with a large rock before seeing a ship land and what looks like a squadron of strange beings in masks come out of it. They ask if he's food or fighter - then decide he's food after he says he fights. He throws one of them all the way out into the water, and smashes several more into the ground, but then gets hit with an electric net the incapacitates them.

He really wishes Bloom were here right now, she'd have them all running for cover in an instant. A new ship lands, and a woman carrying a glass bottle and drinking heavily from it comes out saying "Wait, he's mine." She then falls sideways into the garbage like Thor's seen Bloom do on occasion from being too drained of power or the Bifrost affecting her - except Thor's pretty sure this girl is completely drunk.

He and Jane broke up a few weeks before, between the fact that he could never be around and the way that he kept getting into life-and-death situations, it was all a little much for the relationship - but it's not like he's looking for some new woman or anything. This woman, who he still doesn't know the name of, gets out of the garbage and says "Wait. He's mine. If you want him, then you have to go through me."

"We already have him though."

"Fine, then I'll just go through you." She reminds Thor of Bloom right then, the way she can say something like that so simply - and she claps her hands together twice and the ship behind her vaporizes all the people who were beating Thor with various objects.

She then stuns him, and he wakes up on her ship to see a massive city flying under them - she electrocutes him again when she sees he's awake.

* * *

This time, he wakes up restrained in a chair and has to watch some gaggable video about this place he's in, apparently called Sakaara. He's now the property of some guy called the Grandmaster, who's in charge of the Tournament of Champions.

He meets the Grandmaster, and sees the woman who electrocuted him twice and brought him here - and she sells him for ten million units, which must be the form of money here. Thor's made into an extremely unwilling participant of the tournament, but he has to get out of here and find Bloom and Loki and stop Hela!

He has no idea where they are though, and doesn't see either of them all the way up until he's thrown in a kind of waiting room to fight the Grandmaster's Champion. Nobody beats the Champion though, everyone who tries ends up dead in a minute at most.

When Thor's picking out a weapon to use to fight, he spots the woman who brought him here in the first place and hears she's an Asgardian. He gets her attention, and she threatens to electrocute him again - he holds up his hands and says "I just want to talk." She puts the device down, and takes a drink from her bottle.

"Asgard is in danger." She doesn't respond to that, but Thor notices a symbol on her arm: she's a Valkyrie!

"My god, you're a Valkyrie!" That gets a reaction from her, she puts her drink down and pays.

"I used to want to be a Valkyrie when I was younger, then I realized it was women only. My sister never wanted to be one, but she could probably become one easily now. Wait, where are you going?"

She's got a large pack of drinks in her hand, and Thor yells "Are you a coward or a traitor? Because Valkyries are sworn to protect the throne."

She stalks up to Thor and says "Listen up, your majesty, this isn't Asgard - this is Sakaara. Nobody ever leaves Sakaara - so you're going to die anyway." She smiles and leaves with her drinks, and Thor then gets electrocuted again and dragged into a room for 'processing' - whatever that means.

Some guy with a mechanical hand says "Hold still now, my hands aren't as steady as they used to be."

"By Odin's beard, if you cut my hair, you will feel the wrath of Thor!" The man takes no notice, or apparently thinks Thor's wrath isn't all that terrifying at the moment.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Thor walks out into the arena with a pixie-cut and red stripes of war paint on one side of his face. Everybody starts booing him, he doesn't really care - all he wants is to kick this Champion's butt and get the heck out of here so he can find his good sister, his brother, and get back to Asgard so they can save it from total destruction.

The Champion turns out to be the Hulk though, and everyone stops cheering when Thor yells in triumph - until Hulk yells that there's only him. Before they can even get a hit on each other though, everyone hears a very loud banging and several explosions coming from one of the walls.

 _Bam! Bam! BamBamBam! BA-BAM!_

One of the guards goes flying through the solid metal walls, and Thor sees the two people he was most hoping for: Bloom and Loki.

Hulk charges at Bloom and Loki, roaring ferociously at them - Bloom stops him in his tracks with a roar of her own, shocking the entire stadium silent. Loki is failing to hide a grin, and Thor yells "Yes! Yes, this is great! Bloom, look who it is!"

A guard runs up behind Boom and Loki, Loki takes a step to the side and Bloom's fist swings up to smash into the guard's face. The entire crowd winces and says "Ooh" collectively, as the guard's feet keep moving and he hits the floor on his stomach. "Thor! We've been looking for you everywhere in this crazy place! Spent the rest of yesterday trying to find Loki after I woke up, then we've spent all of today looking through this weird place. What happened to you, and…what did they do to your hair?"

Thor says "I know, and now I found our old friend, Bruce!" Hulk growls and tries to hit them, but Bloom catches his fist and holds it back with one hand. The crowd falls entirely silent at that, and Thor says "And this is why you'd make an excellent Valkyrie."

"Yeah, right. I wish, I don't have time anymore, not since going to Magix. Bruce! Snap out of it already!"

When that doesn't work, she slams his fist into the ground and casts a sleep spell on him - then, when he turns back into a human, she breaks it and he sits up groaning. "Oh, what happened?"

"We're getting out of here, Bruce. Here, clothes for you."

Bruce thanks her, then sees her for the first time and nearly has a heart attack when he sees Loki standing behind her. "What is Loki…"

Thor says "Long story short, Bloom changed him back to who he used to be, then we recently fought the sister we never knew we had and lost. She's currently on Asgard, doing who-knows-what there - and we're stuck here in I-don't-know-where, someplace called Sakaara, and you were the Champion of a Tournament."

Bloom says "Ok, story-time is over, we can catch up in more detail after we get the heck out of this place. Where's the door?"

Loki points to one of the openings in the walls and says "I think it's the one that's currently being blocked by guards."

"Ok, not for long. Oh, wait. Thor, come here for a minute." When he does, she takes one look at his neck and rips the metal device that the guards use to electrocute him off.

"Ouch!" He claps both hands to his neck and winces, trying to ease the severely stinging pain.

"Sorry, but I doubt that things is used for anything good."

"Right, it electrocutes you."

"Hm, lucky guess on my part then. Hope you guys know how to keep your balance."

Banner asks "Can't we go back the way you came?"

Loki says "Not exactly, this place is a maze. We took so many turns we ended up going in circles. Then Bloom heard you through the wall."

Bloom starts glowing orange, and suddenly lifts her hand up fast - the platform they're on suddenly raises in a jarring motion. They all walk up to the guards, and Bloom whips out her knife and kills four of them in a second.

Loki says "She could be a Valkyrie if she wanted."

"There's one here, brother. She's drinking something, somewhere."

Suddenly, one of the guards hits Bloom with the same device she ripped off Thor's neck earlier; she goes rigid for a moment as it works, feeling electricity coursing through her - then she collapses to the floor. Thor gets angry, and then lightning starts sparking off him - he hits the guards with it and they go flying into the wall, while Loki picks up Bloom. "I'm…alright…"

Loki says "Yeah right, I'm not buying that, sister."

Thor takes the device off her neck - which isn't at all easy to do - as she says "Been hit with worse by Stormy…I'm guessing that was your payback for me doing it to you?"

"No, sorry, Sister."

Loki tries to see if she can stand, but her legs are currently like cooked noodles - thanks to the electrocution that leaves any victim physically limp and needing to be moved. "I can walk…"

Thor says "Bloom, the amount of electricity in those things leaves even a Kronan limp and draggable."

Banner says "The devices are aimed directly on top of a nerve, making it so that the electricity overwhelms the nervous system at every shock - incapacitating the victim instantly."

"So I noticed…"

Loki says "Yeah, bet most people would've been knocked out though."

Banner asks "Thor, did I take a blow to the head too many - or is Loki different? Because he seems really different from in the Helicarrier."

Bloom says "That was me. Magic, and all. Let's just say, I wanted my brother back."

Thor hits another guard with a burst of lightning, wondering but very happy about the turn of events with his powers. Loki asks "Since when have you been able to do that?"

"Since I got angry at that guard."

Bloom chuckles, wincing at the feeling in her throat, and says "Since always. Mjolnir was a conduit, you channeled the lightning through it before - it helped you control your powers. Now, it's all you. Don't know about flying though." Bloom pulls at one of Loki's hands, and this time she can stand on her own.

When they round the corner, they find Valkyrie walking around the corner and staring at them in shock. Bloom asks "Brother, is this the woman you told me about? The Valkyrie who brought you here?"

Thor smirks and says "Yes. Valkyrie, this is the sister I told you about, the one that could join the ranks of the Valkyries easily."

She turns and tries to run, Bloom tackles her and pins her to the ground. "So, you're the one who brought my brother here? And you're Asgardian - and an elite fighter to boot; perfect! The sister we never knew we had is back, Hela, Goddess of Death. Father's dead, she's back, we're going to stop her - and Thor says you have a ship that can get us out of here."

Valkyrie gets one hand out from under Bloom's bony knee, only for Bloom to grab it in a grip of iron. "Since when are you a child of Odin?"

"Since I was adopted at age one. I might be able to stop Hela, but we need to get back home to do that. You know the way out of here, you have a ship that can get us out - so, you're going to get us out of here."

Valkyrie twists her head to try and look at Bloom, but the closest she can manage is Thor and Loki. "Is she serious?"

Thor says "Absolutely."

"About beating Hela? Because I'm not getting dragged back into an endless war!"

Loki asks "What? Yes, Bloom's serious about stopping Hela - but go back to the part about the endless war."

"That's where Hela gets her strength from, Asgard's endless wars. When she tried to escape her banishment, Odin sent us Valkyries to stop him - I only survived because…" She trails off, then says "I survived one endless war, but it cost me everything."

Bloom says "Well, lucky for you, this is only going to be one fight. We get back to Asgard, we kill Hela, all's done."

"I'm with a bunch of lunatics…and you, Bloom, are the craziest if you think it'll be that easy to beat the _Goddess of Death._ "

Bloom actually bursts out laughing at that, and says "I'm no pushover either. I might've just found a sparring partner that won't be beaten so easily. Let's go people!" She hoists Valkyrie up, and then they are off again - Valkyrie very reluctant about this whole situation, and being marched forward by Bloom with her arm twisted behind her back. Thor and Loki share a grin at the fact that Bloom can beat a Valkyrie so easily.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I'm betting getting drunk all the time doesn't really help with coordination or anything. Bloom probably could join the Valkyries with no problem, except she really doesn't have the time anymore - adventures, saving the Magical Dimension and the Nine Realms, etc. And if anyone gets confused when Thor and Loki still refer to Bloom as 'our sister' -they've been doing it for nearly two decades, and have barely known about Hela for a day. By the way, he ended up fighting the Hulk the day after they met Hela - getting electrocuted and losing consciousness tends to mess with your perception of time just a lot. And why in all the other movies they never hinted about Thor's lightning powers coming from him and not Mjolnir is beyond me, that would have been some fabulous hints to have before this movie - making a toaster explode or something, for instance. Anyway, more updates coming soon, enjoy! P.S. thinking about doing a spin-off of this story at some point, a collection of anything that happened but didn't get mentioned all the way to other ways I could have gone with the story for some things. Suggestions appreciated, please review if you have feedback!**


	263. Finding Asgard

_**Finding Asgard**_

When they get to Valkyrie's ship, Bloom is still marching the woman in front of her with one arm twisted behind her back - and her knife pressed into her neck as a warning. "Who are you that you can defeat a Valkyrie so easily?"

She struggles, but Bloom tightens her grip on Valkyrie's wrist and says "Not sure you'd understand half of this, but, you asked. I'm Bloom, fairy of the Dragon Flame, second princess of Domino, and the most powerful being in the Magical Dimension."

Valkyrie goes very still at that, and Loki asks "How much did you actually…"

"Only the part of her being the most powerful from wherever it is she came from. Will it be enough to stop that murderous woman?"

Bloom says "Maybe. The Dragon Flame did create a universe. I've also read stories where it's called the Fire of Life - so, Life against Death. Let's see who wins this round."

"Well, Asgard and Sakaara are as far apart as it gets - unless you have a plan for how to get us there fast, our best bet is to take a wormhole on the city limits. We should get back in ohhh eighteen months."

Bloom claps a hand to her head and stumbles, and Loki catches her while Valkyrie gets out of her grip and a few steps away from her. Thor finds a legendary sword in it's sheathe, Valkyrie is full of surprises.

Bloom says "No, the big gate. Spurting out red, huge, looks really creepy."

"The Devil's Anus?! You've got to be kidding!"

"Ok, my vision didn't tell me the name, only showed me the gate. Banner, you see it up there?"

Banner nods, and says "That looks like a collapsing star inside of an Einstein Rosenbridge."

Valkyrie says "Well, my ship can't withstand the geometric forces of that thing, they'll tear it apart."

Bloom grins and says "That's an easy fix, a few spells to keep your ship together is all. Come on, we're getting out of here now. Fly this thing already."

"Are you always this blunt?"

"Ever since I became part-dragon. Come on, my childhood home and everyone besides my brothers that I knew growing up are either dead or being hunted down by Hela."

Thor sits down next to Valkyrie in the co-pilot seat, and Valkyrie whisper-asks "Dragon?"

Thor whispers back "Large reptile with wings and the ability to breathe fire - very dangerous, very deadly, and that's where Bloom gets her iron grip."

* * *

Valkyrie takes off as Bloom starts chanting a spell - nearly freaks when orange energy covers the walls of her ship - then they head off. Ships start following them however, trying to shoot them down.

Valkyrie says "Thor, take the wheel. I'm going to stop them. Can you shoot?"

He nods, and moves to the pilot's seat while Loki takes the co-pilot's. "Where's Bloom?"

They hear their sister yell "Be right back! Sirenix!"

Loki says "Outside, went for some target practice."

Thor grins, and Loki says "She's a far better sister than Hela. She's a far better sibling than I was for a bit."

Thor says "She's a far better sibling than I was for most of her life - most of our lives."

A screen pops up, showing Bloom and Valkyrie jumping from ship to ship and them blowing up moments after. Loki says "This Valkyrie girl…"

"I'm not interested."

"Really? This from the one who wanted to become one for fifty years?"

Thor socks Loki in the shoulder, and says "Tell me you never told Bloom about that."

"Maybe, but she never seemed interested in being one. Besides, is it just me, or does Bloom seem more relaxed to you?"

Thor nods, and says "Yes, closer to New York than the Convergence."

"She said she'd never recovered her memories of being held prisoner under Cloudtower - I know this may sound terrible, but I hope she doesn't get them back." Loki holds up his hands in protest as Thor glares, and says "I'm just saying, she is a lot happier than she was before. Less nervous and jumpy."

Thor sighs and says "Your right there, Brother."

Loki grins mischievously, and says "So, back to Valkyrie."

"Loki…"

"Hey, you said it didn't work out with Jane! And this woman seems very interested in weapons and fighting - we might've found Bloom a sparring partner that won't go down easily if nothing else."

Thor grins at that, and says "They might learn a few moves from one another. I bet the Einerjar will like that – until Valkyrie can't last more than a few moments in a fight."

* * *

Suddenly, the computer beeps and Bloom's voice sounds. "Hey, guys, if anyone's in the middle of the ship, get to the sides! We're coming back in!"

There's another beep, and then whatever Boom did - maybe connect her phone with the ship's comm system - is done; and then she and Valkyrie appear in a flash of orange sparkles. Valkyrie seems shocked by the transition, and is twisting and turning like she is making sure she still has all her fingers and toes and everything in between. Bloom grins and says "Yeah, first time is a bit of a shock - you get used to it after a while though."

"Please don't. I might've decided I would rather die fighting that murderous Hela, but I don't want to get used to something like that unless I have to."

Bloom shrugs, and says "Fine, your choice. Hey, Brothers, is the wormhole coming up?"

Loki calls back "Oh, yes, we're almost right on top of it."

"Ok, buckle up - this isn't going to be smooth sailing!"

Bloom's prediction is accurate to a very extreme degree, everybody nearly pukes and ends up losing consciousness.

* * *

When they wake up, Asgard is right in front of them - but it's on fire and Bloom can't sense any people in the city. They're hiding in the mountains though, hiding from what she _can_ sense in the city - a great power, great and terrible.

Bloom says "I don't think I like what Hela's done with the place - I can smell the blood from here."

Valkyrie incredulously asks "How can you smell something that far away?"

"There's been a bloodbath in Asgard, everyone else has fled to one of the strongholds in the mountains, and I can sense Hela's power in the city. Also, when your part dragon, your senses tend to get better."

"Right. Anything else I should know of with this whole dragon-thing?" Bloom takes her sunglasses off in response, and Valkyrie takes a few moments to blink in shock. "Okay…not the maddest thing I've seen you do."

Bloom smirks, then puts the sunglasses back on. "Yeah, I'll tell you the whole life-and-death adventure after this one." She then dives out of the ship and transforms, yelling "I'll take care of Hela! You guys get everyone out of the city!"

* * *

When everyone minus Bloom gets to the stronghold, they find it's literally packed with people - at least most everyone made it out alive, Sif and the Warriors Three led them out while the Einherjar kept Hela occupied. They are trying to set up a defense of any kind, but everyone is immensely relieved to see Thor and Loki.

Hogun says "This is good. Is there anyone else?"

Thor says "Yes, Bloom. She's going to deal with Hela, maybe kill her maybe not. But we need to get everyone out of here, and we brought a ship to help with it."

Bruce waves at everyone from the inside of the ship, and Valkyrie says "Thor, the ship's not big enough for everyone."

"It flies, we can make multiple trips."

Heimdall says "We can go undetected if we walk."

One person asks "And if we're seen?"

Loki says "That's where we come in."

Sif says "We'll help, fight alongside you one last time."

Thor says "Not one last time, Bloom and Hela are likely fighting as we speak. And I may not know Hela, but we all know Bloom. She doesn't go down easy, not even to a goddess; not even to the Goddess of Death."

Sif says "She's attached to family though, we all know this. If she thinks Hela can change…"

Loki says "If she thinks Hela can change, that there's good in her, then she'll bring it out. If not…" He looks at Thor. who holds his hands up together and lightning arcs between them - then he snuffs it out.

Volstagg laughs and asks "When did you start doing that?"

"When Mjolnir was destroyed. Turns out I never needed it - it was to help control my powers."

Loki yells "Now let's get everyone out of here while Bloom holds Hela off!"

They all cheer, and people start gathering their stuff and preparing to leave.

* * *

 **AN: Epic showdown between the Goddess of Death and Bloom! From what I saw in the movie, it's more of an honorary title than her having power over death itself - she's good at dishing it out, she can't snap her fingers and everybody keels over instantly. She's also got stamina and endurance even better than most Asgardians - meaning, Bloom finally has an equal opponent to fight! Hela won't go down so easily, and she's an incredible swordswoman in the movie - every bit as good as Bloom is, lucky her. More updates coming soon! Enjoy, and have a merry Christmas!**


	264. Sisters Duel

_**Sisters Duel**_

Bloom strides into the Throne Room, noticing and not caring about Hela sitting on the throne for the moment. She sees the paintings from the ceiling broken on the floor, and then looks up to see a painting of Hela and Odin leading an army of Asgardians. "So, your alive. I was wondering if you were even alive when you collapsed."

Bloom looks up at her adopted sister, and watches as her crown turns back into long black hair. "I see you've redecorated the place. Or maybe un-redecorated would be a be a better term this time. I take it the stuff currently on display happened?"

"Yes, it seems his solution for every problem was to cover it up - or cast it away."

Bloom says "Ah, right. I remember Thor's coronation, how badly that went. Allfather banished Thor, to try and teach him wisdom apparently. All three of us, the siblings you've met anyway, know what it's like to be told one thing and have it turn out to be completely false. Loki and I were told we were related by blood to Thor, Thor was told he was Odin and Frigga's firstborn. You were told you were worthy of the throne."

Hela smiles somewhat nastily, and says "You never knew him at his best, Odin. Then, one day, he decided to be a benevolent king, to have Thor - and he cast me out because I didn't fit that image."

Bloom says "Well, you know. Fathers and their expectations. Thor doesn't want the throne anymore. Loki doesn't want the throne anymore. I never wanted the throne to begin with and still don't. And as Odin's Firstborn and our sister, you have a claim to it - I'm not saying otherwise, neither of our brothers are saying otherwise."

Hela looks intrigued, and asks "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you can't go around killing everyone you see just because you want to."

Hela gets angry, and her crown reappears from her hair. Bloom shrugs, and says "Fine, I tried to reason with family."

"So, you seem to be a fighter. Will you challenge me for the throne?"

Bloom starts laughing at that, and says "For me? No, I already said I never wanted the throne. Besides, I'm pretty much stuck with ruling another planet when I marry anyway. Thor will likely get the throne after all is said and done - I'll just make sure it isn't me - but how about we settle this with a good old-fashioned Asgardian duel? The winner is the one who's left when the dust settles and her opponent is gone. Deal?"

Hela seems taken aback for a moment, then grits out "Fine."

"Great! You can use all your tricks, I can use all mine. Sirenix!" She transforms, and draws her sword to fight.

Hela makes her own sword appear, and they get fighting. They fight all through the palace, equally matched in power and fighting skill - but Bloom's still got the advantage, she can fight and plan at the same time and has lightning-fast reflexes.

Hela says "Your good. Shame you wouldn't join me."

"Sorry, I don't do endless wars and destruction." Bloom swings her sword in a spin, releasing a wave of fire that knocks Hela back through a column.

Hela summons spikes from the ground, but they break on Bloom's shield. "What? Who are you?"

"Bloom, fairy of the Dragon Flame. Second Princess of Domino, and your, Thor, and Loki's adopted sister. Oh, and you have another sister who's slightly older than me. Her name's Daphne, but I don't think you'd get along very well."

They clang swords together again, and Bloom catches the blade Hela tries to throw into her chest. "Impossible!"

"No, magic! Lava Jab!" Hela gets put through a wall, getting angrier as the fight goes on. "Well, if we can work something out, I've just found the best sparring partner ever! You're the only person in all of creation who I haven't beaten in the first few minutes of a fight."

Hela seems to snap at that, and screams "I was his weapon! He used me to conquer all the Realms! Of course I'd be a good fighter!"

Hela's voice cracks as she says this though, and Bloom says "And then he just abandoned you, threw you away and erased you from history…"

Hela looks like her composure is breaking, making Bloom think that maybe this doesn't have to end in death. "Just because I was what he made me into! He didn't like it, so he imprisoned me and tried to erase what we'd done - what _he_ did."

Bloom blocks a swing from Hela's sword, and says "I know what that's like. My birth father, Oritel, we didn't get along for a while. He wanted me to be one thing, I was firmly the opposite. He wanted me to be this perfect princess who goes around in dresses and heels, well, you can see I'm not. I survived a planet filled with dragons, I'd been kidnapped multiple times, oh, and I'm part dragon. That little factor didn't help with the whole perfect-princess routine either. I'd rather be riding Ember or running fast as the wind or training with the guards - rather, training the guards at this point - instead of stuck wearing some ridiculous dress and pretending to be something I'm not."

Hela says "Really? We have more in common than you'd think then. For centuries, Odin shaped me into his perfect weapon. Forged me so strong and hard that nothing would break me - not even him. And then, one day, he decides he doesn't need me anymore when he turns to peace. If he wanted his daughter to be more peaceful, he should have turned to it before he turned her into a weapon!"

Bloom asks "Did you want to be a weapon? At first, did you want to become the Goddess of Death?"

Hela blinks, nobody ever asked her that question ever. "My connection to Asgard cannot be changed."

"No, but killing anyone you can see can be. You don't just snap your fingers and people die, do they?"

"Please, if I could do that, you'd already be dead."

"So your called the Goddess of Death because you fight so well then. And because you can make structures come up out of the ground."

Hela says "That part is my connection to Asgard. I can summon many constructs out of nothing at my will."

"So…none of your powers directly give you power over death, 'Goddess of Death' is more of an honorary title then?"

Hela blinks, thinks about it for a moment, then says "That's one way of putting it, I suppose."

"Would you like to stop being the weapon Allfather made you into? Stop being what he made you and make yourself something else?"

Hela's headdress falls back into her hair, maybe from shock or despair, and she says "I wouldn't even know how. I wouldn't know where to begin. I was so angry at Father for imprisoning me, locking me away for being what he'd wanted before, and now…"

"And now everything's gone to heck, right? Nobody remembered you, your siblings never knew of you - you didn't know you had siblings…"

Hela drops her swords, and whispers "You win, I yield. I don't want the throne, I want to go back to how things were when I was accepted. When I was loved and honored."

Bloom says "I can't do that for you, sister, but maybe I can do something else for you."

"What? What could you do? Odin taught me to be ambitious, ruthless, taught me to have a bloodlust. What could you do to reverse all that?"

"Well, you see, Sister, magic helps a lot here. If you'll let me, I could take the bloodlust away. Give you the chance to be something other than the weapon father made you into." Bloom starts glowing orange, shocking Hela and having her react by summoning another sword - Bloom pauses, then slowly sheathes her own sword.

Hela lowers her after a moment, and asks "What are you doing? You're on fire!"

"Not exactly, it's my magic. When I said I was the Fairy of the Dragon Flame, well, my magic is colored orange. You can summon structures from the ground, I can manipulate fire, for example. I can actually do just about anything with a little imagination, and one of those things is healing someone. Changing their hearts, their feelings, maybe reverse a change in them…"

"Why? Why would you do this for me?"

Bloom says "We've all had problems, Hela. Thor used to be an arrogant jerk, you'd have speared him on a sword the instant he tried to tell you to know your place. That changed when he was banished, he learned a few life lessons. Loki? Well, when Thor was banished, Odin went into his Odinsleep. Loki had no choice but to be ruler of Asgard for a time, and the power got to him. After so long of Thor telling him to 'know his place' and then his place being at the top, well, it went to his head. He'd played a trick on Thor, let three Jotuns into the Weapons Vault to disrupt Thor's coronation - for all the years of his treatment - and then it got out of control from there. After two years, during the last Convergence, mother was killed and Loki had been put in the dungeons by Odin. Loki left Asgard via falling off the Bifrost, then returned to Earth to rule it - and invaded with an army of Chitauri. He was beaten, brought back to Asgard, and Odin imprisoned him - and then Mother died, and I decided I really needed the brother who'd cared about me back."

Hela snorts, and says "So I take it you changed Loki the way your offering to change me."

"Yeah, good guess, sister."

"And what about you? You said you all had your own problems."

"Me? Well, it's complicated. Before the Convergence, I'd been kidnapped by an evil wizard known as Valtor. He imprisoned me underneath Cloudtower Castle for two months. I don't remember what happened anymore, but I do know it was bad - very bad. I escaped to Pyros, the planet of Dragons, and then I didn't leave until my friends found me. But I'd changed during those two months under Cloudtower, when I left Pyros I was paranoid, I never left Alfea, I'd have flashbacks of what happened. Basically, I was a total mess."

"So what changed? Or are you still…?"

"No, I lost my memories last year. Got most of them back, but Cloudtower never returned. Neither did the paranoia, the fear that I'd be locked away again forever."

Hela looks at Bloom with sympathy, and says "I know what it's like to be locked away forever. It wasn't fun."

Bloom smiles wanly at her, and says "No, I bet it wasn't. So, would you like to start over?"

Hela bites her lip and nods, saying "Do it fast, sister."

"It won't hurt, you'll just start thinking and feeling differently." Bloom starts glowing brightly, blue and orange mixing.

Hela closes her eyes, only opening them when Bloom brightly says "Done!"

She doesn't feel much different from before, except for the warm tingling sensation warming every nerve in her body. As it fades, Hela looks around, wondering exactly what Bloom did. "Um, what's different?"

"Feel any massive need to destroy or conquer anything, sister?"

Hela takes a full minute to realize she doesn't, then falls backward in a dead faint.

Bloom chuckles and says "Yeah, thought I might get that reaction. If you'll excuse me, I have to pass out now." She does exactly that, not even transforming as she hits the ground already unconscious.

* * *

Minutes later, Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Sif, and Heimdall run into the very much destroyed courtyard to see both women on the ground. Loki and Thor run over to Bloom, and Heimdall says "They're both alive."

Thor and Loki look at one another in shock, and Sif asks "What? What in all the Nine Realms possessed the victor to leave the other alive?"

Thor says "Bloom didn't take Father's death too well Sif, maybe she didn't want to lose any more family."

Loki asks "Remember the Convergence? When she gave me a change of heart?"

Sif says "You can't seriously think Bloom gave the Goddess of Death a change of heart! She's killed dozens of people, if not hundreds!"

Loki looks down at Bloom, muttering "Bloom! Do you always have to see the good in people? What did you do?"

Bloom groans, and Thor says "Bloom! Wake up, you need to tell us what happened."

Hela stirs, and says "I'll tell you, wait, what happened to her now?"

Loki says "First, tell us why both of you are alive."

"She wanted to know if I could change, if I wanted to be the weapon Father made me into. I originally didn't, so, well, according to our sister on the ground there, you'd have an idea of what followed."

Loki says "She…"

"Changed my heart. Changed it back. Father taught me to be the Goddess of Death. Bloom gave me the chance to be something else."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, a kid couldn't seriously be that ambitious right away - and given the fact that Allfather was never the shining angel he probably taught them to be even in the movies, why not add another lie to the list? He's already dead, so heck. Besides, even in the movies he hid Hela's existence from the two of them until he was moments away from dying - so it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that he trained Hela to be a perfect killing machine. As for why Bloom let her live and gave her a chance to start over, she tries to look for the good in people - which would be why the Wizards didn't die on the beach when they showed back up. And as a bonus, she now has an equal sparring partner - the Einherjar will likely love Hela in a few rounds in the training ring when she doesn't go down easily to Bloom. Besides, I'd love to see Thanos try to invade Asgard with Hela there - and Bloom on the way, because she'd likely get a vision about him being on the move. Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon! And yes, Thanos is going _DOWN!_ **


	265. Hela's Change

_**Hela's Change**_

When Bloom wakes up, she gets the idea for a moment that everything that happened was just a dream and she's on Domino - then she cracks her eyes open and sees the painted ceiling of her room on Asgard, it wasn't a dream then.

She can guess Loki's sitting next to her, with Thor leaning against the wall a few feet behind. When she turns to look, she was half right - it's Loki sitting in a chair next to her bed, but the person leaning on the wall is Hela. "Weird…you two look the same. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were related by blood."

Loki helps her sit up, quietly asking "Bloom, exactly what possessed you to let Hela live?"

Bloom says "You know what, Loki. Don't pretend you don't."

Hela walks over, saying "Thor took the throne, nobody's very happy that I'm alive - but…"

Bloom says "Asgardians love a good war story, bet they won't be able to live without yours after a few weeks."

"What happened to you anyway? You've been out for a while."

Bloom grins and says "That's the price of my magic. I use too much, I have to sleep and eat it off. Kind of annoying, but hey, I can live with it. How's everything?"

Loki says "The palace is rebuilt, Hela relinquished her claim to the throne, I said Thor wouldn't get me on it if he still had Mjolnir and tried to trap me on the chair, so Thor had no choice but to take it. We both knew what your response would have been, so there was no need to try and offer it to you."

"Thanks, guess I finally got you two to understand that reasoning."

Loki adds "Oh, and everyone knows about our little scheme of trying to find Odin now. Thor and I had to admit he'd been gone for over a year, seeing as he vanished from Asgard when we went to Earth to find him."

Hela asks "You two really impersonated our father for over a year when he went missing?"

Bloom says "Yeah, none of us actually wanted the throne by then. I never wanted it from the beginning, Thor grew to not want it, Loki didn't want it in the beginning, wanted it for a bit, then ended up not wanting it - and now you don't want it." SHe shrugs and finishes "Someone had to take the throne, I guess."

Hela shrugs, and says "The people never would've accepted me anyway, not after everything that's happened."

Bloom says "I bet the Einherjar would like their captain back, or maybe they'd just like someone to be able to take me on in the training ring."

Hela laughs, and says "I think I can fill that role at least."

Loki asks "So…now that your back…"

"I won't go on another killing spree, brother. I'm done with that, conquering. I'll kill anyone who tries to invade our home, but don't expect me to join any wars."

Bloom lets out a chuckle, and says "Not on Thor's to-do list - not anymore, at any rate."

Hela says "He asked me if I wanted to train the Einherjar, or at least be a sparring partner for you. I said if the way you fought before was any indication I'd be happy to spar with you - we may learn a few moves from one another."

Loki says "You may be the one person Bloom could go all-out on, most Asgardians are too…what was the word you used? Breakable?"

Bloom laughs and says "I'd snap them in half if I got too into the fight, unfortunately. But, as Odin's firstborn, Hela has increased strength and stamina - and being immortal helps as well."

Loki blinks, then asks "Immortal?"

Hela laughs and says "You know a thing or two, sister."

"I figured it out when I punched you in the fight and didn't hear the sound of every bone in your body breaking - and when you caught one of my punches easily."

"And did the whole part-dragon thing about you do anything else I should know about?"

"Well…" Bloom takes her sunglasses off, then stares at Hela for a full minute before putting them back on.

"Oh. Not the maddest thing I've seen before."

Bloom adds "One of the sanest things about my life as well. Just wait, soon enough the next adventure will come popping up. Either from Earth or Magix, or maybe here on Asgard again. At any rate, I think I'll go get something to eat."

Hela hesitates for an instant, then asks "Wait, one more question. Who's Ember?"

"What?"

"During our duel, you said you'd rather be riding Ember around - who is Ember?"

"Oh, of course. One sec." Bloom closes her eyes for an instant, then a hole in the air opens up with a fireball and Ember comes flying through. She lands directly on Bloom's chest and proceeds to lick her face profusely, Bloom starts laughing, and Hela can only watch in amazement for an instant before snapping out of her shock.

"You said you could ride her. Can I assume this is what you call a dragon?"

"Yeah, one species. There are all kinds of dragons, from slim and fast to big and strong. Embers one of the fast dragons. And she's this small now, but she can grow to her full size in an instant. I taught her that." Ember looks up at Hela curiously, and Bloom lets out a series of growls to her.

Hela's amazement only grows at that, and Loki whispers "You get used to it after a while."

Ember thrums, and Bloom says "You can pet her, she won't bite."

Hela runs her fingers along Ember's scales, and asks "You raised her?"

"Hatched her, raised her, she'll outlive me by a long shot." Ember nuzzles Bloom's neck, making her laugh again. "Ember, you know that tickles!"

"For all your skill with a blade and magic, you don't seem to be very battle-hardened."

"Not towards friends and family, sister. You should see me in a fight though, apparently I get really scary."

Loki chuckles, and says "That's an understatement, Bloom. Thor and I have watched you fight, you get more than scary. You send your enemies running for their lives."

Bloom snorts and says "Or swimming, lately." She stands up, sways a little, then says "Loki, I'm going to get some food. I really need to eat something now, end of story."

* * *

When she gets into the feast hall everyone's eating and celebrating the victory and retaking of their home - and they all burst into applause when someone sees Bloom. They're calling her the savior of Asgard, and Bloom lets out a shrill whistle to get people's attention - then yells "People! The Savior of Asgard would like to eat instead of getting paraded around the city! Plenty of time for that after I eat something!"

Everyone bursts out into laughter, and Bloom quietly does the same spell for Hela that she did for Loki years ago - the one that makes it possible for people to trust her. She sits down next to Sif, who says "You saved us once again. And you found Brunhilde, leader of the Valkyries. You really do the impossible on a regular basis."

"Brunhilde? The legendary leader of the Valkyries lost long ago? Where did I find her?"

"According to Thor, it was some place called Sakaar. You and Loki got him out of a tournament with Bruce Banner, who Heimdall already sent back to Earth by the way, and then you went and disarmed the leader of the Valkyries in a matter of moments!"

Bloom blinks, looks at her drink to see if it's alcoholic, then looks at Sif and asks "Valkyrie is really Brunhilde?!"

Thor and Valkyrie, or Brunhilde as she's really called, look over when they hear her voice, and walk over. Thor hugs Bloom, who says "Looks like you finally got your throne, Brother. Even if you didn't want it this time. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know the name of the missing leader of the Valkyries, would you?"

Valkyrie looks ashamed, and holds her hand up while saying "Brunhilde. We heard you. Yes, I know what you're going to say. Please don't, you don't know how much I lost. Everything I had, nearly including my life."

"Why didn't you say? How hard would it have been to say 'Oh, by the way, my name isn't really Valkyrie, it's Brunhilde.' at some point in our little adventure?"

Brunhilde grins at Thor, and says "You were right, your majesty. Fiery and defiant as ever."

Bloom takes a long look at both of them, then says "Okay, I'll leave you two alone then."

Brunhilde asks "What?"

Bloom smirks and says "Don't think I can't see what's going on. A: I grew up with Loki as a brother. B: I've survived a lot of things by seeing what isn't being said. C: I can read people like books, especially when I know them."

The last part is aimed more at Thor then Brunhilde, who blushes and says "Bloom, whatever you think you're reading-"

She starts humming the wedding march, making Thor stop talking and Brunhilde look confused. "What's that?"

"It's a song they play when two people get married. I'll get some armor for the occasion." Bloom winks mischievously, then goes to sit back down by Sif and get a plate of food.

Loki walks over and asks "What just happened?"

Brunhilde says "You taught her too well."

Thor whispers "Let's just say you weren't wrong. And Bloom knows it."

Loki snickers, and asks "I take it Asgard's king will have a queen soon?"

Thor socks him in the shoulder, and says "Shut up, I think you put the idea in her head."

"No! I never mentioned a word about it to Bloom!" They both start laughing, and Bloom grins over at them while eating an apple they're sure she didn't have a moment before.

Then, she raises an eyebrow at Loki and discreetly points to Sif – making Loki blush and shake his head. The silent conversation goes on for a few minutes, until Loki finally gives up and starts talking to Thor – Bloom, instead of looking offended, looks extremely amused by the reaction.

* * *

 **AN: Happy New Year! First chapter of 2018! As for this chapter, Hela seems to be adjusting well. If anyone asks why Bloom didn't need to sing or anything like last time, it's because of her Believix powers. She didn't have them during the Convergence, so she gave herself some inspiration to get the Loki she knew and loved back. Now, she has Believix powers and could simply do the spell to change her heart. With magic, imagination's the limit - because the sky sure isn't! Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon, and any suggestions for myths for Selina to pull out of the Legendarium would be really helpful right about now!**


	266. Mysttery Attack

_**Mystery Attack**_

Bloom, Ember, and Daphne are on a bus from Magix City to Alfea, glad to finally be out of the city and somewhere they won't be swarmed by reporters - Daphne's still trying to process the fact that she's got a sister older than her that she, Bloom, or their adopted brothers never knew about until Odin's death. "So…we've got an older sister, who's every bit as deadly as you, and is immortal?"

Bloom shrugs and says "Yeah, more or less. Hela's nice enough, considering the fact that she was used as a weapon for a few hundred years by Allfather then locked away because she couldn't be anything other than the living weapon of mass-war he made her. She got out of her imprisonment, discovered she had three siblings she never knew about, nobody remembered her or knew of her - kind of a big shocker there. She's alright now, hasn't killed anyone since - and she's the only person I can really fight in the training ring, though Brunhilde is a close second - compared to everyone else, at least. She's lightning fast, I can match that though. But the matches between Hela and I can last for a few hours, all the guards were cheering when Hela didn't go down in the first few minutes."

Daphne laughs, and says "I bet, she took all your fight off them and onto her."

Bloom laughs, and then the bus stops at the Alfea gates - but between them and the gates is a mob of reporters. One of them spots the two royal sisters and they all swarm them. Ember jumps up onto Bloom's luggage and growls at them, and Bloom glares and says "Alright, enough is enough. Daph, follow me."

She forces their way through the crowd, elbowing and shoving a path through the reporters roughly. Daphne floats their stuff behind them, with Ember practically grinning smugly at the reporters as they stare in shock.

When they finally get inside, they see students everywhere - who, thankfully, don't rush around the two and start asking questions. Old friends are greeting one another, and others are making new friends - until Grizelda rounds up all the new students saying there isn't a party going on, etc.

Daphne says "Oh, yes, Mrs. Grizelda."

"Oh, not you, Professor. I meant the students."

Bloom laughs quietly, Ember thrums, and Daphne blushes as Grizelda herds all the new students into the building. Bloom says "Daph, you're going to be a great History of Magic professor - nobody knows as much about the subject as you."

Daphne grins, and says "Well…"

"Come on, I might have been the biggest book-fairy in Alfea when I was going here, but I was searching for a way to free you - you know practically everything there is to know about the History of Magic! Now come on, let's go find our room!"

Roxy suddenly calls out "Hey! Bloom, Daphne!" She tackles Bloom in a hug, having arrived just now.

"Hey, Roxy! How's it going?"

"Great! How'd finding Odin go? Oh…sorry."

The look on Bloom's face said it all, but she makes a noticeable effort to be cheerful as she says "Well, he went to Mother. Besides, turns out the four of us are actually five. Odin's firstborn was actually Hela, not Thor."

Roxy's jaw drops, and she asks "…Hela, the Goddess of Death?"

"That's more of an honorary title. She doesn't have power over death, she's just really good at dishing it out. Because of that, I have a new sparring partner!"

Roxy's jaw drops even further, and she says "Nobody can beat you in a fight!"

"Hela's immortal, she's extremely good at sword fighting, and her reflexes and strength are every bit as good as mine. She broke Mjolnir with her bare hand - only one, for the record."

Roxy sputters out a laugh, and asks "How'd Thor take that?"

Bloom shakes her hand back and forth, while saying "Well, turns out he never needed Mjolnir to make lightning, it was just to help him control that part of his powers. He can shoot lightning from his hands like I can shoot fire from mine."

Roxy whistles in appreciation, and asks "So what happens if Loki loses his knife or something?"

"He's the god of mischief, Mother taught him magic and he taught me the same - he'd just be out of a knife, no change in what he can do without it."

"Oh, gotta go see who I'm rooming with this year." Roxy runs into the building after rubbing Ember's neck for a minute, and Bloom and Daphne follow.

When they get up to the apartment they're going to be sharing with the rest of the Winx, they find it's already being moved into by the rest of the Winx. They all have their own rooms this year, and they're free to do whatever they want with them.

Flora's is filled with plants - some of which are getting moved out into the common area - Musa's is already filled with her various instruments and she's sitting on the couch listening to rock music; Aisha's is filled with Morphix workout equipment, and she's running on a Morphix treadmill; Techna's has designs and blueprints for the latest gadgets and inventions she's working on pinned to the walls - one of which is currently on her desk in parts - and Stella has turned her room into a fashion boutique.

They figure this part out when students come down the stairs leading up to Stella's room in new outfits - and one of them drops a poster with Stella's face on it and the title 'Stella Couture' on it. Ember sniffs the talking image of Stella's face curiously, and Bloom makes a handful of strawberries and blackberries appear for her. Stella makes them all new outfits for the school year, and they're amazing.

Jackets and skirts that go to their knees with leggings and ankle boots - with lots of pink and dark grey. Ember jumps up onto Bloom's shoulder and sniffs her new jacket sleeve, then licks her cheek affectionately.

Bloom whispers "I'll put the same spells on this one I did on the last, at least for the pockets." Ember thrums agreeably, just as Grizelda calls up to them from downstairs.

Stella frantically whispers that she can't let Grizelda find out about her boutique, so Bloom makes an illusion of a regular room while Stella hurriedly changes it to match. She comes up with the excuse of cleaning the dust out for the new year, which pleases Grizelda immensely - as Stella has never been the cleanest of students. They're wanted in the History of Magic classroom for Mrs. Faragonda's speech, Daphne especially.

* * *

During the speech, Daphne is inaugurated as the new teacher, and then six bright colors fly through the window and swirl around Faragonda. It's the Pixies, all six of them - and the Winx couldn't be happier to see them!

Lockette flies over by Bloom and Ember - who's allowed in the classrooms with Bloom because she's never made any problems before and stays small enough to sit in Bloom's lap and nap - and hugs Bloom's cheek and then Ember's face; getting a rough lick from Ember for it and enjoying it.

Piff has grown up now, she's still the Pixie of Sleep - but she's not taking naps anymore!

Tune is overjoyed to see Musa, Digit and Techna start thinking up a new series of code for her phone, etc.

Chatta says "We just had to come and celebrate! It's Mrs. Faragonda's hundredth year as headmistress of Alfea!"

Grizelda says "Well, I had no idea!"

Mrs. Faragonda smiles and says "It was meant to be a secret, anniversaries make me feel old."

Tune says "That's not all! We brought you a surprise! It's outside!"

There's a giant present box in the middle of the courtyard, and when all the Pixies pull at the large bow it opens to reveal a celebration spell - one that makes a huge party and starts playing music. A table filled with food appears, and everyone starts dancing - Lockette and Stella even pull Bloom into the fun, literally.

Grizelda shuts the dancing down, but Faragonda says she needs to relax a little - it's a party! She then asks Wiz-Giz for a dance, which he happily obliges with.

The look on Grizelda's face is priceless, good thing Bloom and Roxy both get a good look at it while it lasts.

Minutes later, the party is interrupted when the Queen of the Pixies makes a hologram that tells everyone the Gloomywood trolls have broken free and are tearing Pixie Village apart.

* * *

When the Pixies and the Winx get there, they find the village is overrun with huge trolls that look like they're made of wood. And they just keep popping up, despite the fact that they were supposed to be locked away forever centuries ago - Bloom's read this story, it ended all that time ago. She's got a very bad feeling about this, but keeps fighting as the trolls keep popping up.

Stella gets the idea to close the massive hole in the ground that most of the trolls are climbing out of, so Bloom throws ten of them back in it in a matter of moments and says "Hey Flora, let's put a plug in this!" They do a convergence, but the trolls somehow break through the spell after a few blows to it.

They suddenly disappear as fast as they showed up, taking all the Pixies they were holding with them. The Winx's bonded Pixies escape, but most of the population of Pixie Village has just vanished from the Magical Dimension!

As the Winx are flying back, Bloom senses something coming towards them fast - and ducks just in time to avoid getting hit by an out-of-control Raven. She catches it with some magic when it's clear that it's losing control of its flight, and floats it back up so they can all get a look at it. It's tail feathers are smoking, like it was hit by lightning, but it's alive.

When it opens it's eyes and sees them, it starts cawing and flapping it's wings like it wants to tell them something. Bloom gets an idea, and says "Hey, hold still, calm down. Can you understand us?"

The bird stops at once and nods it's head. "Ok, let's see then…caw once for yes, and twice for no, alright?" She gets a single caw as a response, and the rest of the Winx cheer.

"Alright, are you hurt?" A single caw.

"Did someone hurt you?" Another caw.

"Are you supposed to be a Raven?" Two caws, making the rest of the Winx gasp in horror.

Ember lands next to the Raven, and sniffs the bird curiously - it shifts away from her slightly, almost nervously. "It's alright, Ember won't hurt you."

 **Bloom, this bird smells of magic. Magic we know.**

"Magic we know…Argh!" Bloom suddenly claps a hand to her head, then all the rest of the Winx feel it to - dark magic, very powerful dark magic.

They hear a massive crash, like something just fell from a huge height - and look over to see Cloudtower flying through the air. The Raven caws in what could be horror and defeat, then hangs it's head - giving Bloom a very bad idea of who this Raven is supposed to be. "No…it can't be…"

Aisha asks "Bloom, what is it?"

"Are you…Mrs. Griffin?" The Raven's head snaps up to look at Bloom, then caws once - and then repeatedly more and starts flapping her wings agitatedly.

All the Winx are horrified, and can't imagine who could be strong enough to defeat her and change her into a bird. "Mrs. Griffin, someone did this to you, didn't they?"

Griffin nods her head sadly, then lets out three caws - and Bloom can guess what that means. "You have got to be kidding me, _the Trix?!_ "

Griffin nods her head emphatically, then passes out.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, sorry I haven't updated for a few days - been a very stressful few days, trust me. Not abandoning the story, promise. As for the story, more updates are coming soon, feedback is very much appreciated, and the Trix should really know by now that they are going to get their butts kicked easily. And, heads up, Infinity War is coming sooner rather than later now, so there may or may not be a wait for new chapters as I get closer - or there, if it just works out that way. Anyway, Griffin's been turned into a bird, the Trix have taken over Cloudtower, and they can now bring stories to life - joy, but will it be enough to stop Bloom? Probably not, in all honesty, but they can find a bunch of dangerous legends to send after her - hint, hint. Any more suggestions will be much appreciated, already have one and am working on it! No spoilers, but having more people think up myths and legends of any and all kind would be very much appreciated. Thanks, enjoy, thank you for reading this long!**


	267. Cloudtower Flying

_**Cloudtower Flying**_

The next day, most of the Winx are at Lynphea to see the Specialists train and get new weapons - they were invited, after all.

They get there only to see the Specialists with a group of other fighters, and Sky and one of them are really going all-out in the match between them. Brandon whispers to Stella that Sky said the boy with brown hair who he's fighting is his many-times removed cousin, but they don't really seem to get along. It's pretty clear they have a history, and it's not good - especially when the fight ends with a tie and both opponents glaring at each other balefully.

The instructor says "Alright, enough." He then spots the Winx in summer dresses Stella designed for them, and says "Ah, Winx. Good, you're here." He turns to everyone and says "I asked the Winx here, Bloom specifically, to help with your training."

Thoren, Sky's cousin - just to make it simpler - asks "Bloom…as in Princess Bloom of Domino?"

"Correct. Princess Bloom also happens to be one of the most skilled fighters in the magical Dimension, if not the best. Wait, where is she?"

Techna says "Bloom and Daphne were setting up her classroom when you called, she said she'd be here soon."

Suddenly, a fireball comes out of nowhere in the air, and Ember flies through it. The Specialists all cheer, the Paladins - the other group of fighters they're training with - all grab their weapons. They relax though when Ember lands and Bloom slides off her, saying "Sorry I'm a bit late, turns out setting up a classroom tends to go wrong at the very last minute. Have I missed anything?"

"No, not at all, Princess Bloom. Everyone's just picked out their magical weapons."

"Oh, great. Please, just call me Bloom. No 'Princess' required." Ember shrinks down with a flash of light, and then Sky goes over to pet her.

Thoren asks "She's supposed to help us train better?"

Bloom smirks and says "Well then, I'm sure you won't object to being the first to prove I don't know how to fight without magic."

Sky smirks, and whispers "Kick his butt for me, Bloom."

He moves out of the way with Ember as Thoren says "You don't even have a weapon!"

Bloom smiles thinly, and says "I do, actually, but I don't need them to fight either. Hand-to-hand, with a sword, with a knife, with magic, anything works for me. How would you like to fight?"

Thoren and the other paladins seem taken aback by her casualness, and the instructor laughs and says "Don't be tricked by her casual demeanor, Bloom here can hold her own against many of the best fighters in the Dimension. Now, Thoren, would you like to go first since you seem so confident?" Thoren nods, and the instructor says "Bloom, magic from your weapon only. Let the fight begin!"

Thoren slams his hammer down into the ground, causing an earthquake that splits the ground open - Bloom does a flip to the side and swings her sword, which she pulls out in an instant, in a complicated move that releases a wave of magic that knocks Thoren on his back. He has a rematch with her immediately, and this time she does a flip _over him and his swing_ that puts her behind him - he only realizes what happened what he's suddenly got a face-ful of grass and hears one of his friends yell "Thoren, move!" They all gasp immediately after though, and he looks up to see Bloom holding his hammer by the head with one hand - she caught it as it was falling for his head.

A few rounds later, and all the Paladins are bruised and sore - Bloom let them try anything they wanted, including fighting her all together, nothing worked, they didn't even leave a scratch on her. The Specialists were grinning and smirking hugely all through the whole thing, Sky especially whenever Thoren ended up on the ground.

Miele, Flora's sister, came to watch - and was nearly in helpless giggles by the time Bloom stopped dancing through their weapons and let the Paladins all get out of the fight.

Now it's the Specialists' turn, they opt to fight Bloom all at once - because they've spent enough time and training sessions with her to know that they won't last a minute on their own. She knows their fighting styles, knows how they think and what their first move will likely be - at least in a group they have a bit of an advantage with who will go first and such.

Right before the match can start, the Winx and Nabu all feel an amazingly powerful source of dark magic - and look up to see _Coudtower Castle flying towards Lynphea College!_

Everyone gasps, and then things only get worse when the Treants all around the college come to life and start attacking. The legend goes that the Treants were once brave knights who took the form of great trees - but they were _good_ knights, who wouldn't attack the college!

There's dark magic pouring off the Treants, the same magic that was coming off the Trolls in Pixie Village - which can't be a coincidence. One time could've been the magic of the trolls, twice means someone is doing this stuff.

The Winx transform, the Specialists and Paladins get ready to fight, and Ember grows to her full size. Bloom hits the nearest Treant with a Dragon Kick, saying "I'm betting the Trix made the school fly, if they could beat Griffin and turn her into a Raven!"

Techna says "Your right, but how'd they get so powerful? And how are they doing all this?"

"I don't know girls, but I want to find out and stop them. Let's go!"

Sky yells "You girls go up to Cloudtower, we'll hold the Treants off!"

Bloom nods, and then they take off towards Cloudtower - Bloom's sword still out and burning brightly. Miele transforms and helps the guys, making Flora overflowing with pride for her little sister.

When the Winx get into Cloudtower, after flying through a swarm of crows and avoiding some lightning, they can feel a powerful source of negative energy in the castle - and then some witches attack. Despite the sight of Bloom's sword in her hand.

She blocks all their attacks at once, and sweeps them to the side with a wave of fire from her sword. When they get to the Auditorium, they see the Trix have gotten another makeover and outfit change - and that there's a girl with long, green hair holding a book next to Darcy, who hides behind the three stronger witches in a bid to make herself seem less important and maybe not get hurt.

"The Trix, why am I not surprised? Oh wait, that's right - the past four times you tried to take over the Dimension."

The girl with green hair mutters "She's got a sword, you guys didn't say she had a sword."

Darcy fakes a yawn and says "You didn't really think you'd gotten rid of us, did you? We like to keep things interesting."

Bloom rolls her eyes, and says "When you two ditched Icy and Tritannus last year, I thought you'd finally grown some brains between the two of you. I was proven wrong when you attacked Daphne's party with the Creature of the Depths - I'd have thought you'd know I have a sword and knife by now though, and that I'm not bluffing about using them either." The girl hiding behind the Trix stiffens in shock, which Bloom instantly notices, and she says "Yeah, new girl, ask Icy about the time they tried to kidnap me from Roccaluce Gorge. It didn't end well for her, well, any of them but Icy especially."

Stella adds "And besides, the only thing interesting I see here is the outfit change. That all you got?"

Icy yells "Enough! Time to get down to business. Witches, after them."

About a dozen witches fly out of nowhere and attack them, Stella says "Bloom, you take the Trix, we'll handle their lackeys." Bloom nods, and lands in front of the Trix with her sword ready.

All three stiffen and glance at each other nervously, wondering what Bloom's planning for this fight. Truth be told, Icy's terrified of Bloom - has been ever since she went ballistic on them in front of the Emperor's Throne. Getting stabbed by Bloom was a shock to her, they'd never expected she'd actually use it for the obvious purpose of stabbing someone. Her near-death experience that was stopped when Darcy and Stormy showed up with the Singing Whales of Melody was a big wake-up call for her, and the incident at the Throne pushed Icy from worried about what Bloom would do to them to terrified - she's also secretly promised herself she'd never go after Bloom's family ever again.

Bloom's confident smirk at their reactions pushes Stormy from nervous to angry, especially when she asks "What's the matter? Finally decided you don't want you butts handed to you over and over again? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you all were afraid." Stormy shoots lightning from her fingertips, which Bloom blocks with her sword easily. "Yeah, see, my brother recently started doing that - you remember him right Storm? Blonde hair, hammer, I'll kill you if you go near him?" She tries again, but Bloom blocks it just as easily - then sweeps her hand to the side and Stormy goes flying into the wall.

Darcy tries next, teleporting over and making illusions of herself surrounding Bloom. "Can't hit me if you can't find me, Bloom. What'cha gonna do about that?" Bloom's smirk says she's got this, as she says "Yeah, that never worked on me from the start - and it never will, unless you know how to make your illusions start putting out heat constantly at the same rate you do that is." Bloom then takes Darcy by surprise by teleporting in front of her and hits her with a Dragon Punch, sending her slamming into Stormy painfully.

"Ow, sister, did you have to stand between her and me? I'm seeing double again."

"In hindsight, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Bloom smirks at Icy, and says "What, leaving your sisters to do all the work, Icicle? Or am I right when I guessed your scared?"

Icy fakes a laugh, and asks "Of who? You?"

"Yes, of me. Of what I've survived, despite all you've done to try and end me. Of what I can do - of what I am." Bloom smiles not-nicely at Icy, knowing she's reminding the ice-witch of a dragon and not caring - it's their own faults, after all. Bloom takes a step forwards and Icy mirrors it in the opposite direction - still glaring at Bloom as best as she can while backing away from the all-powerful fairy they've been a thorn in the side of for years now. "Yeah, you see, you went and took Daphne, that's kind of a no-no in my book. You can go after me until the universe ends, but _nobody, and I mean nobody_ goes after my family - for any reason."

The fire on her sword is getting higher, and the green-haired girl quietly moved out from behind Icy to get over to Darcy and Stormy. She whispers "You three said she was strong, dangerous. You didn't say she was this freaking deadly and has a sword and knife!"

They hear the sound of Icy's magic being cast, and Darcy says "Selina, she's not your typical fairy…"

Stormy says "Oh crap…and she's behind you."

Icy's on the ground unconscious, there's no giant pool of blood so she's probably not dead, and Bloom's standing maybe five feet away from Selina with a halfway curious expression - directed towards the book in her hands.

 _I can't let her get the Legendarium!_

"So, Selina's your name. I assume they told you who I am."

She nervously says "Bloom…Fairy of the Dragon Flame."

"Yeah, don't know why they keep attacking me if they know I'm so powerful - and that I have weapons and know how to use them."

Stormy asks "What'd you do to Icy?"

"She decided to take a nap for a bit, what's with the book?" Bloom twirls her sword in her hand expertly, and Selina makes a shield around herself in response. "Alright, so that's how you want to play it." The rest of the Winx land, and spread out in a semi-circle around the three witches.

They all attack, but that book is stronger than they thought - the shield holds and then they're sent out of the castle and falling to the ground; and all but Bloom are stripped of their powers!

The last thing any of them knows is Ember roaring up from under them and then darkness takes all the Winx.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I just loved having Bloom scare the crap out of all of them! You'd think they'd learn, but their lust for power just won't seem to end - despite being stabbed, slammed around hard, threatened with death, nearly killed because they were so stupid as to threaten Bloom's sister, and everything else that's happened. So, I decided to give Icy something to worry about - namely, Bloom ever having reason to go ballistic on them. Ever. Anyway, enjoy! Now I bet you all can guess why I'm looking for myths for Selina to pull out of the Legendarium - if not, no spoilers. BTW, started a side-story for this one, called 'Bloom in Asgard Side-story' - hope you all like it, suggestions and requests appreciated, etc. Enjoy, not giving up on anything!**


	268. Sharing the Flame

_**Sharing the Flame**_

Sky and the Other Specialists look up when they hear Ember roar in rage and fly up - and see their girlfriends unconscious and falling through the air. Ember catches them all though, and lands while the guys come over on their Windriders.

The Winx are all unconscious, even Bloom, and Nabu can't sense any magic in them except for in Bloom. "They've lost their power somehow, what in the Great Dragon happened up there?"

Ember sniffs at all of them worriedly, Bloom most of all, then looks up at Cloudtower castle and roars in anger and defiance. Sky says "We need to get them back to Alfea, Mrs. Faragonda must be able to help. Or at least explain what happened." They call a retreat, looks like the Trix got Lynphea College after all.

* * *

When Bloom wakes up, she's laying on Ember's back instead of falling to her death over Lynphea. When she opens her eyes, they're back at Alfea - and all the guys are there as well. The rest of the Winx haven't woken up yet, and they're all sitting on the ground next to their boyfriends.

Sky all but runs over when she sits up with a groan and nearly falls over. Her head is spinning and she feels like she could be sick from exposure to a massive amount of dark magic all at once. She opens her eyes again when she feels Sky's hand on her arm, and says "Hey Sky…"

He helps her down, catching her as she stumbles and nearly falls to the ground. "Easy, what happened?"

Bloom says "The Trix are back, and they have some crazy new outfits - probably powers to match. They made Cloudtower fly, it was their magics underneath the school - and they have a partner or something. Some girl called Selina with long, green hair and a magic book. Ngh…" Another wave of dizziness hits Bloom, nearly knocking her off her feet - good thing Sky's supporting her. "She surrounded herself with this magic barrier, it must've been coming from the book - and I think she's the one that summoned the trolls in Pixie Village, the magic signature was the same. We tried to fight her, but…" She shakes her head and says "Then we were falling…and now I wake up to find we're back at Alfea…"

Sky says "Ember flew up and caught you all, then we came back here. But the Treants were still rampaging around at Lynphea college when we had to leave."

Bloom looks over and sees the rest of the Winx still unconscious, and Mrs. Faragonda says "You didn't lose your powers, Bloom, because yours comes from the Dragon Flame. It's inextinguishable, it can never be put out by anything other than the Water Stars - which, fortunately, were sent back to the Golden Kingdom during the Summer Break after that year."

Bloom says "Alright, so if the Winx got some magic back, they'd wake up though?"

Nabu says "Yes, but…oh…"

Bloom cups her hands together and a fireball appears in it - the Dragon Flame itself. It divides into five fires, and each of them enters the rest of the Winx. They all wake up with gasps when the magic flows through them, and Bloom says "There, at least your awake…" She tries to take a step forward and nearly collapses again, but Sky catches her.

Faragonda says "Winx, you must protect these magical flames - for soon they will spark a whole new power inside you."

Techna asks "Did Bloom give us each a piece of the Dragon Flame?"

Bloom breathes out "Yeah…" She's out of breath now and shaking like she's about to collapse, so Sky sits her down next to Ember.

Stella says "Bloom, maybe that wasn't the best move right after passing out for a while."

"You weren't waking up…"

Aisha asks "How are we going to get this new power?"

"Through good and brave actions worthy of a fairy. Thanks to Bloom's Dragon Flame, you'll each have a touch of magic in you until you earn your new transformation."

The Winx all sit down next to Bloom, who's nearly passed out from everything that's happened in the past hour or so, and thank her.

"Don't mention it girls…" _thump!_ Bloom passes out again, thoroughly drained after her magic being drained away to nearly nothing, and now this.

Musa says "I think today just caught up with Bloom all at once. In fact, I think we all need some sleep ladies."

Aisha yawns hugely, and says "No kidding. Losing your powers really takes it out on you."

All the girls agree, and then moments later all five other girls are out cold with Bloom.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, now all the girls can be as insanely powerful as Bloom is! Not physically, but I'd love to be the Trix when they next see the girls with their powers once they get their transformations! They already can't beat Bloom in any kind of fight, so how are they going to be able to win against six fairies with Dragon Fire? Enjoy! More updates coming soon! Same with the side-story! Please review if you have feedback or suggestions for myths!**


	269. Taking Lynphea Back

_**Taking Lynphea Back**_

The next day, Aisha shows them the gym she made for them - it's got a Morphix training course floating high up in the air and is as good as it gets for getting someone in shape. Stella says they need a new look, but she doesn't have enough magic to change it - Bloom, however, knows the trick Loki uses to change his clothes with magic.

"Here Stell, let me see what you thought up." She shows Bloom her drawing, and Bloom focuses and everyone's outfits change - Stella's overjoyed. Bloom has her powers still, but they're a little weaker than they were before because she divided the Dragon Flame for them - she'll be fine though, no biggie; all she needs to do is earn this new transformation and everything will be back to normal for her, right?

Stella asks "Where did you learn to do that again? It looks like it takes less magic than our usual spells do."

"I learned it from Loki, along with a lot of other things. Including how to make twenty illusions of myself around a person." Bloom's grin says she thinks it's seriously funny that Darcy gets offended every time Bloom does an illusion in a fight, the Winx do to.

Bloom goes to help Daphne find any kind of clues about the Treants while everyone else starts working out - they all agree that Bloom doesn't really need any kind of workout given the fact that she can wrestle a dragon into submission without breaking a sweat. The Specialists and Paladins get in to find everyone but Bloom there and when Faragonda reminds them that they'll be fighting without their powers, Musa says "Well, let's just tape targets onto their backs for Bloom. She's still got her powers and she doesn't even need them to fight!"

Aisha joins in on the joke, saying "Yeah, just give Bloom a clear shot and bam! No more Trix. That doesn't really help the rest of us, but it's a pretty funny thing to imagine."

Sky asks "Where is Bloom anyway? I'd think she'd be all over this."

Flora says "She went to help Daphne find something about the Treants and how to control them."

Aisha shows them a new move she's been working on, the triple backflip. Soon, most everyone is picking it up, and the guys go up to the floating obstacle course - except for Thoren, he goes to Daphne's classroom. When he gets there, he finds Bloom and Daphne looking through a dozen books - they're looking for anything that could be a hint to controlling the Treants.

When Thoren says he thinks they'll get to the root of the problem, it gives Daphne the answer: the Treant's roots are the key to controlling them! If they're firmly planted in the ground, they're stable and peaceful - that might break whatever spell the Trix and their new friend, Selina, put on them. Before Thoren can say anything to congratulate Daphne, Bloom grabs her by the wrist saying "Let's go tell the others, Daph!"

"Hey, Bloom! Slow down!"

When they get there, Daphne's out of breath and trying to get it back while Bloom's excitedly explaining what they found to Mrs. Faragonda - more proof that Bloom really doesn't need any kind of training to get in better shape, that she's in pretty much the best shape possible.

When Daphne gets her breath back, Sky calls down, "You found it?"

"Yep!"

"Great! Hey, why don't you come up here? You'd love it!"

"Oh, I'm in!"

Bloom runs to the platform to take you up, and Aisha says "This is going to be something special alright."

Bloom immediately takes off after the platform takes her up to the course, getting across easily. The fire rings are a joke to her, she actually gets some more momentum by grabbing them and swinging up to the platform. The ladder is easy as well, she does a flip that puts her at the top with a single fluid motion. With the platforms you have to jump across, she takes the first as a handstand and the second on one foot. The moving platforms actually dip down for a moment from the force of Bloom's jumps, and she does a double-flip through the huge hoop and onto the ending platform.

Sky's grinning hugely at her, and she says "You were right, I love it."

Nex, the Paladin with blue hair as spikey as Riven's, glares at her, but she matches it perfectly - what is his problem anyway, does he think she's trying to show him up or something?

* * *

Flora has a bunch of potions that will work for planting the Treants' roots, which is exactly what they need right now! Most of the Winx and all the Paladins go to Lynphea College to stop the Treants and any witches the Trix left there, while Bloom and the Specialists go to Cloudtower to stop the Trix again.

When they get there though, lightning shoots and them from the castle - either a protective spell against intruders or Stormy's standing at the edge of the castle and playing games with them.

Giant flying creatures that sure aren't dragons come flying out of Lynphea's forests, Bloom recognizes them ask Basilisks, and yells "They'll petrify you with rays from their eyes!"

The Basilisks head to Lynphea College however, so the Specialists leave to stop them while Bloom tries to get closer to Cloudtower - the Trix save her the trouble and come out to fight them. Icy says "Well, looks like your all alone now. Sisters, I think it's time we destroyed Bloom."

Bloom laughs and says "Funny, you've been saying that for years now. Either you like the constant fighting, you're not putting any effort into finishing me off, or your just bluffing your way through these fights."

Bloom's got her knife out now, and Icy's side hurts in memory of the time Bloom stabbed her in Roccaluce Gorge. They try to combine their powers and finish Bloom off, she just makes a shield that dissipates the magic attacks easily. The blast she makes next blows the three witches a few feet away easily - they're outmatched and they know it, they're definitely going to have to get Selina to summon something from the Legendarium to kill Bloom.

* * *

In Lynphea College, the Winx use Flora's potions to plant the Treants' roots, which works for controlling them somewhat - and then the Basilisks show up.

Flora earns her Bloomix when she saves Miele from a Basilisk and a Treant, then her Spring Shower spell returns the Treants to normal - lucky them, now they only have one kind of enemy to worry about.

Stella and Aisha earn their Bloomix transformations when they do a triple backflip to avoid the rays from the eyes of two Baskilisks - which end up turning each other to stone.

The Bloomix transformation gives them dresses that Bloom would actually like, form-fitting but not incredibly tight, leggings, ankle-boots, and huge wings that look like their elements. The pieces of the Dragon Flame Bloom gave them are in tiaras on their foreheads, and their hair is done up in braids or a ponytail.

Stella's Ray of Pure Light gets rid of all the Basilisks and un-petrifies all their victims, and Flora sends the witches from Cloudtower back where they came from.

* * *

Bloom is fighting the Trix and is getting more tired with each blast, good thing she's using her knife as well. Bloom sees something behind Icy and starts laughing uncontrollably, and Icy says "Well, if you think this is such a joke-"

"No, but I think that's pretty funny!" She points behind her just as the Trix notice the witches Flora sent back to Cloudtower fly behind Bloom.

Icy yells "Hey! They're going the wrong way!"

"Lost your backup, ladies?"

They've lost and they know it - it's written all over their faces. But when Flora, Aisha, and Stella come flying up with attacks ready, their looks are priceless - especially since they have to be able to sense the Dragon Flame inside the three other girls, Bloom divided it as equally as she could after all.

"What's wrong ladies? Bitten off more than you can chew this time?"

It takes a full minute for any of the three witches to respond, and Icy finally says "Let's go, sisters. And give them something to remember us by." They all nod, and teleport back into Cloudtower. Bolts of lightning suddenly shoot from the school, and Aisha blocks them easily - now they know how Bloom always made it seem so easy - for her, it _is_ this easy when your so strong.

At the college, everyone throws a celebratory party and gratefully thanks the Winx for saving Lynphea College. Miele hugs her older sister hard, and Bloom says "We all saved it! Now, let's get this party started!" Everybody cheers, then starts dancing and celebrating.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, now most of the girls have their powers back! Wondering what I'm going to pull out of the Legendarium to send after Bloom? You all can decide! Send me suggestions for myths in Selina's book! Anything dangerous works - aside from the end of the world, that's what Thanos is trying to do apparently. Enjoy! Going to have plenty of scenes where Selina sends something after the most dangerous person in the universe, in lieu of the Trix trying to deal with the consequences of facing Bloom head-on.**


	270. Pandemonium!

_**Pandemonium!**_

The next day, in Daphne's class, Stella can't stop thinking about hats with flowers and big, fluffy feathers - as the rest of the Winx learn when she makes said hats appear on their heads. Bloom immediately takes hers off when the feather in the front falls directly in her nose - too annoying by far for her, nothing gets in her face except for the occasional strand of hair. _Very_ occasional.

Grizelda walks in and nearly has a fit when Stella makes the hats disappear in explosions of feathers - the lack of Daphne doesn't help either. She runs in after a moment, apologizing and saying she has great news - she, and her class, have been invited to the Golden Auditorium tomorrow!

Musa is ecstatic, she's always dreamed of visiting the Golden Auditorium! It's the most exclusive school for music in the entire dimension - she is over the moon about this.

When she calls Riven up that night, he's practicing with his boomerang - too focused on it to really pay attention or get excited for Musa. He says he wants to be more of a leader at Red Fountain, and Musa just hangs up after a minute.

When she asks Techna what she thinks, she gets no response - Techna's working on one of her inventions, has been for hours. When Musa starts playing her guitar though, Techna asks her to wait until she's done with the algorithm, but Musa's just about had it for one night.

They get into a fight, prompting Bloom to see what the problem is about - the two girls are usually close as sisters, if complete opposites, so this is really new. Techna says Musa's putting on a 'tortured artist routine' and Musa says the only thing that's tortured is Techna's inability to relax.

Bloom says nothing for a minute, then walks over and gives Musa a hug. "Alright, grab your guitar and play in mine and Flora's room. And tell me what happened before the fight." She throws Techna a look that says 'Keep working' and leaves with Musa.

Twenty minutes later, Bloom could knock Riven out with just a look - he couldn't take a few minutes to talk to his girlfriend?! At least the Golden Auditorium will cheer Musa up - it's half of everything she talks about, along with her life's dream to visit. Her dream is about to come true, in less than twelve hours - nothing could possibly ruin her good mood there.

* * *

Ember stays in their apartment, having drunk a bunch of herbal tea Flora made - she's going to be asleep for the whole day, if not more.

When they get there, the name fits the building perfectly - it's all gold-colored, with statues of famous musicians and songwriters. Musa recognizes all of them, and then the headmistress of the college sees Daphne.

"Diletta!"

They hug, and Diletta says "It's been ages! How've you been? Oh, and this must be Bloom?"

Bloom smiles and says "Yes, and you are…?"

Daphne says "Oh, right. Bloom, this is Diletta, headmistress of the Golden Auditorium and a very old friend of mine."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Diletta." They shake hands, and Diletta discreetly shakes her hand out after Bloom lets go - she's got one heck of a grip, without even trying.

"Daphne, can I speak to you privately?"

"Of course." She turns to the Winx and says "Go ahead and explore, I'll catch up with you." They all leave, Bloom casting a sidelong glance - Daphne gestures that she'll be fine, and Bloom leaves.

They find a bunch of instruments, and Musa identifies each of them. Stella plays a beautiful piano makes spring colors with every note, Aisha picks up a magical violin that makes her sound like an expert, Bloom picks up a flute that plays with the slightest breath, etc.

Musa then tells them about the legend of the Pandemonium sprites, but Techna points out the part about it just being a legend. The Sprites are supposed to be trapped in a massive cave system underneath the Auditorium, and their screeching can break a hundred glasses at once.

When Musa asks Techna to relax and enjoy the place some, the fight from last night starts anew - Bloom sighs and goes to split the two of them up again, but Tune and the other Pixies manage to distract everyone by playing on the organ - and then getting stuck in the pipe. Bloom gets an idea on how to get them out, and presses down the correct key hard enough to blow them out of it - they all laugh though, Pixie-mission accomplished then.

Suddenly, they hear the worst sound any of them have every even imagined in their wildest nightmares, a screeching sound worse them nails on a chalkboard.

Bloom immediately covers her ears, the sound driving into her head like a nail from a nail gun, and asks "Musa, remember what happened with the last few legends?"

Musa suddenly yells "It's the Pandemonium Sprites!"

They're climbing and crawling over the seats, letting out their screeching incessantly. They look like hairless, mutant rat-shrews, and Bloom decides she hates that Book Selina was holding - she can feel the same dark magic as with the Treants, the Gloomywood Trolls, and the Basilisks coming off the Sprites, bringing storybook legends to life must be Selina's powers then.

Bloom's pulled out of her thoughts by another round from the Sprites, and realizes she's on her knees and is getting one very bad migraine. If she has her hands pressing any stronger into her ears, she's going to crack her head like an egg - yet she can still hear the awful noise of the Sprites - and yells "We have to stop them…Sirenix!"

Flora, Stella, and Aisha aren't much better for their headaches, but at least they don't have to deal with being able to hear the upper pitches of the Sprites' sounds - they yell "Bloomix!"

As it turns out though, sound waves make an effective shield against magical attacks - too bad they didn't know this beforehand, would've come in useful for years. The Sprites knock the transformed fairies out, leaving just Musa and Techna to deal with the nuisances - they don't have transformations, barely have magic.

The two girls, along with the Pixies, run into the caves with Musa playing a clarinet to get the Sprites to follow them. They get to what must be the Pandemonium Cave, where the Sprites were trapped by the sounds of harmonious sounds until Selina freed them.

Musa and Techna get the idea to sing to block out the Sprites, and they're in the place with the best acoustics to do it. Musa's voice makes a shield around them, and then they earn their Bloomix.

Techna uses her new powers to amplify Musa's voice even further, and the Sprites are gone when they look around again after Musa sings once again.

Diletta and all the Auditorium students congratulate Techna and Musa for defeating the Sprites, and the two girls can't stop smiling hugely. The song the two of them came up with together will forever be remembered as it echoes through the Golden Auditorium - and right on cue, they hear Musa's voice singing again.

* * *

That night, while still nursing a pounding head, Bloom hears Techna and Musa talking about her guitar playing again - only to discover Techna's setting up a new amplifier for her and wants it to be ready. Bloom sighs in relief, and quietly closes the door.

Meanwhile, at the Eraklyon Institute, the Trix are using Cloudtower to attack the school. Most of the fairies are running - or flying, in this case - away to safety, but one familiar one flies up.

The Trix grin, and Icy says "Well, Diaspro, long time, no see. We heard you'd been disgraced from the royal court, something to do with Bloom."

Diaspro scowls, and says "Yes, and I want in on this. All of it. I want to take Bloom down. _Permanently._ "

The Trix all laugh, and Icy says "Music to my ears. You've proven your hatred for Bloom before, so of course we'll let you help destroy her."

Diaspro smirks and says "Excellent. Music to my ears."

* * *

 **AN: Like nobody knew this was coming, Diaspro hates Bloom every bit as much as the Trix! Honestly, I expected her to throw in with the Trix way sooner than now, like being a permanent ally since Valtor gave her the spell to put on Sky. Anyway, now all the girls but Bloom have their new transformation! Sorry I haven't updated in a but, got kind of caught up with the side-story I'm doing. Plus, it helps pass time until May, when the next Avenger movie comes out! I CAN'T WAIT! Enjoy, please review if you have suggestions, more chapters in production - haha, movie joke.**


	271. Third Time's the Charm

_**Third Time's the Charm**_

A few days after the incident in the Golden Auditorium, Marion and Oritel announce they're crowning Daphne as the Crown Princess of Domino - Bloom feels a massive weight lift from her shoulders at the announcement, and fully plans on playing 'bodyguard' for Daphne until the ceremony is over and all the guests have left. Anybody tries to hurt Daphne, she will personally stop them - killing them, but you know - she's had enough of coronations going wrong in her lifetime.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Cloudtower, Diaspro, Selina, and the Trix are working out how they're going to destroy Bloom for good - all of them agree they need to get Bloom out of the picture for good, but none of them know how they can actually pull that off.

It's the very definition of 'easier said than done' - fighting Bloom never works out in any but Bloom's favor, Bloom and anyone else on her side.

Selina has a story in the Legendarium about the Vortex of Flames, a place under the palace of Domino with power so strong not even the Fairy of the Dragon Flame could withstand it. Stormy thinks that's boring until she also mentions the Fire Eaters that live in the Vortex - now that might actually work, fight fire with a Fire Eater. Diaspro has an exclusive invitation to a ceremony happening on Domino, making her the perfect inside agent.

Icy says "Well, looks like we have a plan. Diaspro, you find a way to destroy Bloom and you will have a future with us."

The Trix are all thinking back to what Valtor said so long ago, how Diaspro would make a perfect fourth Trix - they were insulted at the prospect of a fairy working with them, now they'll take anyone who hates Bloom as much as they do; and nobody but Diaspro comes even close to sharing the burning hatred they have for the fire-haired fairy.

* * *

On Domino, Bloom's encouraging Daphne, and gets her to laugh when she half-seriously cracks a joke about keeping an eye out for Frost Giants and assassins.

When Daphne manages to get her laughter under control, she asks "Hey, where is everyone anyway?"

"I don't know, let me check." Bloom runs out to the balcony, and sees Sky and Thoren walking through the courtyard. Ember comes out with her, and jumps up onto the stone after Bloom. "Hey guys! We're up here!"

Thoren looks up and waves, Sky's too engrossed in his phone to answer. Bloom sends him a text saying 'look up and wave!' to him, and he does after a minute. They have to keep going though, but they'll meet up after the ceremony.

When they're out of sight, Bloom is suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness, pain, and it feels like all the warmth has left her body. Bloom's had so few experiences with feeling cold that it's basically a foreign feeling, but this is _so_ not good.

Ember thrums worriedly and sniffs at her face as Bloom gasps for breath and tries to keep her feet under her. The whole world is receding from her, she can hardly hear Ember's thrumming or feel the breaths on her face. Suddenly, she feels a rush of heat and sucks it in as fast as she can - Ember's doing, she breathed a steady stream of fire onto Bloom.

When Bloom can focus on the world again, she gives Ember a grateful smile and says "Thanks, girl. Quick thinking." Ember thrums and sniffs at Bloom's face again. "Yeah, I know, that was weird. Maybe it has to do with giving the girls pieces of the Dragon Flame."

She shakes her head, then looks out at the courtyard when she realizes there's someone out there. All she can see is a flash of red fabric walking away though, she can't make out what magic they have. That alone sets off alarm bells in Bloom's head, only a disguise spell - and one worked so that it disguises their magic trail at that - could hide a person's magic from her. She doesn't have any time to track down her mystery-person though, because Flora comes out right then and tells her everyone is inside.

When they get in, Stella's looking at all their dresses with the look that Bloom's come to know means they're going to be standing six feet in the air on platform shoes. What they end up getting is so top-heavy with the hats and stuff Stella gives them - she said they needed to take their looks up a notch, because a royal coronation is so official.

Bloom rolls her eyes, thinking of the last one she was at - hopefully this one goes better.

Stella's next modification for the dresses replaces the hats and extra fabric with delicate-looking wings attached to the backs where their real ones would be. Stella gives Daphne's dress ruffles, and all six girls say it looks perfect - and then Bloom and Daphne have to go while the other girls head to the front of the crowd with Ember.

* * *

Bloom focuses more on the crowd itself than the speeches being made, but she breaks out in a relieved smile that could split her face in two when Marion puts the Tiara of Domino in Daphne's hair.

Daphne's officially the Crown Princess.

* * *

In the ballroom, Bloom's scanning the crowd for any sign of a red dress, but Roxy comes over and interrupts. "Hey, Bloom! You look fantastic!"

When Bloom focuses on Roxy, her hair is done up in a complicated braid and she's in a teal dress - and she's got a man with light brown hair and a tuxedo close behind her. "You to, Roxy. And who is this? Or have I met him already?" She's got a teasing smirk on her face, knowing the magic radiating off Roxy's partner.

"Well, seems your as sharp as ever, Bloom. Are we ever going to take you by surprise ever again?"

Duman smirks under his disguise spell, and Bloom says "No. Actually, I was looking for someone else. You wouldn't happen to have seen someone in a red dress around here, would you?"

Roxy says "I've seen about five of them. Why?"

"One of them is under a disguise spell. I couldn't sense their magic, only caught a glimpse of their dress."

Duman crosses his arms and asks "So how can you sense my magic?"

"Because your magic is to transform. It's different." She scans the crowd again, and her hand twitches at her side - right where her knife hilt usually is, Duman seriously hopes that's just an old habit.

Sky comes over, and says "Hey, Roxy! Good to see you. Bloom, what's wrong?"

She smiles as she looks at him, and says "Nothing, just playing bodyguard for Daphne."

"I thought that was a joke."

"Half. I really didn't want this coronation to go as badly as the last two I've been alive for."

Roxy and Duman share a look, and Roxy asks "Two? What happened with the first?"

"Frost Giants broke into the Weapons Vault. Nearly took the Casket of Ancient Winters."

Sky says "Well, third time's the charm right? C'mon, let's show these royals how it's done."

They head out to the dance floor, and Duman whispers "Bloom knows how to dance?"

Roxy shrugs, and says "She usually doesn't dance, but Stella said she and Sky taught Bloom. Something about her not knowing how when she first came to Magix."

"Right, Asgard. Why would they dance?"

Duman nearly bursts out laughing when he hears two royals commenting on how Domino has two poised, kind, brave princesses, and how lucky the planet is for the fact - the Bloom he knew on Earth was less 'poised' and more'kick-their-butts-until-they-were-gone.'

They end up dancing alone on the floor with Daphne and Thoren, and then the two couples start floating midair as they dance - but it's not Bloom's magic, and Roxy points Amorae floating there and smiling dreamily. The magic is definitely coming from her, if her expression is anything to go by at any rate.

Suddenly, Roxy grabs Duman's arm in a hard grip and whisper-asks "Remember when Bloom said she was looking for someone in a red dress?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Does she look familiar at all to you?"

When Duman looks where she's pointing, he sees a blonde girl in a red dress - a _familiar_ blonde girl, and the sight of her makes Duman's whole body ache in memory. "You have got to be kidding…"

"What is she doing here?!" They suddenly look down when they hear a low growl coming from around Roxy's feet, and see Ember standing there and looking _mad_ \- quite the feat, given the overall lack of expressions most animals can make. "I know, Ember, she's definitely up to something."

Diaspro gives Bloom and Sky one very dirty look as they sink back down to the ground, and starts forcefully making her way through the crowd.

Roxy mutters "Who put her on the guest list anyway? Last I heard, she'd been disgraced from the royal court last year. Acting out and abusing her post, I think it was."

"Ogron said he found Bloom in a quarry one day, destroying everything in sight, because of something that girl said - while she was…what was it? King's Special Liaison, she was apparently in charge of Sky. And she was doing everything she could to get in between them. Including saying all communication to Sky had to go through her."

Roxy's jaw drops, and she stares at Diaspro in shock. "Whatever it is she's going to try, she deserves whatever Bloom's going to do to her."

Ember growls again, just as the dancing partners land on the ground. Sky thanks everyone for coming, and they see Bloom's eyes rove the crowd again - but with a lot more concentration than before, Ember must've told her. They see her gaze stop dead, and then she suddenly stumbles and faints.

* * *

 **AN: I know, I haven't updated in a while. Got a new idea and wanted to work on it before it was gone - and I've been really busy with school stuff. Massive amounts of Math homework, chemistry, etc. Promise I'm not abandoning this, I just get ideas out of nowhere and this ends up being the result - I get so into one idea that people start wondering if I'm still working on the others. The answer: YES. Absolutely, yes. I'm not giving up on a story just because I get an idea for another. Also, been writing for the Spin-off story a lot, I'll post another of those chapters tomorrow. Enjoy! Hope you all want to see Diaspro get her wings handed to her again!**


	272. Vortex of Flames

_**Vortex of Flames**_

Sky catches Bloom as she falls, then hears her whisper in his mind.

 _Dias…pro…is here…_

That gets him even more worried, but not as much as he is about what is going on with Bloom right this instant. Daphne kneels beside Bloom, and he asks "Daphne, what's wrong with her?"

She focuses for a minute, then says "It's the Dragon Flame, she doesn't have enough of it." All the rest of the Winx make guilty noises, but Daphne says "It's okay, nobody could have known. And Bloom would refuse if you offered to give them back."

Bloom suddenly moans, and says "Some…thing's….coming…run…"

When Sky picks her up to take her to her room, giant, lion-like creatures come out of the hallway - they're dark blue, have manes almost as red as Ogron's hair, and they don't look like they eat grass.

Duman and Roxy finally get why Bloom doesn't care for the royal life - they all start screaming and get into a panic immediately, Bloom would throw her knife into one of them at once and jump onto it's back.

The rest of the Winx transform, and now Duman knows what Daphne was talking about with Bloom's Dragon Fire - she gave most of it to her friends, leaving herself a sixth of her normal amount. No wonder she can hardly talk.

Daphne yells "They're Fire Eaters! Sky, don't let them near Bloom! According to their legend, they'll…they're called 'Fire Eaters' for a reason."

Sky glares at the massive things, and the Winx all blast them to the ground - they just get back up like it was nothing. Daphne mutters "Looks like their legendary endurance is every bit as real as they are."

Stella sarcastically says "I'm going to take a bet and say they're Selina and the Trix's coronation present for you."

"I'm gonna have to send back anything that tries to kill my people - or my sister." She shoots another blast at one, but it _swallows_ the attack like it was nothing.

Sky gets blocked by another of the Fire Eaters - they seem to think Bloom is like candy to them or something - but Thoren knocks it to the side with his hammer. Sky nods in thanks, and they keep moving - only to get blocked by none other than Diaspro - this is just about the last thing Sky can deal with right now, and she's certainly not something Bloom can currently handle. "Get out of our way, Diaspro. I'm not in the mood for any of your games."

"The monsters took over the whole northern wing of the palace. The Vortex of Flames is the only place where we can restore Bloom's powers."

Thoren looks at Sky, and asks "You buying this, Sky?"

"Not for a single instant. You'd never help Bloom, Diaspro. Chances are you're working with the Trix, just like the Millennium party. Now, either get out of our way, or I swear I'll-!" Another Fire Eater comes out of nowhere, and Sky barely has time to shield Bloom with his own body.

They're both knocked to the ground, and Diaspro blasts the monster - then pretends it was so very hard, like the shallow, spoiled girl she is. "Get Bloom and leave Sky here, the Fire Eaters should ignore him if he isn't holding Bloom."

Thoren nods, and throws Bloom over his shoulder to be able to use his hammer. When the Fire Eater gets up off the ground, Diaspro traps it in a giant crystal - seems _that_ wasn't too much work when shooting a few crystal pieces at it was.

* * *

When Sky wakes up, he's being shaken awake by the shoulder - by Roxy and her dance partner. "Ugggnnhh, what happened?"

"You tell us! We just found you out cold here!"

Sky doesn't have to think hard, it all comes rushing back to him. "Diaspro took Bloom to the Vortex!"

Roxy looks at the guy Sky doesn't recognize - which can only mean he's Duman, as he's met nearly every royal that was at the party - and asks "What is that?"

"Diaspro says it will restore Bloom's powers. So either she's lying and it'll kill her, or there's a catch that'll kill her." Sky runs back to the great hall, and comes back maybe a minute later with Daphne - who's Sirenix transformation is identical to Bloom's but with a different color scheme.

"Historically, the Vortex of Flames was a place to test the Dragon Flame. But after so long without being used, it's power has grown out of control. In her current state, Bloom can't handle it - it'll kill her!"

Sky angrily mutters "I knew it. Diaspro, you freaking-"

Roxy says "Get Bloom back first, colorfully curse Diaspro out later."

They follow Daphne deep into the palace, and get in earshot of the right place just in time to hear "Now, just place Bloom in the Vortex. The rest will take care of itself."

Another voice asks "In there? Are you sure?"

"She's the fairy of the _Dragon Flame_. Therefore, fire is good for her. It's not that hard to figure out."

Duman snickers and says "If she only knew."

Roxy mutters "I've seen Ember breathe a stream of fire onto Bloom, she just absorbed it like Stella does sunlight."

Daphne yells "Thoren, don't!"

Sky adds "Don't listen to her, Thoren!"

Thoren glares at Diaspro, and yells "You are one twisted girl!"

"Oh, please. This is me on a good day." She blasts Thoren and knocks him to the ground, and levitates Bloom over the fire pit - none of which gets even a twitch out of her.

Duman could transform and tear the girl to pieces, except that would break the only thing keeping Bloom from falling to what would likely be her death - and then he realizes the heat coming out of that thing is enough to cook something in an instant, and the shimmering in the air has vanished above Bloom.

He nudges Roxy in the ribs and mentally says _She really is an idiot, she's holding Bloom in so much heat she'd be on an overload in any other circumstances._

Roxy nearly snickers at that, but nobody else seems to notice the fact that Bloom's fingers start twitching.

Sky yells "Diaspro, don't you dare!"

She scoffs "Give it up, Sky. Your too good for her! She's just a half-animal freak who happened to be born into a responsibility she doesn't deserve or care about!"

Everybody shares a look at that, Diaspro's really grasping at straws here if she thinks Bloom doesn't care about her responsibilities. She was on that two-year-long obsessive search for the curse that was put on Daphne so the elder princess could have her life back, she became part-dragon to better protect the Dragon Flame - and Diaspro's just a spoiled brat who cares more about getting Sky to be with her than the consequences of what she does, she's got no right to say anything.

One look at Sky says he's furious beyond the telling of it, but before anyone can react Diaspro's hit with a blast of magic from the side and slammed into a wall - orange magic, looks like Diaspro used up all her time. The magic holding up a now-conscious Bloom ends, and she falls into the Vortex - until Sky and Daphne catch her hand.

Bloom looks up gratefully, saying 'Thanks for keeping her talking, guys. Seriously, who holds the Fairy of the Dragon Flame over a giant firepit?!"

Daphne starts laughing, and then she starts crying, and Sky says "Let's get you out of there."

Roxy kneels next to them, and says "Bloom, you have excellent timing. Um, how much of her rant did you hear?"

"The heat woke me up, I heard more than enough. And yes, I know it's baking in here - which is why I'm awake." She suddenly looks down and sees the fire spiraling up, and her breath catches in her throat - she knows fire is dangerous, but it's also rather beautiful at times as well.

The five-headed dragon that's formed from the fire, not so much.

She suddenly says "Guys, you take care of the Fire Eaters."

Thoren says "She's not kidding guys, look!" They're surrounded!

Roxy nervously says "Bloom, now would be a great time to come up with one of your plans."

Duman mutters "No kidding."

Bloom bites her lip, and says "Hold them off, I'll be right back." and pushes away from the wall - and out of Sky and Daphne's hands. Sky screams her name, Daphne flies down after her - and gets thrown back by a wave of magic once Bloom hits the magical fires.

She gets thrown back so hard she hits a Fire Eater and sends it through the wall. Thoren goes to her side and helps her up, asking "You alright?"

"The test has started, and it's Bloom's test to pass or fail. Either she beats that thing down there, or she dies." Daphne glares at Diaspro, looking like she wants to set the girl on fire herself, but blasts at the nearest Fire Eater.

Duman nervously says "I've seen Bloom fight and all, but…"

Roxy finishes "But a five-headed dragon that's designed to test the Dragon Flame and who's power has grown uncontrollable is a bit much even for her?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up."

* * *

In the Vortex of Flames, Bloom's having an apparent staring contest - or glaring contest, in this case - with the five-headed dragon.

 _It's just another dragon, nothing you can't handle._

The thing's tail suddenly lashes out, knocking her to the side. "Alright then, my turn. Dragon of Domino!" She manifests the Dragon Flame into a corporeal dragon and sends it at the opposing one - and then runs along the wall, and jumps on the thing's back and ties it's heads together. "Come on, you giant, scaly, overgrown lizard! Let's see what you can do!"

It lets out a roar of anger and pain when she binds all its heads together with a rope made of fire, and then even more when she cuts off one head with her sword and stabs another with her knife.

Her own dragon is doing a lot of damage on its own, and Bloom gets an idea - when it tries to shake her off, she takes her sword and knife and lets it. She lands at the bottom of the Vortex, where the source of all the fire is, and plunges her sword and knife into them along with her hands. She fashions an expanding rope from the fires, and throws it at the middle head - sure enough, it ties the thing's jaws shut.

She then grabs her weapons and jumps onto her dragon's back, and charges straight for the dragon. It explodes in a burst of fiery magic, carrying her up to the top of the giant pit to the others.

* * *

Roxy winces and her face falls when they all hear the roar coming up from the bottom of the pit - it could mean anything, and Bloom is nowhere near her full strength…

Daphne says "Everybody get in a huddle!"

They do, charging up spells and getting their weapons ready - until a familiar and _oh so very welcome_ knife comes soaring through the air and hits the nearest Fire Eater in the head. It gets consumed by the fire from the knife, and everybody looks over in the direction of the spell that gets shouted.

Bloom's floating there, in the same kind of transformation as the rest of the Winx and looking very happy about the fact.

Daphne and Roxy fly up and hug her, which she returns so hard Roxy starts desperately hitting her back as a sign of 'loosen up!'

When they land, Sky immediately gives Bloom a crushing hug of his own, and says "Bloom, do me a favor and never, _ever_ scare me like that again."

Duman suddenly laughs so hard he has to hold his sides, and yells "You are the freaking luckiest, most danger-prone fairy I've ever met!"

Bloom smirks, crosses her arms, and says "No arguments there."

Diaspro moans, and only just now wakes up from the blow Bloom gave her. "Ow… _what in the hell?_ " She's staring at Bloom in horror, shock, and no small amount of fear.

Bloom says "Looks like you finally said something true, Diaspro. The Vortex of Flames did restore my powers, fire is good for me. Congratulations, too bad you had to try to commit murder of a princess to achieve that." Diaspro just falls sideways in a dead faint, and Daphne quickly casts a spell to bind her in chains.

Roxy looks over at Bloom's knife, and asks "What happened? Your knife is silver-orange, but now it looks almost white!"

"I might have put my knife and sword in the fires of the Vortex, had them absorb the power of it. Diaspro really is an idiot."

She doesn't mention the tiny little detail of her dress, Stella's going to go ballistic about it though. She got clawed at, attacked, and rode a five-headed dragon - and it was not at all appreciative of the last one, trying to bite her and roast her and all.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Bloom handled the test with ease - like subduing a dragon is anything new to her. Or having an attempt on her life, after so many years of fighting people. And yeah, I thought I'd give her weapons a boost as well, seeing as she uses them so much. But seriously, who the heck holds the girl who can absorb heat over a massive pit full of fire if your trying to kill her? I know they said the Vortex of Flames would be too much for her, but seriously? They should have taken her to Omega or something - somewhere _cold!_ Throwing her into a pit of the element that she draws strength from? Not the smartest move. On any of their parts. Especially since the Vortex of Flames had the only power that could stop the Fire Eaters. Anyway, enjoy! Comment, review, suggest myths and such, tell your friends about the story, anything you want to do! More updates coming soon, just have a lot to do at the moment. And, I'm sorry to say, as Crown Princess Daphne can't stay single - one part of ruling your kingdom is having an heir to the kingdom because your not going to live forever. It's the reason why I made Sky and Thoren so far apart in family - because SKy's cousin marrying his fiancé's sister was kind of weird. As for being overprotective, got that covered. Promise. Daphne might not have gotten a massive power-boost because the Vortex tests the Dragon Flame and it was already started - nobody messes with the test kind of thing - but she does draw from it and is viably the second-most powerful person in the universe from that, or was now that all the Winx have powers from the Dragon Flame. It's why Bloom was searching through ancient and powerful curses to find what turned out to be the Sirenix Curse. **


	273. Threat Stopped

_**Threat Stopped**_

Most of the Winx are trying and failing to stop the Fire Eaters in the Ballroom, these things have skin thick as a dragon's hide! The Dragon Flame makes it easy to blast them to the ground, but they just keep coming back up for more - like Bloom when she's really mad, except they don't seem to need to heal themselves.

Stella says "Girls, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Flora says "No kidding! I really wish Bloom was here!"

Like her wish was granted, one of the Fire Eaters suddenly has a sword sticking out of it from behind - and Bloom does a backwards somersault and lands on the ground.

The Winx all cheer, and Musa yells "You got your Bloomix!"

"Yeah, and guess what? Hey, Fire Eaters! Want a snack?" She holds up her hands, cupped together and filled with fire - and sure enough all the giant lion-things run to her. Before they can even get within a foot of her, she lets the magical explosion cupped between her hands go, destroying all of them. The Winx cheer, and then give Bloom five flying tackles and end up spinning around about ten times.

Flora says "Don't ever scare us like that again!"

Musa adds "Especially not when the Trix and Selina try to kill you again!"

Bloom smirks and says "No promises, but I'll try to keep the too-close-to-death-for-comfort situations down to a minimum."

They all start laughing at that, and and then another Fire Eater charges out from another hallway - looks like Diaspro wasn't totally lying when she said the Fire Eaters were all over the palace. They clear a path to the front doors, and the guests run out to safety - on Bloom's insistence.

* * *

Finally, when all the Fire Eaters are gone, Stella says "Now we can get on with the party!"

They all change back, except for Bloom. She bites her lip, and says "Actually…I'm good like this."

Stella stares at her for a minute, then practically screeches "Don't tell me you wrecked the dress in less than a day!"

Bloom says "I didn't, blame Diaspro! She's the one that threw me in a hole in the ground with a five-headed dragon inside!"

Stella groans and asks "How bad is the damage?"

Bloom chews on her bottom lip for a minute, then asks "You know how people on Earth say they 'totaled' a car when it's cheaper to get a new one than repair it?"

"No, tell me you didn't-"

"The dress is totaled, compliments of a magical five-headed dragon and the girl who decided it was a good idea to try and kill the Fairy of the Dragon Flame by throwing her in a pit of fire. Oh, speaking of which…" She teleports away, then comes back a minute later with Diaspro struggling in her chains and looking really pissed at Bloom - she's also gagged, she's got a band of fire magic going over her mouth.

Before anyone can react, Stella screams " _DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO GET BLOOM IN A DRESS?! MUCH LESS THE CHANCES OF IT SURVIVING THE NIGHT INTACT?!_ "

Bloom sputters a laugh, and says "Stell, if it's really that big of an issue…" she changes to her Harmonix outfit, making Duman snicker and barely hold back a whole fit of laughter, Roxy smirk and whisper "Same old Bloom." and Stella groan and say "Bloom, you really need to learn to like a dress. Or at least not destroy one every time you wear them."

"I don't ruin one _every_ time I wear it, only when I nearly die, my heart gets broken, or other exciting circumstances." She turns to her Enchantix form in the midst of the rest of the Winx's laughter, then disappears in a cloud of orange sparkles.

Sky's phone buzzes a minute later, likely a text from Bloom telling him where she went.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Duman and Roxy are out on the balcony, and Roxy says "Life is never dull with Bloom around, is it?"

"No, there's that. Her life is never dull, Rox."

She grins, and then looks out at the courtyard - all of the guests ran off to their own planets after they escaped the palace, thanking the Winx and company profusely, but now there are two people out on the courtyard. Duman focuses, and realizes it's Bloom and Sky - apparently, Bloom teleported out here.

Roxy whispers "We should go inside."

"We can't hear them. Besides, I'm really curious as to how much damage that dress of hers actually took. We never saw. Never actually seen Bloom in a dress that wasn't a transformation, so…"

Roxy hits him on the shoulder playfully, and says "Stella says she stopped even tolerating most when she went to Pyros - maybe something to do with the Millennium Party, maybe something about Pyros, maybe a bit of both. Apparently that dress was burned to ashes. And it took two years to get her to wear another."

"Hence my curiosity. Bloom never struck me as the type to even look at a dress, much less wear one."

Roxy says "You have a point there. She also doesn't wear earrings, she only has the holes because of her Enchantix form. Or makeup, or even lip gloss."

Duman dryly says "We noticed that, she had a total lack of the stuff in Gardenia."

Roxy chuckles and says "Bloom told me that Stella got her twenty pounds of the stuff right before this whole mess with a sentient robot started, something about a party she was not missing. Along with shoes, accessories, and they finally went back to Earth at around dinnertime - and they left right after breakfast."

Now Duman simply has to laugh until his sides hurt, this would be why they never saw Bloom shopping for clothes even once. When he finally manages to stop laughing, he looks down and sees Bloom and Sky dancing - and then they just hug and start swaying together.

"Well, they look like the stereotypical 'perfect couple' down there. Why exactly was Bloom not dating him again?"

Roxy quietly says "She wanted him to be around. I'd think tonight is a good example of why she stopped dating him. Diaspro's just insane by now, I think. She keeps trying to kill Bloom, who knows when she'll decide to go down the 'if I can't have him, nobody can' road?"

"You mean when she gets her powers back and escapes the life sentence she got from Daphne and their parents? Because I seriously doubt Diaspro's going to get out of there any time soon."

"You should hear Bloom's story about what happened in Greenwich, it's the exact same thing but with Diaspro getting the Trix out of Lightrock Monastery. Powers taken away and all. Same with Tritannus and the three witches in Andros's underwater dungeon."

Duman sighs and says "These people really have good luck with getting out of places, don't they?"

Roxy says "Or Bloom has bad luck with her enemies staying in jail."

They suddenly hear the song 'You Belong With Me' playing - either Bloom's doing another illusion or she's got her phone out. They start dancing again, completely oblivious of their audience - or maybe not, as Bloom can sense heat signatures.

Thoren comes out maybe a minute later, looks out at the dancing couple, and mutters "Sky's either really brave or really, really clueless about Bloom."

Roxy and Duman share a look, and Roxy asks "About what?"

"Does she happen to have oh, I don't know, a split personality or something? Because while we were looking for Fire Eaters, she told me she'd feed me to something called the mountain dragon in pieces if I ever hurt Daphne."

Duman chuckles, and says "No, that's not a split personality. That's Bloom being rather attached to her family. I suggest not even arguing with Daphne, because after she was kidnapped by Tritannus Bloom got really twitchy about people hurting her."

Roxy says "Bloom's not as bad as she seems at first, you just have to get to know her outside of a battle."

Duman adds "Don't tick her off too badly, as she knows how to be extremely terrifying when she wants to be. Just saying."

Roxy suddenly asks "By the way, what was going on with you and Sky before?"

Thoren sighs and says "We were in school together on Eraklyon when we were younger. We were looking for animal tracks one day in the forest, and got ambushed. I was terrified, and then one of the bandits nearly took my head off and that was it. I ran in a random direction, got completely lost for six hours straight, and Sky's hated me ever since. 'Til today, when I helped fight off the Fire Eaters and protect Bloom. And I was about eight back then, so you know."

Roxy shrugs and says "Hey, I was just curious is all. Because it seemed like you two really didn't like each other."

They suddenly see a warm glow, and look down at the courtyard to see Bloom glowing bright orange - they're kissing now, big surprise there.

When it becomes apparent they've entirely forgotten the entire rest of the world, Thoren goes back inside talking to himself and Roxy and Duman quietly debate whether or not they should interrupt. Duman says it would probably be really funny, Roxy says Bloom would likely be really ticked off - the threat of an angry Bloom is what keeps him from calling out to the pair and completely ruining their moment.

* * *

 **AN: Yay, another chapter is up! Celebratory posting for my B-Day! And so everyone knows, Diaspro got herself a life sentence with this very public, and very failed, attempt on Bloom's life. All the other times were either on Pyros or not in the Magical Dimension - so, not common knowledge or even provable without raising a lot of questions. Questions such as why Bloom was on Pyros in the first place, which she _really_ didn't want to bring up. Good luck with the Trix trying to get her out, if they even think about her again. She just disappeared in the middle of the fight with Daphne and never came back in the series, so it's not likely that she'd have gotten a warm welcome anyway. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, Bloom's dress is in tatters now. The five-headed dragon wasn't at all pleased to have a rider it was trying to eat, so just think a lot of tears and scorch marks from it's fiery attacks. When she said 'totaled' she really did mean 'totaled' like the car accident. Enjoy, more chapters in production! Can't wait for the next Avengers movie! Infinity War! Wonder just how mad I'm gonna make him that the Aether is gone...**


	274. Lost Library

_**Lost Library**_

A few days later, Bloom's finally convinced her friends to lay off on keeping an eye on her for any more signs of her magic being low - she's convinced it was also fueled by guilt, despite the fact that she says they couldn't have known something would happen other than them getting their powers again.

She's in her room, drawing, when she hears Stella shout _"Get out of my boutique!"_

When she comes running out, there's a bunch of _bugs_ flying and crawling down the stairs and into Flora's plants. They start swarming towards her and Ember, until Bloom starts channeling Pyros and they fly way the heck back.

Flora asks "Isn't it great, meeting all these new friends? Oh, Bloom, your scaring them!"

Bloom stares at her disbelievingly, and then the rest of the girls come in and immediately get swarmed by bugs - they head over by Bloom, seeing as she's got a bubble of clear space all around her thanks to her connection to Pyros.

Bloom says "Flora, having new friends is one thing. Turning our apartment into a bug-house is another!"

"What's wrong with living peacefully with nature?"

Musa says "Nothing, except we're not _in_ nature at the moment - we're in our apartment! And Grizelda will have a fit if she sees them!"

Flora sighs, and says "Alright. The smell of a Treeman's Orchid will lure them back to their natural habitats." When she conjures one up, everyone gets why it'd send the bugs running - it stinks worse than a Corpse Flower on Earth! It must be the Magix equivalent, very pretty but smells disgusting.

When the bugs are all gone, Bloom makes the plant disappear and starts opening windows. Roxy walks in, and immediately asks "What is that smell?"

Bloom calls back "The Magix version of a Corpse Flower. Don't ask why we needed it."

Roxy says "Done. What I actually came in here for was some help. I can't break the spell the Trix used on Mrs. Griffin!" She's still in Roxy's arms, still a bird, and still looking sad and desperate.

Flora says "Come with me." She gets a bottle of a potion she made and starts shaking it up, saying "To nullify a transformation spell, we need a potion! I made this one using extracts from some of my plants' immune systems. Here, try this."

She uses a dropper to get some of the potion in Griffin's beak, and she starts glowing brightly before the light suddenly breaks - it nearly worked, but it wasn't enough.

Bloom says "Maybe professor Palladium can help." She picks up Mrs. Griffin, and Ember climbs up onto her shoulders and sniffs at the bird sympathetically - and then everyone jumps four feet in the air when Grizelda slams the door open and says the girls are wanted in the History of Magic classroom.

* * *

Mrs. Faragonda and Daphne have a name for Selina's magical book - the Legendarium, it supposedly holds every story and legend in existence.

Bloom says "Well, now we know for sure where she's getting all these monsters and legends. Next step, figure out how to destroy it."

"I'm afraid you already tried that, and with disastrous results."

Aisha asks "So how do we stop it from being used?"

Daphne says "The Legendarium is indestructible, but it wasn't always in the wrong hands. From what I've read, it was guarded by a Fairy Godmother named Eldora, kept in the Secret Library of Alexandria. She supposedly wrote everything she knew of the Legendarium in a dairy she left in the library, including how to lock it forever."

Bloom says "Well, looks like we're off to Alexandria then!"

Bloom focuses, and hears talking in the background - in some familiar voices, looks like she's back to listening in on her enemies' plans.

* * *

In Cloudtower, the Trix and Selina are using Griffin's crystal orb to see the conversation happening. Daphne is saying how they can pretend that her class is going on a study-abroad trip to Earth, and Bloom comments that she always wanted to travel.

Darcy says "Ha, a study-abroad trip? What a lame disguise!"

Icy says "There's no fooling us. We'll attack them before they can even find the library."

Selina says "A sneak attack, I like it."

Icy orders "You're not going anywhere, Selina. I need you to stay here and use Griffin's crystal orb to keep an eye on things."

Stormy says "Time to go fairy-hunting, sisters!"

* * *

 _Time to go fairy-hunting, sisters!_

Bloom smirks, these three wouldn't know fairy-hunting if a manual floated up in front of them and read itself to them - amateurs, really. At least the Wizards never planned anything that she heard because they were scrying her.

 _Hm, looks like I can mess with them for a bit._

She might not be evil, but nobody said she should be nice to her enemies when they're tagging along to ruin their mission.

* * *

When they get to the courtyard, Stella gives them new outfits for Alexandria - and there's about a dozen different preservation spells on Bloom's, to give the fabric a chance of surviving the adventure.

The guys suddenly show up in the Owl, and they take one look at their girlfriends and look like their brains have stopped working. Timmy recovers first, and soon the rest of the guys manage to get their legs working enough to get down the stairs.

Techna goes over to Daphne while the others are talking, and asks where the other girls going with them are. They run in just then, and the girl with brown hair in a bun says "Sorry we're late, our bad."

Techna says "Let's try to stay on schedule. We've got forty-eight hours to travel, and we're already fifty six seconds past when we should have left."

The girl with brown hair looks slightly taken aback, but her orange-haired friend angrily mutters "Are you kidding-" the blue haired one puts a hand on her arm, saying "Quiet."

* * *

When they get to Alexandria, Icy's thinking maybe this wasn't the best of ideas - she feels like she's getting heat stroke, and being near the living furnace that is Bloom doesn't help matters in the slightest.

They're just lucky Darcy's disguise spell shields their magic trails from the Winx, but it means they can't use any magic without being discovered.

Daphne's talking about how the library is hidden so well that only this Eldora woman and a few others know of its location, and Stormy mutters "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Icy breathes out "You don't know the half of it."

They've been going for maybe twenty minutes, it feels like as many hours to her. Stella's complaining about her feet and the heat - Icy thinks there's no possible way she's got _anything_ on her when it comes to complaints about the heat.

Bloom puts a hand on Stella's shoulder for a minute, and then Stella says "Thanks, Bloom. You have no idea how much that helps."

Darcy mutters "Tell me she didn't just suck the heat from Stella."

Icy groans "I'd ask her to do that for me, except it'd give us away…"

When they get up on weather balloons, it's somehow even _hotter_ than down below - and the Trix are convinced Bloom knows it's them, because she's in the same balloon as them. They also swear she's ramping up the heat coming off her even more - _she's freaking evil!_

They haven't turned her evil ever since Darkar did and Stormy's nerves got temporarily friend so badly by Dark Bloom, but this fairy is easily the worst one to get on the bad side of. She knows how to draw out an unofficial punishment/torture for sneaking onto the trip, that's for sure. It also means they can't do anything to make the trip more interesting - or even let Icy cool herself off with a little magic.

Bloom's practically a living furnace on overdrive, despite the fact that she's not actually using much if any magic, and Icy couldn't be happier when Flora uses her magic and senses many plants underground - it means they can get out of the hot air balloon and away from Bloom and her endless heat, _she's basically a walking, talking heat wave!_

When they get into the tunnel, Icy immediately sighs in relief to be out of the sun and in a relatively cool spot - this is so not her greatest idea ever. They played it extremely safe, putting on a sugary-sweet act because the girl that's capable of handling all three of them at once was not a foot away from them for a whole hour and they really didn't want to find her knife anywhere but in its sheath. Even now she's got that accursed belt on, she just keeps changing the color to match whatever Stella has her wearing - they're betting the same thing goes for the jacket she usually wears, because she hardly ever goes anywhere without it.

Stella suddenly screams "NOT AGAIN WITH THE SPIDERS!" and backs into a wall covered in ancient hieroglyphics. She presses a hidden plate in the wall, and the door slides open with a grinding sound.

When they get inside, there's got to be a million books on the shelves they _can_ see easily - looks like this diary is going to be harder to find than they thought. Daphne and Bloom look ecstatic though, they're in what can only be described as a dream for the two bookfairies.

Bloom says "I'll find the diary."

Daphne says "We'll keep the cover going."

Musa sarcastically says "Studying abroad. Let's start looking around, girls."

The Trix are wondering how exactly Bloom's going to find the diary on her own in what must be a complete maze of passages and corridors - she uses an intuition spell. She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them with a confident smile and takes off running in a direction.

Stella mutters "She's got to teach us that spell at some point. Made-up by her or not."

Musa says "No kidding. That spell never leads her wrong."

Of course, this would be the perfect opportunity for a monster to attack - so, a bunch of mummies trailing their wrappings appear out of nowhere and attack.

* * *

 **AN: here's a joke, what happens when two people with ice and fire powers share a hot air balloon in the middle of the desert? One of them melts, the other is fine! I so love making the Trix pay for these kinds of plans! It's so much fun! Same with Bloom knotting their tentacles together, couldn't stop laughing the whole way through writing it! As for my recent lack of updating, so very sorry about that. school picked up speed again, and I've been really into Guild Wars 2 lately. along with working on some ideas that are actually panning out - I like to make sure they won't fizzle before I post them, so the stories won't turn into those abandoned, half-finished works that you so desperately want to be updated. One of my pet peeves, when a story that really has you just stops and is abandoned. Enjoy, more updates coming in the future! Will try to update more, never abandoning this story! I've already written so much it'd be a crime to just stop now. Review if you have suggestions!**


	275. Mummies Unraveled

_**Mummies Unraveled**_

Bloom's following her instincts, and with the spell she made up shortly after getting the Gem of Courage they never lead her wrong. She heads down a corridor, then takes a sharp left and goes to the room it takes her to, then finds the hidden room with a little intuition - and there's a book that looks like Flora designed it sitting on a pedestal!

 _That's got to be Eldora's diary!_

Bloom quickly grabs it and stuffs it into her hidden bag, then turns around when she hears three sets of footsteps behind her. "Well, I was wondering when you'd show up."

She turns around to see the three girls they took with on the trip - the Trix in disguise. They play an innocent act, trying to get Bloom to say she's found the diary - Bloom walks over casually, then suddenly picks Icy up by the throat and slams her into the wall. "You…you know…"

"Knew, actually. Little tip," she grabs Stormy by the throat as she charges up a spell and holds her next to her sister, "next time you plan a sneak attack, don't do it while I can hear you. Now, Darcy, take the disguise spell off."

It melts away in an instant, even as Icy and Stormy keep clawing at her hands to get her to let them go. Bloom instantly spells Darcy to the wall, tying her to it with some fire chains and doing the same with her sisters.

Darcy says "You don't have the diary."

"Says who? You three should know by now that I'm full of surprises."

Icy chokes out "Why'd you…let us…come?"

"Because I thought it'd be fun to see just how long you'd wait before doing something stupid. Because I thought I'd have some fun while keeping you from doing anything. And because if you didn't get to come, you'd have had Selina summon something far sooner. You think I can't sense her magic right now? Or hear the slow shuffling and sounds of something trailing along the floor?"

Icy starts trying to freeze the chains when Bloom pushes her sunglasses up to her forehead, reminding them of exactly why they're so scared of her now and why they should be. Darcy stammers "Y-y-you wouldn't-"

"Kill someone? You mean like Tritannus? News flash, ladies, Tritannus wasn't the first being I've ever killed, and he likely won't be the last. You think you know me? Know I would or wouldn't kill you? I let you underestimate me from the very beginning, got a feel for how powerful you were the night we met. I've been doing magic since I was five years old, ladies. You never knew a thing about me from the very beginning, and you still don't know enough. Get this through your heads: you will never beat me in a straight fight, you will never win."

They suddenly hear a moan, and all four turn to look at the mummy standing in the doorway. Bloom smirks, and sarcastically says "Well, let's see what all those bandages are hiding!" She snaps her fingers, and the nearest bandage starts getting magically pulled towards her - turns out there's nothing but dust under the wrappings. Bloom smirks, having figured that anything that smells as old as these things has to have rotted away by now, and asks "Seriously? Mummies? I think your running out of ideas. Now, why don't you three run off for a bedtime story or whatever?"

Icy glares at Bloom, and says "I swear I'm going to freeze you solid and throw you into Omega!"

"Right, like they did with you three. How long did it take you to get out of there?"

Darcy quickly says "You don't have the book. The diary."

Bloom holds up her hand and makes an illusion of the book, asking "You mean this diary? Oh, and what exactly did you do to the real girls we were taking with? Turn them to frogs or something?" She lets the illusion disappear when she sees the looks on their faces, and says "You did turn them to frogs. Well, looks like Roxy and I have three amphibians to find after we get back to Magix." She shrugs and leaves the room, casually looking back over her shoulder and saying "Oh, and I'd get out of those pretty quick if I were you. Just a hunch, but I don't think the mummies know who they should and shouldn't attack."

She walks away casually, whistling even, and the three witch-sisters start struggling like mad to get out of the bonds. Finally, Icy yells "Selina! Tell me you can hear me!"

 _Yes, Icy. If Bloom is so dangerous, why did you corner her?_

"Just get us out of here! And tell the mummies not to attack us!"

 _Sorry, but I can't help with that second part. I ordered them to rise, not to attack the Winx and leave you three alone - it would have been suspicious, I'd think._

Darcy yells "Bloom already knew we were here! She heard us planning it apparently!"

 _Really? That's news to me._

Stormy says "Us to, but can you get over here and get us out of these chains? She did not exactly make them painless!"

Selina appears out of nowhere, and starts yanking at the chains - it doesn't work, it does give her burns on her hands though. A bucket of water just turns to steam, they really can't get out of these chains! Finally, they just teleport back to Cloudtower to work on them - and Selina has to find a new legend to summon, because the mummies are pathetic with how easily they're beaten.

* * *

In the library, Bloom teleports back to the entrance hall of the library - only to find there are about a dozen mummies shuffling around - and getting spun around and turned into piles of wrappings as the fight goes on. Daphne asks "Did you find the Diary?"

"Yeah, and three wanna-be fairies. Turns out we've got to go looking for three frogs after this adventure is over."

All the girls gasp, and Daphne asks "My students…"

"Weren't your students here, Daph. It was the Trix."

When the last mummy is beaten, Bloom suddenly gets a very, _very_ bad feeling that something is happening at the surface.

When they teleport up there, the ruins they arrived in are engulfed in a massive sandstorm - and it sure doesn't feel natural. There's a massive negative energy in the sand, and Bloom can just make out the figure in the middle of it - the fact that he's glowing bright red doesn't help matters.

Daphne yells "That must be Set! The Egyptian God of Evil! He's supposed to control the desert itself!"

Bloom yells "I'm gonna kill you, Selina!"

This guy's power feels similar to the Aether's, dangerous and deadly and like it wants to eat her away from the inside out. Suddenly, Stella points to the sky and asks "Can Set also do _that?!_ "

When they look up, Bloom grins and says "No, but some friendlier gods can!"

The Bifrost touches down a few feet away, leaving Thor, Loki, and Hela in its wake.

* * *

 **AN: I know, really long break between chapters. SORRY! Got a few things to work on for classes - but, I wanted to say happy Spring Break everyone! Hope nobody went crazy waiting for this next chapter, really hope nobody gave up on the story. Been working out new ways for Selina to try and kill Bloom - like it's worked so well this far for anyone - and I think I have something good! No spoilers, sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I'm also working on a spin-off of my Harry Potter and Winx Club crossover - still killing time 'til the next Avengers movie. Going to go crazy waiting otherwise. Because, everyone, this is what I happen to love doing. So, I can assure you I won't give up on the story, it WILL be completed eventually, etc. Please review, maybe make a suggestion if you want to see Selina throw something at Bloom at random times. Enjoy! More updates coming! Happy Spring Break!**


	276. Stopping Set

_**Stopping Set**_

Bloom flies forward and tackles the three Asgardians in a massive hug, which Thor and Loki immediately return and Hela worms her hand into after a moment. Hela says "Heimdall saw this Set person rise from the desert, and since it's a threat to one of the Nine Realms…"

Bloom delightedly finishes "The King of Asgard and some of his closest and best fighters came with, right? It's _so_ good to see you again."

Loki nods, then says "Bets are Icy was dying in this heat."

Bloom immediately points a finger at him and hits him with a spell, saying "There, this transfers your heat to me."

"Perfect. Oh, and Hela got herself a pet Asgardian Wolf. Named it Fenris."

Bloom sputters out a laugh, despite the circumstances - she raised a dragon, so why not a wolf? "You'll have to let me pet…him? Her?"

Hela says "Her. And, of course."

* * *

Back in Cloudtower, four witches are staring at Griffin's crystal orb in shock - and Selina finally says "You didn't say she had family other than from Domino."

Stormy says "They aren't in Magix!"

"You didn't say they were Asgardian gods either!"

Darcy says "We fought them before, didn't actually get a name for either of them though - and the black-haired woman wasn't at Greenwich back then…"

 _Winx, this is Loki and Hela. Hela's the honorary Goddess of Death. Hela, this is Stella, Aisha, Techna, Flora, Musa, and our sister, Daphne. You two might get along, seeing as Daphne knows everything there is about the History of Magic._

Darcy nervously says "They can't really be gods, can they?"

Selina says "You haven't been on Earth for very long, have you? New York was invaded a few years ago, Thor is part of a group called the Avengers - and yes, he really is the God of Thunder - the guy named Loki was apparently responsible for invading New York, _and now it comes out that Bloom is their adopted sister?!_ That might have been a useful bit of information to know before I summoned a god to try and kill her!"

Icy asks "Why? If they're gods, then they're on the same level as Set."

"A god can kill another god! And she's called the Goddess of Death! Why do you think that is?!" Darcy facepalms, Selina says "Well, looks like I can't really use any Norse myths against her - she'll have heard of them all, likely learned to fight them all, or they'll all know her. Anything else I should know about our extremely dangerous enemy who's getting more dangerous every time I throw something at her? Any other hidden weapons I should know about? A gun perhaps?"

Stormy opens her mouth to make a sarcastic comment, then thinks better of it considering who they're talking about and closes her mouth. Darcy says "We don't know. Honestly, Bloom's got a freaking knife and sword, so…"

Icy says "So there's no telling. It's Bloom."

* * *

Back in Alexandria, the massive sandstorm has gotten even stronger during all the introductions. Thor says "Bloom, take your friends and get out of here. Go-"

"Not in a million years, brother! I may not be a Goddess, but I'm plenty strong enough to fight this guy!"

Loki says "He's a God, Bloom!"

"While I appreciate the concern, really I do, I've fought gods before, Hela here can back me up! Loki, who's the one that found and rescued you?"

Loki facepalms and says "You are not actually-"

"Me. That's what I thought. And who fought our way through that massive maze called Sakaar and found Thor in a Tournament with the Hulk?"

Thor sighs and says "You, Bloom."

"And who's the one that fought Hela and survived?"

Hella adds "And is now my sparring partner. You. What is going on here?"

Loki says "Thor did this exact same thing when he was trying to convince us, Sif, and the Warriors Three to go to Jotunheim."

"Except this isn't any of our doings and we have to stop Set. Let's go!"

She flies off before Loki or Thor can stop her, and Hela says "She's not wrong about any of that. And she's not a child, you two."

Loki grimaces and says "We watched her grow up, Hela. It's different than meeting her when she's already grown and fighting."

"Hm, I can imagine. But, a later date boys. Our youngest sister is currently fighting an Egyptian god and holding her own." She summons a sword, and runs into the sandstorm as well, Thor starts summoning lightning to his hands, and Loki takes out his knives.

He mutters "Next time we see those three-"

"Kill them. I agree, Brother. This is ridiculous."

"And we can justify it by saying Midgard was in danger, given this mess."

* * *

Over an hour later, Set is finally defeated - after a lot of blasting, getting covered in sand, and feeling like his Chaos magic was eating away at them.

Bloom, Daphne, and the rest of the Winx are thoroughly drained - fighting a god is not easy, no matter what impression Bloom gives - and everyone is feeling the need to jump into the nearest source of water and get rid of what must be twenty pounds of sand and dirt. Stella grumbles "Now I get why you sometimes just jump into a body of water fully-clothed, Bloom. Why did Eldora have to leave her diary in the desert?!"

Bloom snaps her fingers, and all the dirt and dust disappears off everyone. Thor says "Our thanks, Bloom. This was quite the battle. Is this, uh, normal for what they've been sending out?"

Daphne says "No, I don't know where Selina got enough power to summon something as powerful as a god from the Legendarium. Unless the Trix have taken to sharing their power with their partners, doubtful as that is."

Techna says "The chances of the Trix sharing even a scrap of their power with someone, even someone as useful as Selina, is less than one percent. Either that book of hers supplies her with power, she draws off of it, or she's far stronger than we imagined."

Bloom shrugs, and says "Well, we've got a few things they don't. Eldora's diary and the Dragon Flame, for starters." She can practically hear the Trix and Selina start freaking out and debating about what else she might have up her sleeve other than the weapons and tricks she has come up with over her life that they know about. It's so fun to mess with evil peoples' heads. "Speaking of which, let's get a look at this book." She opens it and starts reading, then sees the word 'China' and stops. "Winx, anybody up to visit a really big wall?"

* * *

 **AN: Sorry about the really long wait everyone, school stuff picked up fast. At any rate, I've had plenty of time to figure out new things to pull out of the Legendarium! Such as the Egyptian God of Chaos and Evil! The sphinx seemed a little weak compared to all of Bloom's other adventures and such - i.e. Asgard, Jotunheim, the Dark Elves, etc. - so I figured I'd up the stakes a little, and maybe introduce Hela and Loki to the rest of the Winx. Enjoy! More chapters coming...eventually. Kind of busy with school right now, but not giving up at all!**


	277. Shrine of the Dragon

_**Shrine of the Dragon**_

A day later, the Winx are all in Balloons over China - and Daphne watches Bloom's form with a smile. Her little sister wanted to see all the realms in the Magical Dimension when she was staying at Lake Roccaluce, filled with a curiosity about everything magical and all the things that people know how to do with it. That sense of wonder and curiosity was seemingly crushed back in Cloudtower - it was, in fact, hidden under a deep sense of paranoia and the fear that she'd get taken away again and never escape.

So now, Bloom's been alternating between reading Eldora's Diary and seeing _everything_ around them - Daphne can just imagine Bloom's real pupils completely dilated behind her sunglasses, taking in every new sight.

And, according to Loki - who she's talked to a few times since Bloom ran off to find Odin - she's literally always been this curious about stuff, magic in particular. He answered a million 'hows' about spells and magic - not why it works but how to do it, always wanting to learn and do more magic - and she never seemed to run out of curiosity about magic or what she could learn.

So now that curiosity has just focused on what Eldora was doing in China.

And everyone else has noticed, Stella even joked that they should have just gone on a road trip with Roxy - everyone said 'only if someone else drove.' That, of course, got her all offended.

Bloom says "It looks like Eldora's been all over China! This is amazing!"

Stella says "And freezing! Get over here, Bloom!" Stella and Flora huddle next to her, their shivering instantly getting better. Stella then changes their clothes from Alexandria into coats - unfortunately, those coats are far too big to even balance in.

Bloom snaps her fingers and the coats all change to they fit their forms instead of turning them into walking bowling balls.

Musa says "Thank you, Bloom. Much better."

"Not a problem." She flips a page with a little magic, and says "Eldora went somewhere called the Shrine of the Green Dragon. But there's no mention of where it is or why. There's a name though, Lu Wei. He might know."

Loki's voice suddenly sounds in her ears, saying _If you lean any further over that, you're going to fall out, Sister._

She smiles to herself, and mumbles "Like that's any problem for me. Seems like you've had a lot more time on your hands, Loki."

 _Hm, one of the benefits of not being on the throne. Thor to is wondering how you realized so fast the truth about the throne._

"I paid attention. That's all."

Stella nudges her in the ribs, and asks "Is there a certain brother of yours watching us?"

"Yeah, why?"

Flora says "It's cute how they care."

Bloom's eyes flash orange with an idea, and says "Loki, we're looking for a guy called Lu Wei. Eldora even drew a picture of him. Or you could just search for Eldora herself, though given the fact that her name never came up with the Wizards of the Black Circle it's not impossible that she knows how to hide."

 _Okay, give me a minute._

Sure enough, exactly sixty seconds later, Loki's illusion appears in the balloon basket and says "The Shrine is on that mountain over there. As you said, sister, Eldora knows how to hide her magic. Couldn't find a trace of her. This Lu Wei however, he's a normal human. So he couldn't hide from a simple spell to find him with the Scrying spell."

Bloom grins, and says "Perfect, thank you Brother."

They land, and Musa asks "Are you ever not checking in on Bloom?"

"When I'm not in the library or out at the training ring, I'm in the room with the scrying bowl, spending some time with two of my three sisters. Or attempting to teach Thor a modicum of diplomacy since he's the current King of Asgard."

Bloom sputters out a laugh, and says "Good luck with that." At their questioning looks, Bloom says "Thor tends to think in a straight line. He's a warrior, through and through. Ask him to plan a battle, or fight one and survive, he's all over it. Ask him to work out a peace treaty, it'll likely blow up in a gigantic mess." She shrugs, and says "Wordplay's never been his thing. Ever. Hammer-play, on the other hand…"

Loki grins now, and says "Good luck with this guy. Oh, and the place has huge dragon statues all over the place. You'll love it, Bloom. I'll keep an eye on four witches in Cloudtower."

He grins again and disappears, and Stella asks "Did he point to that little column of ground over there with a building on it? If so, let's get a move on!"

* * *

When they get there however, the man that answers the door says there's nothing he can do to help - even when Stella says they're the good guys in this mess.

Maybe five minutes later, they're all debating about what to do when the sky clouds up with Stormy's dark magic - a dark thunderstorm, with purple lightning. Go figure. Moments later, green dragons that remind all seven fairies of the firedragon Bloom can summon appear in the sky.

Stella sarcastically says "And cue Selina's interference. Right on time, as usual."

The three creatures are supposed to be friendly - either the story is wrong or Selina's powers are messing with their heads, because nobody's definition friendly includes shooting fireballs at them.

The man from before must be Lu Wei, as he is now riding a red dragon and challenging the three green ones. He gets knocked off, and Bloom catches him with some magic and sets him on the ground. He tells them that they have to find three Pearls called 'the Pearls of Restraint' - the one thing that can control these dragons.

Bloom says "Okay. Girls, you find the Pearls. I'll keep these three busy."

At Lu Wei's look, she says "You might say I'm sort of an unofficial Dragon Tamer, not like you though."

Musa lets out a snort of laughter, and says "There's an understatement. Where are the Pearls?"

Lu Wei points them to a nearby mountain, and the six girls go flying while Bloom heads up and gets the dragons' attention. She lets out an ear-piercing whistle, effectively becoming the target for the three snaky flying creatures.

Much to Lu Wei's shock, she somehow manages to get on the back of one, and stays on despite its bucking and roaring. And then, she somehow manages to take control of it somehow - seems this day is literally the craziest he's had since Eldora left for good.

In minutes the six other girls return carrying three glowing objects - they get the Pearls back in the dragon's collars, instantly taming the creatures. Lu Wei thanks the seven girls, giving Bloom a very long look for some obvious reasons, and apologizes for not trusting them before.

Bloom says to forget about it, it's perfectly natural to not trust a group of total strangers right off the bat - she of all people would know that better than anyone.

Unfortunately, he really doesn't know where Eldora went. He does, however, have one clue for them: she always talked about retiring somewhere surrounded by her favorite flower. He has no clue what that flower is called though, or where it grows, but they seem confident the girl with the flower-themed outfit will know. Unfortunately, when he brings out the odd, crystalline flower she left him as a reminder of her, she seems every bit as stumped as him.

Bloom says "There's something about this flower. I know it from somewhere - but I have no idea where though."

After a moment, Musa says "Well, as far as puzzles go, this one takes the cake!"

* * *

 **AN: Alright, next chapter is up! Side-note, there will be a lot more of Loki in this season - he now has much more free time to help Bloom, Daphne, and the rest of the Winx in their adventures. Not on Earth, as Dr. Strange will likely send him falling through a black hole forever, but he can use the scrying bowl to keep in touch and help. He's not pretending to be Odin while Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, and Heimdall keep the Nine Realms from descending into chaos, so now that Thor's officially on the throne Loki's got all day to himself and his own devices. And seeing as Hela's busy training the Einherjar, Sif and the Warriors Three are still quelling trouble around the Nine Realms, those devices usually consist of either reading in the library or keeping in touch with his closest sister. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters in production. Hope you all love the next things I'm going to throw at Bloom - no spoilers, but anticipate some unexpected enemies. Please review!**


	278. Looking to the Past

_**Looking to the Past**_

Icy's pacing in Griffin's office, Darcy's lounging on one of the more comfortable chairs, Stormy's sitting on the desk, and Selina's flipping through the Legendarium.

The trip to Egypt rattled all three witch-sisters, but none more than Icy - Bloom could very well have just suffocated them with the amount of heat in that place, after all. The fact that she turned their plan against them and was possibly torturing them by keeping them from using any magic to even cool themselves off was scary enough, the fact that she instantly defeated them was even worse. One of these times, they're going to get her angry enough that she'll just finish them off for good - they're convinced that she's somewhat amused by their attempts to kill her at this point, because why else would she let them live?

There's no question about _if_ she'll kill them, not after Tritannus, it's a question of when at this point. The thought drives Icy over the edge for a minute, and she turns to Selina and says "Pull something massive out of that book, something not even Bloom could defeat!"

Selina looks at her, and says "She beat a god, Icy! What is there that Bloom couldn't beat?!"

Darcy suddenly says "While I really don't like this idea, there is one person we know of that could match Bloom in power."

They all look at her, and Stormy says "No…you're not thinking of-"

"Valtor. Unfortunately."

"But…he's dead! And he's a freaking monster-demon-thing!"

Icy says "He might be able to defeat Bloom. All we'd have to do is control him."

Selina says "Hm…Valtor. Yes, I've seen that name here before. His story is in the Legendarium. A man made from corrupted Dragon Fire. Bloom's exact opposite. Yes, that could work."

Icy asks "Can you control him if you summon him from your book?"

"Yes, he'd be a bit like a robot. Or a puppet. He'd have to follow whatever commands I give him when I summon him. He'd have consciousness, awareness, but he'd be powerless to do me and any I tell him to not harm - you three, don't give me that look because that's how it works with my powers. And the reason I could summon him is not only because his story is in the book, his fire is still burning. When he was killed, his dark Dragon Fire endured. They didn't extinguish it, it burns still somewhere. Now, before I do though, are you absolutely sure? I only ask because the story in the book paints him as a complete sadistic psychopath who went on a rampage on Domino before Bloom's parents stopped and defeated him."

All three sisters look at each other worriedly, remembering how Valtor changed before their eyes and nearly killed them. The idea that they all had a crush on him is ridiculous and makes them all want to barf, and the idea that he could come back makes them all want to scream - but the idea of finally being rid of Bloom outweighs all of that. Icy says "Yes, Bring him here, Selina."

Selina finds the page with the sorcerer with the long hair and coat, she's read this page so many times - as many as she's read Acheron's page. They're both powerful, but Acheron was trapped by a powerful spell she doesn't have the power to break - Valtor is simply another story in the book, much like every other story she's summoned before. Valtor's story is bloody, gruesome, full of gore, and full of a bottomless ambition to become the most powerful, unchallenged and dominant. All of which puts some doubt in her mind, there's no telling what this guy will do once he's finished the task of killing Bloom - _if_ he can finish it, and that's an 'if' as big as the collection of spells in Cloudtower's vaults.

She reads off the story however, and summons the spark of dark Dragon Fire to them. It appears in the room, and then burns into the familiar shape of a man in a purple coat with long red-blonde hair. Valtor's understandably disoriented for a minute, but gets his bearings quickly enough - the room, at least, should be familiar to him after all. As should three of the four ladies staring warily at him. "Well, seems someone found me after all. Someone other than a fairy who _isn't dead_."

Icy says "So, you remember to. We found Bloom on Pyros, like you wanted. She was doing some kind of ritual or something. Ever since, she's been undefeatable. And she wiped our memories of that, the spell broke when you died."

"So I noticed. Looks like I've got one last member of the Domino Royal family to kill still."

Selina says "All of them, actually. The planet was revived over a year after you died. Which was four years ago."

Darcy says "And the Winx have just gotten stronger and stronger. So have we, but Bloom is different from how you remember. For one, she now has weapons on her at all times."

Stormy adds "And she is freakishly strong now. And she breathes fire. And she kills people if they get her too angry. And it's impossible to pull anything over on her for a while. Like, at all, actually."

Selina clears her throat, and says "There is…one other being I can think of that might be able to kill Bloom. He's supposed to bring about something called Ragnarok, or the end of the Nine Realms."

Valtor raises an eyebrow at Selina, and asks "The Nine Realms? That's a myth."

Icy coldly says "Bloom grew up there, apparently. Her two brothers are the gods of Thunder and Mischief, her adopted sister is the Goddess of Death, an she knows how to swordfight better than her birth parents. Myth or not, Bloom's right in the middle of it. Selina, who's this other being?"

"A four-story tall fire giant that's immune to fire. He might get knocked off his feet, but Bloom's fire blasts won't hurt him."

"Perfect, summon him to. We're going to kill her once and for all!"

* * *

 **AN: Happy Easter everybody! Here's the next chapter! Yes, the Trix are getting beyond desperate by now, turning to a dead wizard they're also scared of - not as scared of him as of Bloom though! And who's the fire giant Selina's found? Find out soon! And Valtor's only here because Sky running his sword through him didn't put out his Dragon Fire. In the cartoon, that took Bloom going to Valtor's core and putting it out herself, and she was a little unavailable at the time. Enjoy! more chapters coming soon! Expect more during the summer, please, as FInals are coming up once again. Wish me luck, thanks for still reading!**


	279. Puzzle Solved

_**Puzzle Solved**_

Bloom's walking through a familiar forest on Earth, hoping that just because it's been two years it doesn't mean she'll have to go through Sibylla's tests once again - especially since this time she doesn't have four evil people in tow.

 _Are you seriously going to go ask these so-called Major Fairies if they know of this Elder?_

Bloom patiently says " _Eldora_ , Brunhilde. Her name's Eldora. And, yes, I am. They've been on Earth for a while, they might have some kind of clue. Besides, Diana's the Fairy of Nature here on Earth. She might have a clue about this flower."

Loki's voice suddenly sounds in her ear instead of Brunhilde's - is the woman drinking even now? - and says _Best of luck, Bloom. I've still found no trace of her._

Bloom conjures up a small handful of fire and starts shaping it as she walks through the cave system, making her way first to the decidedly empty room where they first met Sibylla and then through the massively winding system all the way out to a hidden garden. Sibylla's there alright, along with Ogron, Diana, Anagan, Aurora, and Gantlos.

By the time she finds them, she's shaped and reshaped the ball of fire in her fingers into a small version of the dragon she can summon, a butterfly, etc. - even Belle, at one point. And none of them notice her, and so everyone jumps a good foot and a half in the air when she clears her throat - Aurora going bright red, how is that even possible for her?

After a minute, Gantlos finally says "You are too damn quiet sometimes, Bloom. When did you get here?"

"Just now." They can all tell she's fighting hard not to smirk, and Ogron can feel wave after wave of amusement rolling off her - at least she doesn't say anything about the fact. Or about the fact that she was right.

Sibylla finds her voice first and asks "What brings you back here, Bloom? Seeking protection from someone?"

"Me? No. Though you may well find four witches frantically coming here if they knew about that fact. I have a question, and we can't find an answer. Eldora, she's supposed to have gone somewhere where her favorite flower grows. Problem is, Flora doesn't know what the flower is or where it grows. I was hoping you recognized the name or flower."

She produces the flower for them, but even Diana doesn't recognize it - and none of them know Eldora's name. Gantlos smirks and asks "Your looking for a fairy on Earth? Usually they're back in Magix."

"Her diary was in the library of Alexandria, this mystery flower was in China. This woman knows how to get around. Or she's dead. She'd better not be dead. And somehow I know this flower from somewhere, but I don't know how or where from, and it's literally our only lead to the woman as I've gone through her diary a dozen times cover to cover with no mention of anywhere she found a field of these things. The rest of the girls are-"

Her phone suddenly buzzes, and Flora's excited voice comes out of it when she answers. "Yeah? What? How could there be a greenhouse in Alfea without you knowing about it? _She freaking worked there?!_ Well, that would explain how the place was hidden for so long. Wait, Mrs. Griffin's back to her usual, human self? That's good news, at least. And the three students the Trix turned into frogs, hm? Yay, at least now we have that." She starts pacing as she talks on the phone, and they can hear Flora's excitement-filled voice when the topic turns back to this mysterious greenhouse - who knew?

She eventually shifts the phone to her shoulder and makes another fireball in her hand - that's a lot more worrisome until she starts shaping it like clay somehow, must be part of her powers. She finally hangs up the phone and lets out a long, frustrated sigh - she's got literally no leads on finding this woman other than a flower that none of them can identify, and even where to find it is just out of reach for her, no wonder she looks stressed. Or maybe that's because the Trix and their new friend keep trying to kill her.

Aurora asks "What are you doing?" At her questioning look, Aurora points her hands that are still working at the ball of fire.

"What, this? Old habit of mine, been doing it since I was about seven. One of the lighter parts of having fire powers." The fireball in her hand turns into a bird, flies up, and then explodes in a burst of embers - doesn't seem to help Bloom's headache though.

She turns the flower upside down and rubs her temples, likely so it won't get caught in her hair, and takes a deep breath - and her eyes snap open suddenly, flashing orange with recognition. "I've _smelled_ this thing before?!"

She immediately buries her face in it and takes a _long_ sniff, then starts nonstop talking to keep her freight-train sized thought going. "Gardenia, I've smelled this in Gardenia before. Not when I was flying, not on my rare walks around the city…" She starts pacing faster and harder than she was while she was talking, and they all swear she's gotten warmer than the last time they saw her - physically warmer, like her magic is bubbling just under the surface of her skin.

That theory proves to be very likely true when she suddenly catches fire as she points to Diana and says "Wait, when you attacked Gardenia, you made a spider grow into this monstrously big version of itself. We had to teleport it deep into the forest outside Gardenia. We were so busy trying not to get poisoned, webbed to a tree, or just speared by its legs, I wasn't paying much attention to the area, but… _SHE LIVES IN THE FOREST NEAR GARDENIA!_ " They can see the fire around her burning higher and higher as her thoughts run too fast to track, this would be part of the reason she's so hard to fight - she can think up an entire plan in a few moments if she's got the inspiration, apparently.

All three Wizards are wondering just how they missed so much about her at first though, such as how magic seems to define everything she does, in one way or another. They suddenly notice a man in black leather armor leaning against a wall - when did Loki get in here? Gantlos, Aurora, Diana, and Sibylla don't recognize him, but Bloom seems to know he's standing there. At their alarmed and questioning looks, he smirks at them - exactly like Bloom can, now they know who she learned it from - and passes his hand through the rock wall. He's not really there, just keeping his sister company - no wonder she can tell when people are scrying her, she's had plenty of experience.

Bloom suddenly jerks and goes still, then yells "Stay here!" and takes off at a full sprint down the cave passage.

When Bloom disappears, Sibylla asks "Who are you? And how did you get in here?"

Amusement is a mile thick in his voice as he says "I'm her brother. Ask them if you want the full story, they know it." He then disappears, likely so he can get back to where Bloom is.

Diana says "Well, looks like your story of how fast she can run is true, she was like a bolt of lightning!"

Anagan says "Yeah, and she was holding back on Pyros. Probably so she knew I'd get back to her cave in one piece - because I had no clue where it was."

It's an unspoken agreement that they follow Bloom - Sibylla has to protect her home, for one. Of course, moments later, they feel the caves protective magic surge unexpectedly - what the heck followed Bloom this time and is going to attempt to kill her? They'll just stay inside the mouth of the cave, because otherwise Bloom will likely slap them all upside the head for being so idiotic as to put themselves in the danger that constantly follows her around.

Of course, the manage to catch up with her halfway through the caves - she's healing a few of the Rustic Fairies, a few _injured_ Rustic Fairies. One is covered in rapidly-healing burns, the other Bloom hasn't gotten to yet - but the burns look different, and they can all feel dark magic coming from them.

Bloom finishes with the first and starts inspecting the second fairy. "Wish I could say I didn't know who did this."

Sibylla says "You know what happened. Who's out there." It's not a question, Bloom told them to stay inside before they knew anything was wrong.

"I've been playing with fire since I was five, I know what a burn looks like. And I know my own powers better than anyone else - so I know their opposite. This is gonna suck so bad before it gets better." Sure enough, when she starts glowing orange and puts her hands on the purple-black burns, the Rustic Fairy starts screaming like Bloom's burning her alive - even as the injuries are slowly fading, who's out there?

Sibylla says "The Water Stars wouldn't do this to my fairies."

"No, the Water Stars are safely secured in the Golden Kingdom. They wouldn't affect your fairies whatsoever, Sibylla - they'd just have me throwing up, unconscious, or dead by now if this was them."

"You said the 'opposite' of your powers. That's the Water Stars."

"Think of a coin. Two sides, light and dark. I'm light. Guess who's dark."

They suddenly feel another surge of magic, and then hear a roar just as the Rustic Fairy Bloom's healing stops screaming and thrashing in agony. Loki and Bloom share a, alarmed look, and Bloom takes off at a full sprint. None of the others know what to do, but Sibylla immediately asks Loki "Who's out there? What happened? And what exactly did Bloom mean?"

"The first, someone who should be and was dead is out there. Likely two people." The accent that's unnoticeable in Bloom's voice most of the time is strong in Loki's, and then they realize they just never noticed it because they weren't listening for it - didn't know what to listen for, really.

One of the Rustic Fairies says "Two beings, a man and a giant made of fire. The giant said to…bring forth the Eternal Flame so Ragnarok can begin, whatever that means. The man, he said stuff that actually made sense. He's…he's after Bloom." She then passes out again, and Loki's eyes widen before he suddenly disappears the same way Bloom lets illusions go.

When they get out there, they find Bloom standing stock-still in front of the entrance to the cave, facing a giant apparently made entirely out of fire with two massive horns jutting from its forehead and a man with long red-blonde hair and a purple coat that goes to his ankles.

* * *

 **AN: So sorry about the wait! Had a lot of school stuff happening - plus I'm going to start a new story soon! No worries, still going to work on this one - but I got some inspiration for a story for Pillars of Eternity, and you all know me and my need to fanfic any and every idea that pans out for me! Case in point, chapter 278 being posted right now. At any rate, can anyone guess who the giant is? Dropped enough hints by now. FInd out next chapter - along with the battle to end all battles between Dragonfires! Bloom vs. Valtor, the dragon vs. the demon! Wondering just how much I'm going to taunt and mess with him? Read on, find out next chapter! And if the Trix were hoping Bloom would lose her cool - figuratively and magically - they are going to be as sore as the time they froze Bloom's parents - extremely - in terms of 'sorely disappointed.' Enjoy! Hope you all keep reading. GOod news, school lets out in the beginning of May - at this point, expect more regular and frequent updates starting around May 5 or so. Enjoy, please review! Got one hysterical idea for Rumpelstiltskin - no spoilers though.**


	280. Two Dead Guys

_**Two Dead Guys**_

After a minute, one filled with zero motion on either side, Bloom lets out a snort of amusement - that certainly throws everyone off.

The Wizards, Sibylla, Aurora, and Diana were expecting a lot of different reactions from her - screaming bloody murder, losing all control of her powers, etc. - but just like on Tir Nan Og, she has the most disproportionate reaction they've ever seen to a situation like this and starts _laughing_. Laughing until she's holding her sides and tears are streaming down her face, which not only confuses but enrages the two beings she's laughing at.

The fire giant yells "You dare laugh at me, Surtur, the harbinger of Ragnarok? Give me the Eternal Flame and I will make your death quick!"

That only sets off another round of uncontrollable laughter out of Bloom. Finally though, she manages to get a hold of herself and look back at the people standing and staring just inside the cave - because it's a pretty safe bet that Bloom will smack them hard enough to make them see double before physically throwing them back inside if they go out to help her. "This is probably worrisome, right? Selina and the Trix calling on two dead guys to try and kill me? So why, for Magix's sake, do I find it so funny that they're calling on the giant my other brother killed before, and a wizard who was beaten twice and died four years ago?"

Surtur goes still, then yells in pure rage, "I recognize that accent…ASGARDIAN!"

Bloom smirks and says "'Bout time someone did. Been around long enough."

Valtor angrily says "I beat you once, I can-"

"No, you used a cheap trick and the Trix to kidnap me. This is a little different. For one, now you're _their_ puppet. Another, I'm not heartbroken, my magic is working right, and I'm just a little harder to fight." All of creation's biggest understatement ever - she's not harder to fight, she's _impossible_ to fight.

She flicks her fingers - a quick little motion, that's all - and Valtor goes flying through a tree. Surtur charges, and attempts to smash her with his club - she teleports out of the way, suddenly two feet to the right, and blasts him hard enough to send _him_ on his back. Unfortunately, Surtur just gets right back up after a moment.

Sibylla whispers "Why does this guy think Bloom has something called the 'Eternal Flame' anyway?"

Loki, who they'd forgotten about until now, grimly says "There is no relic known as the 'Eternal Flame' anywhere in the Nine Realms, but the prophecy of Ragnarok was very specific about an 'eternally burning flame' giving Surtur the power needed to destroy the Realm Eternal. People just took to calling it the Eternal Flame, made enough sense at the time, despite the fact that no magical fire that fits the description was ever found. Until about six years ago, when Bloom awoke the rest of her powers and sprouted wings on her back."

Ogron gives him a confused look, why would that mean…oh. Bloom really has the worst luck then.

Loki gives him an appraising look, and says "You figured it out then, Bloom said you were smart. According to her, the Dragon Flame is what created the Magical Dimension, and may or may not have sparked the rest of creation as well. And, unlike anything else in the Nine Realms, it does not go out, simply gets passed on to the next in her bloodline - making it-"

"Eternal."

"And even if it wasn't the flame mentioned in the prophecy, it would more than likely be an acceptable substitute. Something powerful enough to _make_ a universe has to be powerful enough to destroy one realm. Which more than explains her trouble with her powers once they awoke fully and she discovered the little detail that she was adopted."

Sibylla asks "She didn't know?"

He darkly says "Allfather said not to tell her, as we didn't have any answers that would satisfy her. Of course, that meant that when she eventually discovered the fact, she was more than a little upset about it. That combined with her fully awakened powers that she had no knowledge of…her room destroyed itself around her, and she couldn't make it stop."

Gantlos snickers, and says "Kind of hard to imagine, seeing as she's always been in control of her magic for as long as we've known her."

"Small difference, she knew what she could do by the time you met her. Then, all she knew was that her magic was suddenly acting up and doing things she wasn't trying to do and she had no idea of how to make it stop. Or even why the change was happening."

* * *

While everyone at the mouth of the cave talks, Bloom's busy fighting two beings and holding her own easily enough.

Aside from the insults and taunts she throws at them, her fire powers don't seem to work on Surtur - fire doesn't affect him then, fabulous. Oh well, she'll try her Loveix powers after beating Valtor then.

And Valtor himself is proving to be harder than she thought to fight - she can dodge most of his shots, but they quickly discovered they can't physically touch each other. She grabbed his wrist, and black smoke immediately started coming from the spot where their skin met. When she threw him into a tree, she discovered the palm of her hand was burnt - and saw him inspecting the spot where her hand was, there was the same kind of magical burn in the exact shape of her hand and fingers. Fabulous.

Bloom dodges Surtur's club once again, having transformed when the fight really got going, wondering exactly how she's going to kill this guy and make sure he stays dead - both of them, for that matter. Then she remembers the boulders Sibylla's Rustic Fairies once threw at them.

 _There's an idea…_

She mockingly calls out "What's the matter? Big, bad Valtor can't kill the last heir of Domino?"

Valtor tries to blast her, which she simply bats away, ignoring the pain that it starts up on the back of her hand.

"Hm, guess not. I think your losing your touch, Valtor!" Another blast dodged, and she tauntingly adds "Or you've long since lost it, what do I know?"

That's when he really loses it, channeling a good part of his strength into a blast at the girl that's floating in the air - right in front of Surtur, which is who the blast hits when she drops out of the way.

When he drops to the ground for an instant Bloom ties Valtor to a tree, being none too careful about how she does it - he ends up upside down with one hand secured to the same branch as his leg, rather hilariously given everything - and says "Hang around, Valtor, I'll be back."

She's honestly not sure why she was so worried about him reappearing - well, she does know but now it seems really stupid - but she's got bigger things to worry about, literally.

Like not getting smashed to a pulp by Surtur's weapon.

She teleports out of the way, and he angrily asks "Who are you?"

She sarcastically says "What, you don't know? My oldest-by-a-year brother did rip your head from your shoulders, after all."

The giant lets out a bellow of rage, and smashes his club into the ground so hard a massive cloud of dust and dirt explodes into the air. "Wench of the house of Odin! I will take the Eternal Flame from you, and then I will-"

Bloom's suddenly three feet in front of him, and says "Yeah, yeah. You know how many people have tried that by now?" He swipes at her, but it's an illusion and his hand goes right through her.

She's ten feet to the right, and continues "Besides, it's called the _Dragon Flame_ anyway. Didn't they tell you that?" Another swipe, another revealed illusion.

"Reveal yourself, Odindottir trickster!"

"Please, you seriously think I'm going to let you smash me to a pulp that easily? Now where would the fun in that be?" Nope, not her.

"Besides, watching this is kind of fun. Like the Midgardian game…whack-a-mole, I believe it's called." Sorry, try again, Surtur.

Nope.

Another miss.

Not the real Bloom!

Surtur finally lets out a yell of rage, and Ogron suddenly sees something crawling up a tree. It's almost impossible to spot, it honestly looks like the tree bark is shifting.

 _Bloom? I'm not sure whether or not I should ask if that's you on the tree._

In response, he sees a wave of orange ripple down the spot, and then it climbs up and he realizes it's a small dragon colored like the tree. One wing lifts for a moment - like she's waving hello, only Bloom - and he hears her amused voice in his head.

 _How did you think I got into Diana's place to find the others? Invisibility is useful, but they might have sensed it and were on the lookout for any trace of my magic._

 _So you turned into a dragon?!_

 _It's kind of like a chameleon. This breed can change its scale color._

Anagan asks "Where the heck did Bloom go?"

"Look on that tree. The showoff."

Loki snickers, then his face turns to shock and he says "She can transform like that? That usually takes many years of practice to not get stuck at some point."

"And how long did it take you to get it right?"

"Two centuries. And then another two decades to get as good as I am."

They see her climb up to a higher branch, her scales changing colors to match the surrounding foliage - making her impossible to track - until they see a flash of orange magic and she grabs onto one of Surtur's horns with one outstretched hand. He doesn't seem to notice the extra weight - of course not, she's barely a hundred pounds and his head alone must weight five hundred - and keeps swinging his head around to find her.

She makes another illusion to get his attention, then holds her thumb up like she's judging something. "Surtur, I think it's time we part ways. Or rather, you part ways. With your shoulders."

Surtur's just realized the Bloom on the ground is another fake when he looks up to see a massive boulder flying towards his face.

His body crumbles into a massive amount of flames and nothing else, which Bloom quickly absorbs mid-air, and Diana jokingly asks "Can we come out yet? Or are we still at risk of getting hit over the head?"

Bloom lands, having flown up out of the way moments before Surtur's head went flying off his shoulders, and says "Haha, very funny. Come on out, if you want."

They all walk out, and Diana asks "Since when have you been able to turn into a dragon?"

"How did you think I got in without anybody noticing me? I don't usually turn into a dragon, but it comes in useful at times."

"And the illusions?"

"Hey, I learned from the best. Plus I've been doing them since I was five, so I've had plenty of practice."

Loki isn't even trying to hide the proud grin on his face, and asks "So, what are you going to do about him?" He's pointing at the still-tied-to-a-tree Valtor, who's uselessly struggling to free himself.

"Well, killing him apparently won't be enough - they'll just be able to call him back. His Dragon Fire was still burning…" She gets a gleam in her eye and a slow smile forms on her lips.

"What are you thinking, Bloom? I know that look."

Valtor sees it to, and suddenly says "You can't kill me, not really. I'll always be around, my fire still burning."

Bloom rolls her eyes and says "As big a liar as always then, you monster. Whatever. I happen to know of one way to fix that."

"No, you wouldn't dare!"

Bloom honestly looks annoyed and dumbstruck at the same time, and incredulously asks "Why do people keep saying that? Do you honestly think you'd be here now if I 'wouldn't dare' to do something? Or if I wouldn't dare kill someone? Didn't they tell you who and what I am now?"

He goes at least five shades paler, and mutters "Those damn witches…"

"But I'd be in desperate need of a very long soak that I don't have time for now if I went to your core and put your fire out there, so I think I'll try something else." She stares at her palm for a moment, then at his wrist, then gets out a bottle of water and cracks it open.

"What, you're going to pour some water on me?"

"You wish." She puts a finger in, and orange starts leaking into the water.

Once it's about mostly orange with her magic, she then summons her fairy dust pendant, opens it, and puts the open end of it inside the bottle.

After a good minute, she puts the heart-shaped pendant away and seals the bottle back up, and shakes it so fast they can't track it.

As she does, Ogron eyes her carefully - this is definitely one of the worst ways he's seen her, bruised, her hair is messed up from the fight, and she's got painful-looking burn marks where Valtor managed to hit her with his magic. But she's also got a gleam in her eyes that he only ever saw on Pyros a few times - they'd get her talking about the place or magic or flying and why she loves it, she wouldn't stop for hours.

When she pours a little of the now-magical water onto her hand, she hisses in pain for an instant but then smiles when her hand turns back to its normal color. "Your screwed, Valtor."

He lets out a laugh, one that's almost not tinged with nervousness, and asks "Your going to pour some water with a little of your magic and fairy dust on me? Hope I disintegrate?"

"No, I think I'll be a little more direct then that." Her body suddenly catches fire, and her voice is laced with magic and power when she says _"Burn away this shell and reveal your truest form."_

Valtor's body catches fire, and it burns away to reveal a purple flame floating there - Bloom makes a bubble of her magic around it before he can escape.

Aurora blanches and asks "What did you just do?!"

"The story goes that Valtor was originally a piece of corrupted Dragon Fire the Three Ancestral Witches found. They shaped it into the form of a man, called him Valtor, and sent him off to Domino after a year to help them attack and destroy it. This is what the Witches found all that time ago."

They look at the fire that's trapped in her bubble shield, it's really hard to believe that was a man a few moments ago - despite watching the transformation.

Bloom makes a small hole in the top of the shield, just big enough for the top of the water bottle, and sticks it in with the lid off. The purple fire inside turns to nothing but smoke and steam, they're all _so glad_ she's not looking to kill them.

She'd manage, no matter what it took.

Then, she throws Surtur's head up in the air and hits it with a few shots from her gun. "I knew this thing would come in handy eventually!"

Aurora asks "Do we even _want_ to know where you got _that thing_ from?! Just how many weapons do you have?!"

"On me at any given time, or all total?" Bloom's smirk says she's only half-joking, but before anybody can say anything she says "I've got a knife, sword, fighting staff, this gun, and my limbs on me at any given time, and a whole chest of weapons back home on Asgard. Mostly ones I don't use anymore, as I prefer the ones I have right now, but I've used them before. As for the gun, I got it from a Dark Elf's corpse the night after they attacked Asgard for the Aether."

Judging from the way she doesn't go into any details about _why_ she took the gun, Loki's suddenly closed-off expression, and what they know of her background before they met her, that would be the day their mother died. So, needless to say, she wasn't thinking quite clearly about anything other than finding and killing the Dark Elves - both to avenge their mother and to keep them from destroying the universe somehow.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, all! Next chapter, the BIG SHOWDOWN is up! Hope you all liked Bloom whipping Valtor's butt as well! Another reason she didn't go to his core and extinguish his fire there is because her body would technically be dead until she went back and she didn't really want to freak Loki out quite that badly. And if anybody was wondering, Surtur's head was in the Weapons Vault before now - Thor was flying around the Nine Realms like a madman keeping threats to the Realms under control with Sif and the Warriors Three while Loki was keeping most everybody in Asgard thinking Odin was still around, and one threat he dealt with was Surtur. Who'd have expected Selina to be able to bring people back to life? Who'd have expected Selina at all? At any rate, enjoy! Hope you all loved Bloom taunting and, frankly, humiliating Valtor! PS. started a new story - I know, I need to stop, its an addiction with me! - called 'Psychic Watcher' - a Pillars of Eternity story. Just so you all know, if anybody's interested. Don't think I'm giving up on this story though! Infinity War comes out in theaters in less than three weeks, and I'm so excited! Real shame they're making us all wait nearly a whole year for the next one though. Enjoy! Please review! Possibly read 'Psychic Watcher' at some point!**


	281. Forest of Flowers

_**Forest of Flowers**_

Twenty minutes after the whole mess with Surtur and Valtor - they're calling on dead guys to try and kill her, how ironic - Bloom's in Gardenia city waiting in the Frutti Music Bar and talking to Morgana and Rick - they want to know how Roxy's doing, if she's safe, etc. Word about what's been going on has even reached Morgana - last year was a lot easier to see though - and they're both worried. Bloom's assuring them that Roxy was absolutely fine, last time she saw her - a few days ago, with Mrs. Griffin still trapped as a bird - and that's when Daphne and the rest of the Winx get in.

Daphne runs over to Bloom and immediately starts worrying over her - they could all sense Valtor's return, but only she knew exactly what it meant. Bloom tries to downplay everything that happened about half an hour ago, saying "I'm fine, mother dragon. No need to worry. I've faced a lot worse than two dead people before."

Daphne's not convinced in the slightest, and says "One of those two 'dead people' is partially responsible for Domino's destruction an my choice to send you to this universe, and caused me to think for two months that I'd lost the last bit of family I had! Your not-"

"Daph, look at me! I'm fine, see? No missing limbs, still got all my hair, and I'm still alive and free. Plus I told you all over the phone that I know where to find Eldora, so…"

Flora says "The plants in Eldora's greenhouse told me the Lenugia grows here in Gardenia. It's still a lot of ground to cover, but…how'd you know?"

"I smelled it here. In the forest. Long story short, it's when we took that spider into the forest."

Techna says "Oh. Well, let's go."

Morgana tells them they turned Tir Nan Og castle into a college for fairies, taking a cue from the Winx. Oh, and Nebula finally came to her senses about a year or so after the whole incident on Pyros - she'd been one of the first fairies to be captured, so she was maybe slightly more unhinged that most of the others. She'd gone to confront the Wizards personally, and the long battle ended painfully - and she loved her wings, Bloom can sympathize with that if nothing else. All in all, she got the worst time of it all and went just a little nuts - no kidding, she nearly destroyed Pyros and everyone on it including herself and all the Earth Fairies to kill the Wizards. As long as they stay away from her, everything should be fine - Bloom'll make sure to never mention the fact that she just saw three of them in Sibylla's cave. Or the fact that they kissed the other three Major Fairies.

* * *

As they're walking through the forest, after Daphne went back to Alfea to teach her class, Aisha's telling Bloom how she opened her gymnasium, which Grizelda found a tiny bit inappropriate for the Specialists and Winx to be working out together - _that_ gets Bloom laughing hysterically. "If Grizelda thinks training to fight better is inappropriate, I can't imagine what she'd think of a feast in Asgard! Drinking, telling gory stories, more drinking, and eventually passing out in piles of people. How do you think she'd take that? Or Fandral and his posse of women that fawn all over him to do the slightest thing?"

They're all laughing so hard they have to hold their sides, and Aisha says "She'd have a fit!"

"I bet her face would turn as red as Ogron's hair!"

"And she's look like a fish for a minute, trying to find words to describe the sheer 'inappropriateness' of it all!"

They all burst out in another round of laughter, and then they start sensing an incredible amount of magic - seems you have to get close, very close, to not be affected by whatever cloaking or disguise spells Eldora used to hide herself.

They follow a butterfly that leads them further into the forest track, and soon they realize they're surrounded by Lenugias!

Aisha says "We've got to be on the right track! Eldora's house must be close!"

Like the woman's name was a trigger or something, dozens if not hundreds of Lenugias float up into the air around them, six land in their hair, and fly off into the trees. The Winx follow them, finding a veritable sea of Lenugias in a clearing with a house on the other side of a stream. The flowers part for them, and Stella says they should race - Bloom just manages to catch her before she goes over the railing of the bridge and into the stream.

A woman in a pink dress with gray hair comes out and waters her flowers, humming away and talking to the plants - must be Eldora. She's delighted to meet them, and they can all feel the magic coming off her easily - she's powerful then.

When she offers them some Lenugia tea, they all are about to drink it when they _smell_ it first. Bloom quickly asks what a plant behind Eldora is - knowing full well it's a cactus - and boils away all the tea when she's not looking. The rest of the girls give her grateful looks, and pretend to drink up when she turns back around.

Bloom then asks "Eldora, can you tell us anything about the Legendarium? Such as how a girl with green hair named Selina came to have it?"

Eldora sighs and says "Yes, I can. Unfortunately. I found Selina when she was very young, could sense the magical potential inside her and felt she could use some guidance. I took her under my wing, was teaching her what I knew, and showed her the Legendarium. I brought it back here and began searching for a way to lock it forever, but Selina, she…she got curious, started reading the stories. It would have been fine if the last page was blank, or simply had just another story in it - it does not, though. The creator of the Legendarium, Acheron, lost control of it and got trapped inside of his own book. The last page contains his story. And while all the other stories are more or less content to remain in the Legendarium World, created by the book's magic and contained between its covers, Acheron longs to be free so he can wreak havoc and chaos. He tempted Selina with power, gave her a piece and made her the Witch of Snakes. Soon after, she took the Legendarium, pledged herself to him, and disappeared."

Musa says "Something tells me not even the Trix know the whole story. If Selina releases Acheron…"

"He's a powerful sorcerer, able to cancel the powers of anyone and everyone around him. And he can control people, which I suspect is why Selina chose him in the end. His power corrupted her, I don't think she really had a choice in the end."

Bloom says "Well, you can't extinguish the Dragon Flame! If Selina gets him out…wait, why hasn't she pulled him out like all the others?"

"The stronger a being is, the more power you need to take them out of the book. The one thing that's prevented his return all this time."

Aisha says "She pulled an Egyptian god out of there, how much more power could she need to get him out?"

Bloom mutters "You've got to be kidding…girls, I'll be right back. We've got some company. Of the rather clueless variety."

Musa sputters out a laugh, and Aisha asks "Want some help?"

"No, I'll handle them. You girls keep talking."

Eldora raises an eyebrow, and asks "What exactly am I missing?"

Flora says "Bloom's the best at fighting - so much so that she's practically impossible to defeat. Fights don't take very long anymore usually."

Bloom teleports outside, and sure enough the Trix are floating there - Darcy's commenting on the massive amount of Lenugias. "You know, I know you three are really hoping to kill me and all, but you must be getting desperate if you turn to a demon that occasionally looks like a man for help doing so."

They all jump and stare at Bloom in shock - Bloom swears she can feel the temperature drop twenty degrees and the air take on a static charge. Darcy says "This isn't possible! We sent-"

"Valtor and Surtur after me, I know. Too bad for you Surtur was too big and slow to actually hit me with that big weapon of his. And by the way - Valtor? Over it." She blasts them to the ground, ten feet away and with smoke curling off them, and says "It might have actually worked had you not given me amnesia last year, you know. As it is, I never did remember what exactly happened under Cloudtower. So the first thing that popped into my head when I saw him was 'there's two years of my life I'll never get back' - honestly, what did you think was going to happen? I'd faint from fear?" She blasts at Icy, who makes a shield that takes the worst of the blow before breaking and she gets thrown onto her back.

"Lose control and kill everyone?" A blast for Darcy, who barely manages to teleport out of the way in time.

"The reaction I actually had was laughing until my sides hurt and tears were going down my face. Because at some point all the failed attempts on your life get extremely amusing, and I've long since reached that point."

The three sisters try combining their powers - it barely pushes Bloom back a few feet underneath the shield she makes to block the attack. She then makes a blast that sends them onto their backs.

Icy groans and mutters "Selina, any time now would be great…"

A bunch of spirits in ragged cloaks appear out of nowhere, shooting rays of magic out of their hands that Bloom automatically deflects with her sword.

When she takes a swing that unleashes a wave of magic on them though, they turn transparent and it goes right through them. "Fantastic. Well, good thing I spelled my swords to pierce magic."

Stormy groans and crawls over to Darcy and Icy, sneaking a glance at Bloom fending off the Ectoplasmic Specters Selina told them about before they left. They're supposed to be impossible to touch - Bloom's sword is doing the impossible, slashing them in half whether they turn intangible or stay solid.

There's three flashes of bright white, and then nearly half of the specters disappear in halves - Bloom just cut them in half, that flash was her sword moving too fast for them to track.

Stormy mutters "There's got to be something or someone in that damn book that can beat Bloom."

Icy mutters "Let's get out of here before she decides to play with her knife as well. Shoot, teleport now, teleport!" The ice-witch looked over and saw Bloom draw her knife even as she was talking, and they disappear in a cloud of their magic before Bloom can throw it into one of their sides again - Icy's side still throbs in memory even now, that _freaking hurt!_ Between Bloom's fire magic and the fact that she decided to use her side as a temporary sheath, Icy has no desire to ever get near that weapon ever again - particularly when it's in Bloom's hand.

Bloom slices the last of the specters to nothing, and then calls out "Alright, they're gone! It's safe to come out now!"

The rest of the Winx and Eldora do just that, and Bloom asks "Eldora, not to be blunt, but did you ever find a way to lock the Legendarium?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. But seeing as the Trix now know where my cottage is, it isn't safe here anymore. We should talk about this somewhere else."

Bloom immediately says "Let's go back to the Pet shop, we can talk there."

"Wonderful suggestion! Let me just gather up some Lenugias for tea, and…"

All the Winx share an alarmed look, and Bloom hurriedly says "Actually Eldora, its more than alright. We've got tea back at the shop, no need to trouble yourself."

* * *

 **AN: A slightly expanded description of how Acheron is controlling Selina, she can control the beings she pulls from the Legendarium - its how her powers work, right? And she got those specific powers from Acheron - so he's influencing her, as in the cartoon she changed almost instantly when he put that piece of his powers inside her. Will make sense why Bloom doesn't just kill her and be done with it in the end. Promise. Anyway, more chapters coming soon! Can't wait for Infinity War! So freaking excited! Finals are right around the corner for me, so please expect more chapters after around May 5 or so. Enjoy!**


	282. Mythix Wands

_**Mythix Wands**_

Back at the shop, Eldora tells them that they'll need an item that was once part of the Legendarium World in order to lock the book - and one lead says that various enchanted items can be found on Tir Nan Og Isle. When Eldora searched the island though, she didn't find anything magical - unless you could the way the weather stayed magical the entire three weeks she spent searching everywhere.

Bloom says "Well, we've got friends on Tir Nan Og Isle! We freed the Earth Fairies, after all!"

Stella says "Yeah! Let's go!"

They teleport there, and find one very surprising thing - Nebula is in charge of the school the castle was converted into! She greets them warmly, sheepishly apologizes for everything that happened, and then gives them full permission to explore the school. In response to Nebula's apology, Bloom says "I get it, really. I didn't really much like you nearly killing me on Pyros, but hey, water under the bridge, right?"

"Your…you're not mad?"

Bloom chuckles and says "A, it was two years ago and I can't hold a grudge for that long when I can understand what direction you were coming from unless you threaten my family. B, I understand what direction you were coming from. Chances are I'd have gone completely mad if I'd have been in your place. Blaming the humans, not so much - but I'm gonna guess it made sense to you all at the time."

Nebula nods sheepishly, and says "T-thank you, Bloom. This is…unexpected, honestly. Sibylla, well, she told us what she could see happening outside the castle, and…how didn't you go mad?"

"I got out, that's how. Also, I don't actually remember what happened - the Trix gave me amnesia last year, and the one set of memories I'm far happier without never came back. We didn't really come to catch up though, great as its been, we're looking for…what did you say it was, Eldora?"

"Artifacts that were one part of the Legendarium World."

Nebula smiles, and says "I think I know exactly what you're looking for. Follow me."

They get to a room that looks like the Tir Nan Og equivalent of the Weapons Vault back in Asgard, and Nebula shows them a case that contains seven wands. Eldora asks "Are those what I think they are?"

"Yes. Long ago, the seven Ancestral Fairies crossed over from the Legendarium World into ours and brought with them these magic wands. They contain the Mythix power, though obtaining that power is more complicated than it sounds."

Stella suspiciously asks "Complicated how?"

"Legend says that the wands choose their owners, and that a Fairy must prove themselves in front of them to be chosen."

Aisha exclaims "We've fought and beaten every bad guy, creep, and monster in the Magical Dimension, we've got to have proven something by now!"

Musa nervously asks "You're their keeper, can't you just give them to us?"

"I'm sorry, but that's not how it works. The wands have a will all their own. The idea that I'm their 'keeper' is like Bloom being Pyros' 'keeper.'"

"Oh. Dang."

Bloom mutters "There's always a catch." And then the entire building starts shaking, perfect timing. "And cue the Trix. Let's go ladies."

When they get out there, sure enough Cloudtower is floating there and the Trix and a few other witches are attacking the school. Musa grumbles "This is getting old, honestly."

They transform, but something is _very_ different from just a few hours ago - the Trix are far stronger than before. Almost a match for the Winx now, despite the fact that all six girls share the Dragon Flame.

Bloom suddenly realizes something, and turns to look at the two witches running into the school - not good. "Girls, keep these three busy! I'll stop them!" She flies down and runs into the school, pouring some speed into it like she used to do all the time on Pyros.

She rounds the corner just as one witch says "Aw, but we just wanna play!" and blasts at the fairies defending their school.

"So, you want to play, huh? Guess what? I like to play to." They turn around and she knocks them unconscious, and all the fairies let out sighs of relief.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

"No problem. Wait…get behind me!" She puts up a shield just in time to block a blast of powerful dark magic, and drops it to reveal Selina standing there.

"Good reflexes, Bloom. Should've known I can't sneak up on you."

The Tir Nan Og fairies run down a side corridor, and Bloom gives Selina a confident smirk. "I must say, I'm rather impressed, all things considering. Pulling one over on the Trix, especially Darcy, nicely done. That girl is good at seeing what people want to hide from her, if only because she's so good at doing the same. So keeping your real allegiance from them successfully…impressive. Evil, but impressive."

Selina suspiciously asks "What do you know about it?"

"Acheron, Eldora, the power Acheron gave you years ago - which is likely controlling you. How you want to free him. How your likely looking at me for just that."

That last part throws Selina off more than anything else Bloom's said, and she incredulously asks "How did you-"

"Know? Simple: that's the most unoriginal idea I've ever heard when it comes to me. Darkar had nearly the exact same reasons for turning me evil. Needed me to get into the Relix dimension and summon the Relix power. And you just want to absorb enough of my power to free Acheron in hopes that he'll give you even more power. Despite the fact that he only gave you the tiny spark of his powers that he did so he could control you, and the fact that he'll likely abandon you when your of no more use to him. Same as with the Trix. Once we're dead, there's no reason for them to keep you around. Which is why you're not radiating power like them, they didn't share, did they? They want you to be controllable, Selina. Usable. They'll act all nice and interested in your book until I in particular am dead - once that's done, they'll either steal the Legendarium from you like you did so long ago or they'll just out and out kill you."

"No, you're lying!"

Selina blasts at Bloom, but she says "I don't lie. I know how to manipulate people, let them think they have me where they want me until it's too late, but I'm an honest person. What, you don't like the truth about evil people? Or about a guy who's power is controlling things with his magic? Magic he gave a piece of to you, has been using to influence you ever since?"

Selina loses her cool and blasts at Bloom, who simply teleports to the side and lets it hit a column. Selina's then hit in the stomach with a blast of Bloom's own magic, landing her on the floor in a smoking, sore pile of limbs and a book.

"Hm, looks like you're going to need the Dragon Flame's power if you're ever going to get him out of there. Too bad for you I'm not really willing to share it just so you can yank another evil person out of those pages. And too bad for you the Trix have been trying to kill me for so long, you'd have had a chance before they met Valtor." Oh, she just _loves_ messing with her enemies' heads - far too fun not to do it. And their reactions are pretty amusing as well - like the blast Selina sends her way that's three feet off, for instance.

She gives Bloom one last glare and teleports away, and then Bloom heads around the corner only to find Icy waiting with an ice blast for her.

She gets knocked to the ground for a change - right, _that's_ how the floor feels when you touch it that fast and hard - and then brushes the ice off her dress. "Cheap shot, Icy. Ambushing a girl when she's coming to face you again. Really, I thought you were over that by now."

Icy _growls_ , yes, actually growls, at her and hits Bloom with another shot of ice - they fight their way down into the room with the wands in it, and Bloom suddenly realizes why Icy's so strong. "Hey, Icicle, a bit of advice for next time we play this little game."

"Oh really, what's that? Some final words before I simply kill you and be done with it?"

"No. Next time you make a necklace that makes you _nearly_ as strong as me, don't wear it where I can see it. And don't put it on such a thin little chain either. Or make it so delicate." She snaps her fingers and the stone explodes - and it's a simple matter to use the connection between Icy's stone and the ones Darcy and Stormy must have to make the same thing happen.

"No, that's impossible!"

* * *

Darcy and Stormy are fighting the rest of the Winx and the Earth Fairies, Icy having gone in to surprise Bloom in a not-at-all-nice way, when suddenly the necklaces they made using the power they took from the schools both explode - not good.

Even worse, maybe a minute later, Bloom teleports out with and unconscious and heavily bruised Icy being dragged along by her ankle.

Bloom throws Icy into her sisters, and sends a few blasts of fiery power at them for emphasis - they get the hint, time to _get the heck out of here!_

Once the Trix and Cloudtower are gone, Nebula thanks them for saving the school - and then the wands suddenly float out of the case and over to the Winx's hands. Bloom's has a heart as the head, Flora's got a flower-like staff, Aisha's has a seashell at the top, Techna's is very geometric in design, and Musa's is decorated with swirling designs that look a bit like a treble clef. They get the Mythix power, and are transported to the Gate of the Legendarium World.

They learn they need to forge the Legendarium Key in order to lock the book, and they need to find the Fantasy Emerald and the Silver Spear in order to forge the Legendarium Key.

* * *

 ***Alfea***

About an hour later, after they figure out how to actually _leave_ the Legendarium World, they head back to Alfea and Eldora meets Daphne. She then tells them how to use their Mythix wands, which are supposed to guide them to the Fantasy Emerald and the Silver Spear. A spell called Mythix Insight makes an image of a place on Earth called Calavera Island.

Afterwards, Musa asks "Hey Bloom, what did you do to Icy before you teleported out and gave her back to Darcy and Stormy? Because she was turning some _very_ interesting colors back in Tir Nan Og."

Bloom shrugs and says "You know how it goes. Icy attacks Bloom, Bloom whips her ass and takes her back to her sisters."

* * *

 ***Cloudtower***

Icy wakes up with a scream of pain already on her lips, and finds herself lying on a couch in Griffin's office. Selina grimaces, and says "At least it doesn't look like Bloom stabbed you…she didn't stab you, did she?"

Icy moans "No…" and keeps very, _very_ still.

Bloom didn't stab her, she just possibly cracked every bone in her body. Turns out when you corner Bloom, she just pushes off the two walls and right onto you. Figuratively, and quite possibly literally.

And trying to ice over her injuries doesn't help much either - and the tiniest bit of effort makes her body scream in protest. Darcy starts an illusion spell to make her think the pain isn't there - it helps, it helps a lot - but the healing spell doesn't heal even half of her injuries without her there to help power it.

The three of them are seriously drained after the fight on Earth, so they won't be leaving Cloudtower again for some time.

* * *

 **AN: I just love giving the Trix some pain - you'd think by now it would've stimulated some brain cell growth in at least one of them, honestly. Like the idea that it'd be better to forget their evil ambitions and simply _live_. The Wizards got that idea through their heads, after all. Anyway, more chapters coming soon! Survived two of my three finals - in one day, early in the morning and late at night - so I'm posting some celebratory chapters! PS. As for what I'm doing with Acheron's powers, he's strong enough to control anything with them - anything that is using his powers in some way. And since he gave Selina a piece of them, he can influence her - not total control, like when she summons stuff from the Legendarium, but good enough to turn her evil and make her loyal to him. As in the cartoon, she changed almost instantly when he gave her that piece of his magic, so here we are. **


	283. Calavera Island

_**Calavera Island**_

The Winx and Daphne teleport to Calavera Island, Stella having changed their outfits to light sundresses and flats, and find the place is a gorgeous beach a lot like Paradise Bay - without Tritannus messing with the ecosystem, thankfully. And then, perfect timing as usual, the Owl shows up with a group of familiar and _very_ welcome boys.

Timmy looks like his brain melted on sight of Techna, Helia is staring at Flora similarly, etc. At least Riven, for once, is focused on Musa and not his boomerang weapon.

Sky takes Bloom by surprise as she's scanning the island for any signs of locals, spinning her around from behind and kissing her. When they break, she mumbles "I really like this way of saying hello, you know that?"

"Couldn't resist, not with you looking this amazing."

Bloom kisses him again, and they only stop when Aisha and Brandon have to pull them apart - looks like Bloom's all hormonal again.

Aisha says "Looks like things just got a lot more interesting. Focus, Bloom." She doesn't even turn that red, much to Musa and Flora's teasing.

* * *

When they get into town, Daphne asks some locals about a cave that is their best lead - one 'Baho-Mundo Cave.' Legends say pirates hid a great treasure horde there - Bloom's not one of those people that _wants_ to dig through a heap of metal to find an emerald, but she's more than willing to do so in order to lock the Legendarium.

Unfortunately, the mere mention of the cave scares the locals - must be a bad legend tied to it. And Eldora did warn them that the Emerald wouldn't exist in the real world - they'll have to go to the right location in the real world, and then bring the items back from the Legendarium World. One of the local kids says they need to talk to the wise woman of the island, so the Winx go talk to her while the guys stay in town and keep looking for any other clues.

The Wise Woman tells them that a pirate ship known as the Occulta sank in front of Baho-Mundo Cave, and even in death the pirates refused to abandon their treasure. Daphne recognizes the pirates as the most feared group of thieves and murderers in the seven seas, which the Wise Woman confirms. She tells them the cave is off the coast of an island in the archipelago with an old lighthouse on it, and then warns them that when the fog rolls in the pirates of the Occulta come with it.

Stella asks "With fog comes pirates? That's just a little too hard to believe."

Bloom mutters "So's my life, Stella. Don't think something's too crazy just because it sounds hard to believe."

The Wise Woman nods, and says "Tis true. With every legend comes a bit of truth."

That unsettles everyone more than they'd admit - or like to admit - and they head back down to town to meet up with the boys. They quickly spot what must be the right island, and then Timmy and Techna build a _raft_ to get there.

It's a bunch of wooden logs tied together, with a sail - Aisha says it looks primitive, and Nabu adds "And a little slow, no offense."

Bloom clears her throat, and says "One word. Swimming. We're heading underwater anyway, after all. And we could have been halfway there already."

Aisha makes some surfboards with sails attached, and most everybody likes the idea. Techna and Timmy stick with their own raft, out of sheer stubbornness - taking a cue from Bloom and defending their hour-long project. Stella changes their outfits to swimwear, then adds lifejackets for everyone but Bloom - because her look of amusement said she'd take it off at once.

* * *

Five minutes later, everybody's out on - or in, in Bloom's case - the water. And Bloom, despite being the one putting in the most effort, is easily out in the lead while everybody else competes to get to the island first - the girl can _move it!_ Running, swimming, handstands, hand-to-hand combat, if it involves movement, Bloom can do it and do it faster and longer than most everybody else. As Anagan learned the one and only time he went with Bloom on her morning run on Pyros.

And as it is, Bloom can feel multiple eyes on her - underwater and when her head is above it for air. When she comes up for air once again, she half-casually, half-teasingly asks "You all gonna say something, or are we back to practically stalking me?"

It takes another full minute before she hears Anagan's voice ask _Why am I not surprised?_

In lieu of answering, she gives a grin that shows her slightly glowing throat and dives back underwater.

 _Right, that's why._

 _What, did you forget the night you surrendered that easily?_

Ogron's voice says _Haha, very funny, Bloom. You're the only person, fairy or otherwise, that would be swimming when everyone else is on something._

 _Well, its so much more fun like this. Besides, we've got to go underwater anyway. Why put it off?_

Aurora's voice says _I give up. You win, Gantlos! She really is that laid-back about her own survival._

Bloom nearly bursts out laughing, and has to swim to the surface to get some air in. "You should see the raft Techna and Timmy built. One good bump, I even flick it, and it'll fall apart."

 _Speaking of which, get down._

She dives underwater, just in time for Techna and Timmy's little raft to go overhead - and then hit a rock and fall apart instantly.

Bloom manages to suppress her laughter and says "The water's great, guys! Don't know why you didn't come on in sooner!"

Techna shivers and says "It must be sixty degrees! And the air temperature must be a hundred!"

"That just means the water feels better. Come on, lets catch up to them! Oh!" Sky came up from behind and scooped her up onto his board.

After a minute, they break the resulting kiss and Bloom asks "Want to see how fast this thing goes?"

"You sure we'll be able to balance?" Her grin is all the answer he needs, and he pulls the sail so that they speed up. And then Bloom immediately figures out what to do and gets them going as fast as the board will go. "Woah!"

"Don't you remember that surfing competition your father walked in on?"

"You mean the one where Brandon and I wiped out almost instantly?"

"Maybe."

 _Show off._

 _Jealous?_

 _No._

 _Liar. I can tell, even when I can only hear your voice._

 _Shut it._

 _Shut the spell off._

Bloom suppresses a snicker at hearing the multiple voices grumbling, laughing, etc. and steers the board towards their destination. Sky's arm wraps around her waist, and he whispers "We should come back out here after everything's done. At least this time we know for sure the Trix or Selina won't surrender."

Bloom turns around, maybe three centimeters from Sky, and says "I'll try to make the fight quick."

Riven's voice suddenly sounds "Cool it, you two! Or you'll boil the ocean again!" In response, Bloom dips a toe in the water and the water around Riven's board starts bubbling and steaming. "Not cool, Bloom!"

Aisha takes one look and says "You asked for it, Riven. Bloom is literally incapable of 'cooling it' you know."

Bloom grins and says "Part of having fire powers. Can't feel the cold, can't really produce it either. And I've heard people with fire powers tend to be passionate about things."

Sky leans down to her ear and whispers "Do you hear laughter?"

Bloom flares orange for a microsecond, and says "Nope."

"Right. Where were we?"

Bloom turns back around and says "Right here."

She presses her mouth to his, and Musa says "Guess what time it is, girls!"

Flora teasingly says "Time for Bloom to stay away from Pyros for a few weeks!" Bloom doesn't even pull back to give a sarcastic response.

They finally get to the right island, Bloom and Sky having broken for air, and Bloom says "This must be the right place. Everyone ready?"

Musa grumbles "Here ends the part where we stay dry. Let's go girls."

Bloom dives in without hesitation, Sky following mere moments after.

The rest of the Winx and the guys go after, Thorin asking Daphne what in the heck is going on with Bloom. "Remember what we said about Bloom being part dragon?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, sometimes that has a few consequences. Like when it's time for the dragons to mate on Pyros."

"What?!"

"Bloom's affected to, but she's human enough to love exactly one person. Sky."

"Right, so instead of becoming a hormonal dragon with the intent of having offspring no matter what…"

"She just gets really…distracted, let's say, whenever Sky's around. In eyesight, to be specific. And getting her attention is impossible when they start kissing, apparently."

Thorin starts laughing, he can't help it. The idea of Bloom, the girl who seems to have a plan for everything and a fist for everything else, being controlled by her own emotions and hormones is too funny by far.

* * *

When they get into the cave, its massive - and massively empty. Not even a single coin to be seen - and Bloom reminds them that the Fantasy Emerald is currently located in the Legendarium World. Unfortunately, the wands can only take them - no extra passengers.

The guys and Daphne say they'll be in Calavera Island when they get back, and then the Winx get their Wands out and transform into their Mythix forms.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! Sorry about the wait! Life just has a way of happening so that I don't get much time to write chapters for all the stories I'm working on sometimes. Sorry! At any rate, I can guarantee you all the story _will_ be completed, promise. Just be patient, I'll get more chapters up - I just have to write them first, guys. Been working on 'Psychic Watcher' for a bit, trying to pass some time between IW 1 and 2 - and then I saw it, and now know exactly where I'm headed for. PS. as a recap, Thanos is incapable of getting all six Infinity Stones. I had Bloom obliterate the Aether with a spell that drained her dry while the Dark Elves were attacking. Malekith and Kurse were fighting Frigga, Bloom was saving Jane's life and destroying the Aether/Reality Stone. I can already imagine the look on his face, and its pretty funny actually. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming soon! PS. got a new puppy, so he's one reason why I've been busy lately. He's adorable, named Bandit - a fitting name, we've discovered, as he takes my other dog's chew bones right from her mouth and my cat's hunting prizes and runs off with them on his tiny little legs - and he's a Mini Australian Shepherd. Almost 12 weeks old, and frickin' _ADORABLE._ **


	284. The Occulta

_**The Occulta**_

When the Winx look around after using their Wands, they find they're on a ragged-looking ship that must be decades old if not centuries. The sails are ragged, the hull must have a few dozen holes judging from the sound of dripping water, and the whole thing gives off a musty smell that makes even Stella wish for some cleaner and a few scent-tags to hang around the place.

Bloom immediately starts scanning the surroundings, looking for something glimmering a sparkling green amongst the dusty brown. She doesn't find an emerald, but she does find three annoying witches.

Figures, the copycats.

Bloom smirks, crosses her arms, and asks "Are you three always going to play catch-up to us? We get into the Infinite Ocean, you follow. We get into the legendarium World, you follow. Honestly, this routine is getting old by now." Icy looks shocked, then furious, then shocked again when Bloom simply blocks her icicle barrage with a shield. "Oh, goody. Selina gave you three a power-boost. What, she read a story backwards or something? Switch her powers in reverse and turn them on you?"

Even Darcy's losing her cool - the most level-headed of the three sisters, not that it means much anyway - and then the fight they were all expecting breaks out in moments. It's all pretty much the same song and dance - right down to the team-ups, for Dragon's sake, though the Trix all get a few good bruises and lumps over the head from Bloom's wand being used to hit them over the head - right up until a bunch of pirates jump onto the deck. Bloom mutters "This must be the Occulta's crew. Perfect."

She sees the huge emerald in the captain's hat - well, at least she knows what to look for. And he seems to like throwing it around like a boomerang. Bloom simply snatches it out of the air, holds it up - much to the Trix's surprise, she's never really been one for a big, stinky hat that may well mess with her wings - and hits the emerald with a little burst of her magic.

The Captain says "What the…? Thieves! Treasure thieves, the lot of them! Get them, crew!"

It's the Fantasy Emerald alright, matches the picture exactly - really, who wears a stone _that big_ on something that could fall off their head? And then Eldora comes and tells them that they don't have much time left before they get trapped in the Legendarium forever - which the Trix don't seem to know, as they freak and disappear.

The Winx hi-five, Bloom tosses the captain his hat back, and they teleport back to the real world using their wands. Stella jokingly says "The Trix looked like the world had just flipped and they were the ones with wings - they didn't know not to stay too long? Selina put them in there!"

Bloom shrugs and says "Yeah, well, there's a lot Selina doesn't tell them. Like knowing Eldora. Like Acheron. Like wanting to _free_ Acheron. And something tells me Acheron would swat them away like flies if they tried to order him around - even they couldn't be stupid enough to attack him though."

Stella laughs and says "Well, now that we're away from creepy, gray-skinned pirates, let's find the guys, Daphne, and have some fun in the sun! Fog-free and on the beach!"

* * *

 ***Cloudtower***

The Trix storm into Griffin's former office, making Selina jump and look at them slightly warily. "Your back."

Icy angrily says "Try to contain your excitement, Selina."

The three witch-sisters surround her, and Selina nervously says "I just thought it'd take longer to destroy the Winx. Bloom and all…"

Darcy says "Yeah, 'bout that."

Stormy finishes "If you stay too long in the Legendarium, you get stuck there forever."

Icy threateningly asks "That little factoid slip your mind?"

Selina backs up a step, mentally cursing herself for not asking what Acheron meant when he said 'wait and see' before sending the Trix in, and says "I had no idea, I've never done this before. There was never any need. But wait, if you left before the Winx…"

They quickly run to the Scrying orb, but find the six fairies walking through Calavera looking for the guys while Stella talks about outfits she could come up with using the Fantasy Emerald as inspiration.

* * *

 ***Calavera Island***

The guys are enjoying some coconut milk, Sky and Riven are practicing with Riven's throwing technique, and he loses it behind the coconut milk stand. As he goes to retrieve it, Brandon's suddenly tackled in a hug from an excited blonde princess.

Riven gets back out from behind the stand and puts his arm around Musa, much to the Music Fairy's relief, and Bloom holds up the Emerald that's as big as her palm and says "Zombie pirates have some weird ideas in fashion - like wearing a rock this size in their ridiculous hats."

Sky chuckles and spins her around from behind, saying "Well, maybe that was the thing way back when they were alive." They kiss, and Sky adds "You know, I like it when you get like this."

"You just like it because I can't resist you like this."

"Well, at least this time we know what's going on."

Daphne and Thoren go down to the beach, Musa and Flora chuckling about how cute the two of them look, and then Sky goes to get two coconut smoothies for him and Bloom. Flora casts a growth spell on the tree, which puts a few dozen coconuts up there, and Bloom says "Sorry, Flora." and hits the tree hard enough to knock them all down to the ground.

She takes a sip of the smoothie through the straw, her eyes fly open - and then she immediately downs the rest of it in maybe a minute. Sky smiles and just hands her the one he drank out of, saying "Good, huh?"

"Amazing. Why, oh why, don't we have smoothies back home?!" She downs the second one, not even spilling a drop over the side, and Sky wraps an arm around her and pulls her closer.

Loki's voice sounds in her head as she puts the coconut down to stare into it, saying _Maybe you can convince one constantly-drunk Valkyrie to take up smoothies instead, Bloom._

She smirks, and discreetly makes a ball of fire in her hand that reads 'Doubtful, she doesn't go long between drinks as it is. Making it nearly impossible to get a nonalcoholic drink in.'

 _Fair enough. But you'll have to introduce me after everything's over. The Trix are gone and all._

'Done. I'll also bring some more ice cream back for you. And popcorn for Thor.'

 _You are without a doubt the best. What's with the sudden fog?_

She looks over to see a familiar fog rolling in and an even _more_ familiar ship rolling in with it. "The Occulta? Here? _Selina!_ " She loses her relaxed smile and she and Sky whip out their swords while the rest of the guys gets their own weapons out as well.

Pirates pour out of the ship like its what Bloom's heard called a 'clown car' - it really doesn't look like even that size a ship could hold so many bodies, not without sinking given those holes in the hull.

Bloom ends up next to Daphne at some part during the fight, and stabs another zombie through the chest -and then she looks over upon hearing the sound of metal clanging together, and sees Daphne's taken up a zombie's sword and is fighting with it. "Daph, you know how to swordfight to?!"

"We're the daughters of the best swordmaster in the Magical Dimension! We're charged with protecting the Dragon Flame! Yes, I picked up a few moves watching him practice with the guards! And he may have taught me a few things."

"So why all the fuss about me?! Really, I've got to hear this."

Daphne beheads a zombie, kicks another in the chest, and says "He was just upset he didn't get to teach you himself. Or watch you grow up. Or teach you how to get rid of sleazy princes. You were a year old when he last saw you, then he wakes up and your all grown up and have taken on a lot of things you shouldn't have had to."

Bloom is silent for a full minute, then finally deadpans "This is why I like dragons. Dragons make _sense_! Don't step on the tail or wings, don't try to separate mother from hatchling, and don't think you set the feeding schedule or aren't potential food! That's all you need to know to get along with them! People are bizarre!" She blasts at another, then sees even more pouring out of the ship. "Daph, I've got an idea for how to stop this. I'm gonna need your help though. Those pirates keep coming out of the ship - lets remove that part of the battle!"

The two sisters fly up to the ship, much to the Captain's horror, and they set it ablaze. "No! You'll pay for that, Butterfly-ladies!"

Stella insultedly asks "Butterfly-ladies? Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

The ship quickly burns down, and the pirates are easy enough to get rid of after that - they were easy to beat, but the sheer never-ending numbers made it a losing fight.

* * *

Maybe an hour later, life on Calavera Island has returned to normal with the Winx and the Specialists being the island heroes. Stella and Brandon are sharing some coconut smoothies and dancing, Musa puts on some music, etc.

Sky finds Bloom sketching Daphne holding a pirate's sword, and sits down next to her while putting his arm around her waist. "You know, I can't think of anyone I'd rather fight zombie pirates with. So how about you unbury your nose from that sketchbook and we share a dance?" Bloom doesn't get the chance to respond before Sky pushes it off her knees and pulls her off the stone wall she was sitting on.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, next chapter is here! Sorry 'bout the wait everyone, forgot to say I was in Missouri for the past two weeks - I'm back though! Yes, Daphne can in fact fight - not nearly as good as Bloom, but she can swing a sword and not cut off her own head - and as the previous Holder she'd have had at least some responsibility to know how to use a weapon if she had to. Think of learning to drive a stick-shift car even though you own an automatic transmission - just in case! At any rate, I've got more chapters coming, promise! I'm about to start summer classes though, so my lab will take some time unfortunately. I'll still be writing, it'll just take more time to get the chapters done. Enjoy, please review if you've got suggestions or comments.**


	285. Threat of Thanos

_**Threat of Thanos**_

Roxy walks into the new Gymnasium Flora told her about, the one Aisha set up for the Winx and the Specialists. The walls were spelled against any and every kind of damage - particularly fire - and the whole thing is soundproofed so they don't disturb any classes with workout music. When she gets in there, she finds Bloom beating a punching bag to a sandy pulp. Once she puts a fist through it, Roxy jokingly says "Whatever the punching bag did, I think its sorry."

Bloom looks at her, then says "Letting off some steam. And not from Diaspro this time, thankfully. Though I almost wish it were her."

"So…what's wrong? I hear your all halfway to finishing this key-thing that's going to lock the Legendarium for good, so…"

Bloom sighs and wipes her bangs out of her eyes, saying "Remember those dreams I get sometimes, Roxy? Dreams of things that are happening while I'm dreaming?"

"Yeah, why?" "Well, last year they were mostly about Daphne. Likely because of the link between her and I. But sometimes they weren't. Sometimes they were about another threat entirely, one completely unrelated to the Trix and their succession of partners-turned-oppressors. His name's Thanos, best as I can tell anyway. Big guy, purple skin, golden glove on one hand, and an unhealthy-for-the-rest-of-the-universe obsession with the six Infinity Stones. In the dreams I've had, he's said he wants to kill exactly half the universe in order to 'save' it. How killing half the population of every planet he goes to saves it, I don't know. What I do know is that he needs all six Infinity Stones to do so instantly, and he can't. I obliterated the Aether, left no trace of it in Jane Foster and no trace of it for Malekith to absorb and use to try and turn the universe to darkness. And the Aether was also the Reality Stone. Point of fact, Thanos is going to be livid - as in, he's going to turn a color either close to royal purple or glowing red. He's already on the move, I've dreamed it, trying to find any of the Infinity Stones he can - there's the Power Stone on some other planet, I don't know the name of it, wasn't alive in Asgard long enough to take every lesson that could be taught. Its currently being guarded by what looks like some kind of space police or the equivalent of. And the Tesseract, the Space Stone, is on Asgard. Which means he'll come to Asgard for it. Which means I have to get it out of there, move it somewhere he'll never be able to follow."

Bloom sits down on a bench, and Roxy does the same while asking "If you destroyed one stone, why's he still going to try?"

"He doesn't know I destroyed it four years ago. I'm going to _love_ telling him right before I behead him."

"What?! Why?"

"Why what? Why would I love telling him he'll never be able to instantly murder half of all life there is? Or why would I behead him?"

"Let's go with the first one."

"…I never told anybody this, not the Winx, not my brothers, nobody. But I've always had some kind of nightmares occupy my nights - or dream-visions, lately. At first, when I was growing up, it was Domino's destruction. The Three Ancestral Witches chasing Daphne with me in her arms while the castle collapsed around us. They looked like old hags, in all honesty. Scared me halfway to Valhalla at first. I grew out of being afraid of them after enough time, though I never understood why I kept seeing them until I let the memory finish playing out. Discovered I was adopted. I was a total mess on Earth, and the year before. I knew it, the rest of the Winx knew it. Heck, even the Wizards knew it. It was no secret that I was a boiling hot mess. But…between the explosion on the Bifrost and Loki's return to Earth…I thought he was dead. He let go of Gungir, which Thor was holding onto, who was being held up by his ankle above the Void underneath what was left of the Bifrost after I lost all control over my newly-fully-awakened powers. And while I thought he was dead…well, I didn't take it well. At all. I would've likely blamed Thor for it, seeing as he just _had_ to go to Jotunheim despite Allfather's command not to. But I kept getting these vivid dreams of Loki being alive. Being somebody's prisoner. I'd have traded my magic in a heartbeat if it meant he'd have been back with me on Asgard, like nothing had happened and everything was back to mostly-normal. But the dreams I was seeing never failed to make me relieved he was dead if they were the alternative. Little did I know he _wasn't_ dead, and they weren't just dreams - I think, knowing what I know now."

Roxy's expression turns horrified, and she asks "It was that bad?"

"Roxy, I love Loki more than you can imagine. I'm not going to hesitate to say he was my favorite brother while growing up - he cared, Thor didn't, that's how it went down - and magic is my life, basically, but I'd have given it up in a heartbeat if it would've brought him back to me. But the tortures I saw him going through, it always made me glad he wasn't alive to go through them - I was a bit of a naïve fool back then, it seems."

"Bloom, you said he fell off the Bifrost! How could…what's _under_ the Bifrost?"

"Nothing, nothing but a waterfall that leads into the Void. A vast expanse of space that would kill most anyone. He's a master of magic, maybe that's how he survived - maybe he shielded himself somehow. At the time, all I could focus on was that my brother was gone. Not to make a sob-story out of it or anything, but there aren't enough words to describe it."

"So…so what happened to make him do…New York? The entire world must have heard about it, it was all over the news. That museum getting attacked - though there was no footage, just eyewitness reports - New York was all over the news for weeks, your description of him doesn't add up!"

"I know. It didn't make sense to me either at first. I knew, I just _knew_ , there was something I was missing. Like how Loki got his spear in the first place. Turns out the Mind Stone was in that thing. But then, I don't know when to be honest, the memory of those dreams started nagging at me. Thanos knows how to break a person, Roxy. He didn't use the Mind Stone on Loki, at least not the way Loki used it, that sort of thing can be reversed with a whack over the head. No, he _broke_ my brother - he and his _children._ "

"This purple guy has _children_?!" Roxy's voice goes to a pitch Bloom though only Musa's could go, driving a small spike through Bloom's near eardrum for a moment.

"Not really. He conquers a planet, murders half the population, and takes a child from each to join him in his cause. I think I saw some of them, during those dreams. All of them what people on Earth wouldn't hesitate to call aliens. Skins and bodies of all kinds, abilities like telekinesis, etc. A year of torture can't be reversed with a hit over the head, and Thanos just sat on his throne and watched as my brother endured pain beyond what most could handle. His magic healed him, when he was allowed to use it of course. Whenever he was left alone for a stretch of time. One of Thanos' kids, the one that seems to be the oldest anyway, he's got telekinesis. Could just twitch a finger and move something. He liked to play with these long silver needle-things. Would poke them into Loki, until it was too much and he screamed. They wanted information out of him - first and foremost, the location of any Infinity Stones he knew of. The Tesseract, to be specific. It was cast to Earth a long time ago, to keep it out of Thanos' hands. Loki being an Odinson, he knew that. Thanos knew it was kept from him, but he didn't know where. After he got that piece of information out of Loki, I'm pretty sure he drained him dry over that year of everything else he deemed important to know. And finally made Loki go to Earth to retrieve the Tesseract. He was defeated, the Tesseract taken to Asgard, but somehow I think he wanted to be beaten. If he had been truly trying to get it to Thanos, at-all eager to please Thanos and aid him in his genocide, he'd have used it to head back to him. Instead, he brought an army to the place, forcing the creation of the team that defeated him. An army that was associated with Thanos, though not directly. Should've been the first thing to ask, why the Chitauri obeyed his commands."

Roxy digests that dumpster-sized truckload of information, then finally asks "Why not say something to somebody? Why not…I don't know…ask him if it was all real?"

Bloom sighs and rubs her head, absentmindedly summoning her Mythix wand to tap against her leg, saying "It didn't occur to me to do so. At first, I thought it was my grief for Loki manifesting in my sleep. Then I had more important things to worry about, like knocking out mercenaries from Earth before they shot enough tranquilizer darts into me to knock me out - I was burning through the drugs pretty fast, but I wasn't part dragon back then. And then, the war with the Trix happened and they met with Darkar a few weeks later. And then, well, I was preoccupied in year two. Somehow, getting kidnapped by the wizard who helped destroy your home planet tends to do that to you. And escaping was my entire focus, not just my main focus. Even without those memories, I know that for a fact. But sometime between the whole mess of getting Loki's spear back and now, I started wondering why exactly New York happened like it did. Happened at all, actually. Loki's far too smart, and knowledgeable about magic and artifacts with magic, to not know how to use the Tesseract. It's the Space Stone, it can send you anywhere you want to go. My eventual conclusion was that he was playing for time. Trying to let himself lose without looking like he did so. For instance, he tricked Thor into getting into the cage he was being held in, and let it fall a few thousand miles to the earth below."

" _WHAT?!_ "

"That's the initial response. But, Asgardian's are built a lot sturdier than humans are, Roxy. They age a heck of a lot slower, living around five thousand years while humans live a hundred. They wear out slower, you might say. And so, they don't get hurt nearly as easily - otherwise Brunhilde would've drank herself to death years ago, I'm telling you. So that fall wouldn't have killed Thor, and Loki was likely counting on Thor using Mjolnir to smash his way out of it. Which he says he did."

"Oh. Good point. So…so why now? Why the venting about this now?"

"Thanos. He wanted to stay in the shadows - that's why Loki was sent to Earth instead of the big guy or his kids. But now, with the Power Stone being kept from him as well, it's only a matter of time before he finds it and heads to Asgard next. He's already started actively searching for the Stones, I saw so last night in another dream-vision. Two are on Earth, the Time Stone and the Mind Stone. One is on Asgard, the Space Stone. The Power Stone is wherever it is. And the Soul Stone is still missing. So, with his best chance at getting the Space Stone, which would enable him to go anywhere at a mere thought, gone and actively keeping it safe in defiance of him, he's going to retaliate. And he's going to come for Loki, no question there. He not only failed to get him the Space Stone, he cost him the Mind Stone as well. He'll take vengeance on Loki if he gets his way, I know it."

"That…that really sucks. Never thought I'd feel bad for a guy that killed a bunch of people, but…but I feel really bad for your brother. No offense about the first part."

"None taken, that's how it went down. Yes, he killed a lot of people. But I don't think it was ever his choice. It was likely kill a tiny percentage of a planet's population then, or give Thanos the means to nearly immediately get the means to kill _half of all life_. Which may well have included all those people. The lesser of two evils and all that."

Bloom's phone suddenly buzzes, and she gets a text from Flora saying to meet them in Daphne's classroom. "Looks like the time for going over past mistakes and things I completely missed is over. We've got a Silver Spear to find. And after everything is over, I'm going to find and kill Thanos. Keep half the universe from being killed."

Roxy finds she doesn't really know what to say to that - she's clearly been too long in classes and not out fighting with the Winx, because she's gotten too used to people who aren't _Bloom_.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everyone. Sorry about the wait again - had to write a lab report, not that easy. At any rate, Bloom's got one eye on Thanos - or most of her dreams, anyway. This idea occurred to me after watching IW - Thanos gets the Space Stone, and then he's just everywhere, a wormhole swallows him instantly. So, what with Loki being depicted as being a 'Master of Magic' according to Hogun, why couldn't he simply do the same? And in the movies, it apparently took him around a year to finally use it to get back to Earth - what gives?! My little explanation for it. And since seeing things that are happening in real life doesn't seem like the kind of power one just suddenly pops up with, but more like something that comes with Bloom's full set of powers, it seems a viable explanation. PS. my Border Collie that I've had for nearly twelve years is really old. Mom took her to the vet. If there's a sad chapter coming up, that's why. Because I'm extremely sad about losing my first - and amazing - dog.**


	286. Fearwood's Wolves

_**Fearwood's Wolves**_

Bloom's walking to Daphne's classroom when she realizes just in time someone else is coming around the same corner - she steps to the side just in time for Helia to not walk straight into her. He's also covered in vines and leaves she recognizes from Calavera Island, some grabbing vines she saw and made sure to avoid stepping on. "Helia, what happened to you?"

She snaps her fingers and all the plant pieces come out of his hair and off his clothes, and he sighs and says "Thanks, Bloom. As for what happened, I don't have a gentle enough touch for Flora's new plant in the greenhouse."

That sigh sounded like it came all the way from his toes, and Bloom says "You know, I may not be much for date advice, but I do know how to listen - and read people. What else happened?"

"I don't know. I wish I did know, honestly. Flora asked me to water her new vines from Calavera Island, I tried to but they wouldn't let me. Kept avoiding the water and Green Tea Extract she told me to spray on them. They picked me up, Flora rescued me, then somehow it seems I let her down or something."

Bloom raises an eyebrow, and asks "What? That's not like Flora. Not at all. The taking in a new plant like Roxy takes in strays, yes. The 'you let me down' part, no."

"I know, but…she just snapped."

He honestly looks miserable, and Bloom says "Well, I'm sure she's eating herself up with guilt over it. Go talk to her, maybe not right now, but talk to her. The Flora I know wouldn't really mean it, Helia. I've lived in the same room with her for three years, so I'd like to say I know what I'm talking about."

Helia gives her a wan smile, and says "Thanks, Bloom. Really. Maybe I'll give her some time to cool off though. Like, after the next mission."

Bloom shrugs and says "My advice, don't wait too long, Helia. I was emotionally torturing myself for two years, I'm the foremost expert on 'waiting too long' - I don't recommend it."

"Well, I've got to meet the rest of the guys, you have a meeting in Daphne's classroom."

"So I heard. See you later."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they're off to Fearwood - a village in Canada somewhere - to look for a totem that has the Silver Spear built into it. It's a good thing Bloom spent a few hours looking at a globe during her time on Earth when they learned Tir Nan Og was near Ireland.

When they finally get to the right patch of forest in Canada, Stella has long since changed the girls' outfits into parkas - including Bloom's, so she'd _blend in._

They find the entire town is in one big rush to get inside - no matter _where_ , from the looks of it - and Bloom says "I'm betting it's something to do with the werewolves the place is known for. I don't know anything about _were_ wolves, but the ones back home are gigantic." She looks at a picture of a large wolf on its back legs and with a hunch in its back reminiscent of a human body and adds "Though, the ones back home usually stay on four legs."

One guy stops long enough to tell them that some people supposedly turn into werewolves at night, so nobody wants to go around after the sun sets - and that should include them - and then he quickly heads into what appears to be a business and locks the door. As soon as the street is empty, Eldora arrives to tell them something - while wearing an outfit that would've been perfect on Calavera Island, but is far too thin and open for snowy Canada - and is immediately so cold she can't remember what.

Bloom politely asks "Anything to do with the Legendarium World? Like how the Fantasy Emerald was in there?"

Eldora nods her head, and quickly disappears in a burst of her magic. One other woman tells them that the totem is supposed to be in a clearing outside of the village - then hurriedly shuts the door and waves goodbye to them.

They're just on the outskirts of town, Flora going nonstop about how she can't believe she made Helia feel like he did anything wrong back in the greenhouse, when Loki's voice worriedly sounds in Bloom's head.

 _Bloom, I know I'm by no means an expert on all of Midgard's creatures, but I'm fairly certain that wolves are not supposed to be walking on their back legs anywhere. And they're in town, and have cornered your friends._

Bloom stops dead in her tracks, biting back a response, and says "Girls, you go on ahead. I've got to go back to town. Selina's telling us another story, it seems."

 _I'll go save their skins, follow the howling._

They all nod and get out their own wands, and Bloom teleports up onto the nearest roof and takes off running.

* * *

The guys are surrounded by about five werewolves, having gone back to town after a search of the forest proved fruitless except for Riven nearly scaring them half to death, and they all nervously get their weapons out.

There's suddenly _another_ howling, and Helia mutters "Riven, I swear…"

"Not me, guys! Wait, what the heck kind of wolf is _that?!_ "

They all look where he's pointing to see a jet-black wolf come out of the shadows - in the direction of the howling, no less - and bare bright white fangs that look like they're either made of snow or glowing white. It looks straight at the boys with glowing green eyes, and just when they think they're done for it _nods_ at them.

Thoren incredulously asks "Did that thing just…nod at us?"

Sky mutely nods his head, thinking back to the summer break where he met Bloom's brothers - that couldn't be Loki, could it?

The wolf lifts its head up to the sky and lets out another howl, making all the werewolves look at it. Another howl, and they all turn away from the boys and surround the certifiably dead beast - one rushes the wolf but it nimbly dodges out of the way, jumping gracefully out of the deadly circle and away from the Specialists.

The wolf practically dances around the werewolves, leading them into nearly knocking themselves out on car sides, lamp posts, and electrical poles and baiting them with a fresh howl after every failed attack - and Timmy's noticed something odd about the wolf, it isn't leaving any prints in the snow. He whispers to Sky "Sky, tell me your seeing a black wolf as well. Because if so, it must be a ghost wolf or something - I'm not seeing any normal wolf prints here."

"You, uh, you remember what Bloom said about her brothers?"

"Yeah, but…oh."

Thoren asks "What about them?"

"Well, they're Norse gods. Thor and Loki. And, Loki's got black hair and green eyes - exactly like that wolf."

"You're kidding, there's no way that's - HOLY CRAP, THAT WEREWOLF WENT RIGHT THROUGH IT!"

It's true, one werewolf got lucky and caught the wolf right on the side - and went right through it full speed into the side of a car. Unfortunately, Thoren's shout drew the other werewolves' attention right back to them, and they forget about the nonexistent wolf in favor of prey that's corporeal.

The wolf stares at them like they're morons, and then shakes its head and says "And it was going so well to. Well, all illusions get discovered eventually." The wolf disappears and is replaced by a man with jet black hair and equally dark leather armor with green accents, Sky was right then.

"Loki, good to see you. Bloom wouldn't happen to be on the way, would she? Because I'm guessing you're not actually here."

"Yes and yes. I can't set foot on Midgard without one Dr. Steven Strange sucking me down into a never-ending fall. And the chances of Bloom being there to go get me are slim at best."

There's a sudden roar from atop one roof, and all the werewolves scatter like mice faced with a large cat. When they look up, Bloom's standing on the roof with her hands cupped to her mouth and her sword in hand. She jumps down to the ground and nearly crushes Sky in a hug until he frantically pats her back as a sign that he needs air. She releases him, then says "Thanks for keeping them alive, Brother."

Loki grins and says "My pleasure, this is the most fun I've had all day. And, who are they?"

When they look where Loki's pointing, there's a group of people standing in the street - and they turn into more werewolves. Bloom simply says "Damn." and puts her sword away - she's not hurting a bunch of innocent people Selina's using to get rid of them.

Bloom does some fast thinking, then calls out "Helia, Flora's incredibly sorry about the incident in the greenhouse. Guilt's eating away at her so much that there's not much left in her. I'd kiss her and forget about it already."

"Okay, good to know, but…"

He trails off when Bloom cups her hands to her mouth and lets out an incredibly realistic wolf howl and takes off running down the street.

All the guys stare at her like she's crazy, and Loki mutters "She'd better have some kind of plan. She's always had a tendency for hotheadedness. Learned to think up a plan, but often as not she just improvises as she goes - and I'm sure right now she's improvising." He disappears, likely to either make a new illusion by Bloom or to simply start questioning her plan or lack thereof.

* * *

Bloom's running through town, seriously planning on running all the way to the clearing with this ever-growing pack of werewolves on her wings.

 _B_ _loom, what are you doing?!_

"I'm getting them to the spear! If it can break the curse, then getting them to it has to help!"

Three more leap into her path, but she just jumps onto a car in a line of parallel parked vehicles and runs over three of them, howling all the while to keep the wolves interested in her _._

 _This is madness, Bloom_.

"No, its magic!"

Daphne's face appears in an orange bubble, and she worriedly asks "Bloom, what's going on over there?"

"Tell me you all have found the spear!"

"We just got into the clearing, but it's not here!"

"It's in the Legendarium World! _Get the Spear!_ "

* * *

A good thirty minutes later, she sprints into the clearing full of leaves, minor cuts from tree branches, and with at least a hundred werewolves on her trail - there were practically crawling out of the alleys and shadows as she ran through the town. And the forest was a maze of trees, tree roots, and bushes - she was above the ground and swinging from branches more than running at times.

Just as she runs into the clearing and sees Daphne standing there pacing, the rest of the Winx appear with a seven-foot-tall totem. It lets out a wave of magic, and the wolves all turn back into seriously confused villagers - good thing to, because even Bloom has her limit when it comes to running and she has just about reached it.

She falls to her hands and knees, fighting for breath - she'd be _fine_ if she hadn't had to keep howling so the wolves would stay interested! - and Daphne changes back and kneels beside her little sister. "Bloom, are you alright?!"

"I've run faster…and longer than…that on Pyros…" In truth, she pushed herself full force the whole way - there was a _pack of wolves on her tail_ , after all - and didn't stop or even risk a quick glance. She had no intention of _tripping_ \- what a stupid way to die after all she's been through, torn to pieces by wolves she was leading to a clearing because she tripped on a tree root.

Daphne clearly isn't convinced by Bloom's out-of-breath attempt at reassuring her, and says "Right, where you were connected to the planet - providing you with an infinite source of energy to draw from."

"Got one…of those…"

"Bloom, that was about twelve miles you ran with a pack of werewolves on your heels. Full sprint, I'm assuming. Even you should be exhausted by now."

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I really did have Bloom do something that funny - because why not? I, for one, was laughing the whole time while writing it! And yes, as I'm still writing this story - it's just taking longer with school stuff. Sorry. Just in case anybody's wondering - I'm changing up Infinity War. A lot. The Reality Stone is gone, therefore making the Snap impossible and ticking Thanos off automatically. As for how many werewolves were following Bloom, I can seriously imagine Selina yanking out as many as she could from the Legendarium in an attempt to get her killed - sorry, didn't work. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters are coming out - I just have this incredibly interesting habit of getting hit with an idea out of nowhere like Bloom threw it at me like her knife and I want to see if it pans out or not. Not abandoning any stories I've posted, I just like to make sure what I post will actually have an end - think of it as a 'common courtesy' kind of thing.**


	287. So Tired

_**So Tired…**_

When everyone gets back to town, most of the large group incredibly grateful to be back in town and with the totem that houses the Silver Spear in tow, they find the rest of the town is peeking out of windows and doorways half-curious, half-afraid, and with a dash of hope somewhere in the mix as well - no surprise there, this night must've been the culmination of all their fears. Once everyone realizes the werewolf curse is broken - or they're being protected from it now - they all come running out of their homes and businesses cheering and all decide to throw a massive party right then and there.

There's a bunch of celebrating, from everyone - and no small amount of Bloom-crushing on Sky's part due to the massive embrace he immediately wraps her in on sight - but Bloom somehow doesn't seem like she's in the mood to celebrate. She's leaning against a nearby building, rolling the Legendarium key between her fingers, not paying attention to Flora, Musa, and Aisha trying to hit three colored orbs while blindfolded - the magical version of a Piñata, courtesy of Stella - and is staring up at the stars like they hold the answers to whatever question she's wrestling with.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Bloom lets out a small sigh, staring up at the starry night sky for another minute, then says "Everything. We're dealing with problem after problem. And even if we manage to lock the Legendarium, the Trix will likely throw some temper tantrum in the meantime. Who knows what they'll pull out of that thing before long? And then there's Thanos. The guy that's been pulling the strings of every adventure I've been on that didn't originate in Magix or with the Wizards. Except for New Mexico, he didn't have a hand in that." Bloom sighs once again, even as Sky moves closer and wraps his arm around her to pull her closer. "We're in over our heads, Sky. Have been for a while and just didn't know it. The Infinity Stones are scattered everywhere, two here on Earth, one on Asgard, one on some alien planet I've never been to and don't know the name or location of, and the last remaining one is who-knows-where. Given the fact that I destroyed the Reality Stone, well, Thanos' plans of instantly murdering half of all life are finished anyway. Though he could well just collect all five remaining stones and simply travel from one planet to the next, being unstoppable with five as it is."

Sky looks around, then asks "You sure we don't have an audience or anything?"

"We don't. And even if we did, I don't care at the moment. The Trix are in no way my biggest concern right now. They're annoying, they're petty, and they're spoiled. But they aren't a psychotic titan intent on killing half of everything there is with six stones on the level of the Dragon Flame in terms of power - one of which is currently residing on my childhood home, putting all of Asgard in danger by the fact." She suddenly starts crying, making him remember how she could go from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other and back again in the space of a single conversation the last time she got like this.

After a few minutes of her crying into his shirt, he asks "What's wrong? Let me help, Bloom."

"I don't think anybody can help. Maybe ever could, at least after Loki fell into the void underneath the Bifrost. It's…It's Loki. He got the Mind Stone from Thanos, must have - who else would have it? But…it came at a cost. Loki was to go to Earth, retrieve the Tesseract, and return back with both stones. Instead, he failed to bring it back and lost the Mind Stone. And that…from what I saw in my dream-visions, Thanos is a very unforgiving being. Not one exactly known for his mercy. The Trix, Valtor, Tritannus, they're all downright merciful, compassionate beings compared to him from what little I've seen of him in my dreams. Sky, it didn't take Loki a year to get to Earth, it took Thanos a year to break him. Break his will. Make him willing to serve him instead of just using the Mind Stone on him like Loki used it on Selvig and the others he controlled. I've had these puzzle pieces ever since we met, since I came to Alfea, since I started getting dream-visions - but back then I didn't know or didn't want to believe that what I was seeing was actually happening. And I was so relieved that Loki was actually alive, along with dumbfounded and incredibly hurt that he didn't even try to contact me somehow, that I didn't even think to question if what I'd seen him go through was real or if he really was just that cruel to everyone and I simply hadn't seen it before."

"Bloom, you said you spent nearly all your time with him, why wouldn't you have seen it if it was there?"

"I don't know, but I didn't see that there was far more to the story than anybody but Loki knew! And Thor says he didn't say anything about being controlled, and he did in fact ask. And if he'd truly been loyal to Thanos, then two things would have been very different. He would have immediately said yes, and he would have grabbed the Tesseract and just _gone_. And if Loki's afraid of him…" She shakes her head and doesn't finish the sentence, and Sky doesn't push the issue. Bloom's one of the bravest people he's ever met - her self-sacrificing tendencies aside - and she seems really worried about this.

Sky whispers "You look up to him, don't you?"

"I always have. Thor to, but he never really cared much. Loki, well, you know we got close. Really close. He could always make a bad situation better - right up until Thor's coronation. Loki tried to talk him down, but he wasn't having any of it. If I hadn't told that guard what was happening, we'd have died. So Thor got banished, and everything just kept getting worse and worse. But, hey, I'd never have come to Magix if it all hadn't happened. So there's that." She shrugs, looking away, and mumbles "The myths don't really tell an accurate story. He's far more than people a thousand years ago ever learned or imagined. And at this point, I'm going to say we all learned how to keep secrets from Allfather - he is arguably the best at it. Or was, anyway. Kept Hela a massive secret, told Thor he was the Firstborn and rightful heir to the throne, told Loki he was Agardian-born, told me the same." She sighs and mutters "My life is so screwed up. I don't remember the last time it actually made sense. I think it was the day before Thor's coronation though." She suddenly starts crying once again, and Sky pulls her back to him and starts calming her down gently.

When she quiets down, he asks "Bloom, just out of curiosity, how long does this last?"

"How long does what last?"

"You remember how you were all moody and hormonal like this two years ago?"

"Mm-hm."

"When did it stop? Just curious, that's all."

"Remember how long it took between freeing the Earth Fairies and getting that trial?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Add another week onto that."

"Oh. Good to know." All he has to do then is keep Bloom from going entirely nuts for the next three weeks then. After everything is over, he won't even think twice - but at some point during their time spent trying to get Loki's spear back she made him promise to keep anything from happening until after their lives all settle down and she isn't just going from one enemy to the next.

Which may never actually happen, based on their track record for not getting attacked as soon as they deal with the latest.

And that promise is something Daphne also made him make, and she was incredibly relieved to hear about it - because the last thing they need is for Daphne to become an aunt in the middle of everything that's going on.

Sky pulls himself out of his thoughts, whispering "Bloom, we'll figure this out. We'll stop the Trix, then we'll stop this purple guy. And if Loki is afraid of him, it's probably because of a reason that'll make you furious. Furious in the way that nobody survives. We'll figure everything out. Not to be cocky, but everything always seems to work out in the end somehow. Tritannus is dead, Diaspro is currently in prison, the Trix are once again on the loose but what's new there, and the Wizards retired. We deal with Selina and the Trix, then we'll figure out what to do next. And 'what to do' very likely includes finding this purple, genocidal weirdo and making him stop the killing one way or another. Very likely by killing him, as he won't just stop when someone asks nicely."

Bloom nods her head, and whispers "I'm so tired, Sky. Of everything, the fighting, the endless enemies, all of it. I've saved two universes multiple times, and I'm tired. People say I make it look easy, but I'm so tired of being the person everyone goes to when they're in trouble. Selfish and whiny though it may be, I'm exhausted. I could use a year on Pyros instead of just a month, I really could."

Sky kisses her forehead, saying "After we stop this Thanos guy, you can sleep for a year if you want."

She chuckles and says "I'll take you up on that offer."

* * *

 **AN: Alright, next chapter is up! Kind of a filler in between enemies - Icy didn't take Helia into the Legendarium World and freeze him solid, so I had to think up something and this is it! And before anybody sends me an angry/disbelieving message about this, they've been going from enemy to enemy for years now. Yeah, I made year three in Alfea quiet, as I couldn't just have the school burn down and that's sort of the point Bloom was at if she got attacked then, but they get back from ending the Earth Fairies' vengeance campaign, go to New York to find Loki's spear, then go to Gardenia to find the Lilo and Season five starts. Then, after that's done, Bloom almost immediately has to go off to Asgard and find Odin, then gets thrown out of the Bifrost beam by Hela. And then, all of this is happening. I think that qualifies her for being a little tired of the constant fighting. Anyway, enjoy the story, more updates coming soon!**

 **PS. guest, Bloom isn't part-dragon from the Dragon Flame, she's part dragon because of her time on Pyros and mixing her magical essence with that of Pyros. I figure it's like the Magical Dimension's way of describing DNA, with magic mixed in, so she's mixing her DNA with that of a planet of dragons.**


	288. Stella on the Throne

_**Stella on the Throne**_

The day after Eldora magically forged the Legendarium Key, the Winx all head to Cloudtower. Just as they get in sight though, the place disappears - Darcy's doing, no doubt about it.

Stella points out "Is anybody else concerned that we've got a college packed full of witches, run by the Trix, and _we can't see it?!_ "

Bloom stares at the spot where Cloudtower just was, and says "Maybe we can…" She waves a hand in front of her face, leaving a trail of magic in its wake - a little idea of hers. She can _sense_ magic and heat signatures, why not try to _see_ the same?

 _What is she doing? Tell me she can't ACTUALLY SEE THROUGH ILLUSIONS TO!_

Bloom smirks at the sound of Selina's voice, raised in no small amount of fear. When she looks through the magical haze, she can, in fact, see the negative magic surrounding the school and each individual person in the place as well.

Stella asks "You can see through Darcy's magic?" Bloom smirks and says "I've been playing with fire, illusions, and weapons since I was five years old. Darcy may be the witch of Illusions, but my brother is the God of Mischief. Let's just say I learned from the best. Between him and mother, I had the two best magic-users in all the Nine Realms as my teachers. And magic is…flexible, let's say, when you have the mind for it. While I can't see Cloutower as it is without the spell's influence, I can see the spell covering it, and each individual person and source of heat and magic in the castle. And I can hear, and see if I so choose, anyone scrying me. Really helps with talking to my brothers whenever they call."

Bloom could nearly burst out laughing when the bright white figure in where she thinks is Griffin's office _falls sideways_ and the dark purple magic surrounding the school ripples and waves with Darcy's distress. Everyone notices the storm clouds gathering fast, and Stella says "Well, we can't see them. Let's get out of here and figure out how to make the place visible again."

Bloom fake-pouts and says "Aw, and here I was planning on sneaking in invisibly. Ambushing the four of them and locking the Legendarium in maybe an hour." The scrying abruptly shuts off, and Bloom can sense them magically locking the entire school up tight.

* * *

Back in the dorm, Brandon comes over as Stella's picking out a dress to wear for an occasion on Solaria - and it's also their _anniversary_ \- and the rest of the Winx have no clue about what to do to make Cloudtower reappear.

Well, Bloom has an idea: sneak in, beat the Trix, lock the Legendarium, get Loki over to undo the spell. Because they tried undoing it and it just wouldn't work. No matter how much they all tried, the magic resisted their every effort at reversing the effects - the effects being not even Techna's magical detection could find the school even though Bloom assured them it was _right there_. And she could only see it because of the way her powers work, allowing her to sense the heat and magic continuously pouring from people.

Stella bursts into the room, saying she's got a great idea - they search the Library of Solaria. Good news: it's the biggest library in the Magical Dimension, and Bloom and she already searched through it once before when Bloom was trying to find a way to bring Domino back and restore Daphne's body. Bad news: only the king can grant access, and King Radius is not exactly the most approachable person in the dimension. Stella only got her and Bloom access by way of being his daughter and Bloom being her best friend - and Bloom's giving the question with Stella giving him the puppy-eyes.

At the question of how they're going to get access, Stella says "I've got an ace up my sleeve girls, follow me!"

They head to Solaria, with Brandon in tow for a massive feast Stella promised him, and discover that ace is actually a rare showing of all three of Solaria's suns in the sky at once - on which day the current ruler gives up the Regency and the Throne to the next in line.

Which is Stella.

Which means she's technically the Queen of Solaria until midnight tonight.

She immediately grants them access, and Bloom whispers "I'll stay behind. Give Stella some help. Because her parents can't really agree on much other than the fact that they love her."

Daphne nods, and they leave Bloom leaning against the door - much to Stella's confusion until she hears Bloom's voice in her ears say "I'm staying here to help, Stell. Don't react to this, it's an illusion. For your ears only. Use a burst of your magic if you can hear me though."

The lights flicker for the barest instant, and Radius whispers "It's alright to be nervous, Stella. Your mother and I will be advising you all through today."

She nods, and Bloom's voice whispers "Great, now for the hard part - and the reason I never wanted a throne. Ever. I don't envy you, Stell. Or Brandon."

The first Courtier steps up, and Radius explains how they'll present their requests for her to either accept or reject.

The first is a man who wants to turn the Royal Terrace into a vegetable garden - Luna loves the idea, Radius hates it.

Bloom's voice sounds in Stella's ears, saying "Great, they can't even agree now? When you're running an entire kingdom for the day? My advice: say you'll think it over." Stella does exactly that, silently thanking Bloom for helping out.

The next guy requests a law to forbid post-sunset barking.

"It's going to be a long day, Stella. You can't just keep a dog from barking, you know." Stella inwardly sighs, seeing Bloom's early-age wisdom - even if it was likely for childish reasons at the age of five - in not wanting a throne. "Stell, repeat after me…"

Stella takes a deep breath and says "I'm sorry, but you cannot simply order a dog to stop barking. A law forbidding it won't make any results other than unhappy pet-owners. I can have your house spelled so that you can't hear the dogs, I can teach you a sleep spell so you won't be kept up by them, but a law won't work." This guy actually seems somewhat satisfied with having his house walls soundproofed, and walks away semi-happy - unlike the last guy.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and at least as many ridiculous-sounding requests, and the Courtiers are finished for now. Stella goes to her room for a break, and finds there's a huge mirror in there that definitely wasn't there before.

Bloom's still leaning against the wall when King Radius comes over with a half-smile on his face. "You know, Bloom, some of Stella's answers to those Courtiers sounded a little bit less like my daughter's and a little more like something you would say."

Bloom shrugs, and says "I may be helping my best friend from Solaria out just a little bit. Because, no offense your Majesties, but you two haven't yet agreed on a single request. And it's sort of driving Stella up a wall."

"I see."

The rest of the Winx get back into the throne room, and find it is empty except for the King and Queen, the guards, and Bloom. Daphne says "We found an answer! Fairy magic apparently needs to be enhanced with Master Technology! Techna sent Timmy the notes that we found, and the two of them are going to do some TechnoMagic research starting tomorrow."

"That's great! But…"

Aisha nods and says "But we need to get to tomorrow. Where's Stella?"

Luna says "The demands of ruling a kingdom are rather taxing. Stella went to her room to freshen up."

Bloom holds back a laugh, because she was getting _incredibly_ tired of ridiculous requests - if she ever wanted a throne of her own, she wouldn't now.

Stella suddenly storms in, with an aura of negative energy Bloom can sense across the room - not good. If they couldn't tell something was off before, they can absolutely tell something is very wrong when she starts talking in some imperious voice about how she was deprived of valuable time as queen - and when her father tries to protest, she makes it so he can't speak.

Bloom steps forward, asking "Stella, what has gotten into you?"

Stella glares at her, saying "That's _Queen_ Stella to you, Bloom."

"Alright, Queen Stella, the better question is what _spell_ has gotten _onto_ you."

Stella's eyes narrow, and she says "Very well, if you don't want to be my friends anymore, I'll find some new ones. Ones who understand what a great queen I am." She holds her arms out, her hands glowing brightly, and then there's six witches in the room. "Guards, you are not to harm my new guests. I'll be in my chambers."

Bloom eyes the group of witches, one of whom is wondering about what she'll turn them all into, and asks "Guards, Stella said not to attack these ladies, but she didn't say anything about protecting her parents. Can you do that?" They nod, getting between the Witches and Radius and Luna.

"And what are you fairies going to do about it? Blast us?" The pale-haired witch starts laughing, right up until Bloom does _exactly_ that - she ends up a smoking pile of sore witch on the floor.

Bloom flexes her fingers, asking "Your Majesties, do I have your permission to be only slightly un-princess-like at the moment to, shall we say, escort these ladies out of your home?"

Radius immediately nods, and Luna says "Wholeheartedly, Princess Bloom. Be as un-princess-like as you wish if it means our subjects are safe."

"Fabulous. First these ladies, then the spell on Stella." Bloom changes her dress to her shirt, jacket, and some jeans and boots, and then the nearest witch gets yanked forward in an iron grip and thrown into two more like she's a ragdoll.

Not even five minutes later, there's a pile of sore witches turning some interesting shades of purple-black, and Bloom hasn't even broken a sweat. Daphne snaps her fingers, and Radius can speak again - and the first thing he says is "Bloom, you wouldn't mind training the guards for a few weeks, would you?"

Bloom shrugs and says "Not at all, King Radius, but I'm afraid I may be held up directly after the threat of the Legendarium is ended. As per usual with my life." She shrugs, then teleports to Stella's room, where she finds Brandon right outside the door.

"Bloom, you've got to hear this. Listen." Stella's voice is on the other side, welcoming _Darcy_ to Solaria.

"Brandon, she's under a spell. You distract Stella, I'll take Darcy out and break the spell."

"Distract her how?!"

"I don't know, kiss her if you want! Doesn't that break spells in Earth Fairytales?"

"This isn't Earth!"

She points at herself and says "Fairy."

She points at the door and does the same, and Brandon says "Alright, fair enough. Let's go."

They get inside, Darcy _freezing_ upon seeing Bloom, who says "I think this party is just about over. Darcy, I do believe its time you took your friends in the throne room and _left_." She teleports over before either can react, and grabs Darcy by the front of her outfit.

The Witches toes start brushing the floor, and Stella says "How dare you? She is my guest-"

"Brandon, any time now."

Brandon grabs Stella by the arms, and actually does kiss her - maybe to make her stop talking, maybe to confuse her. Either way, it works.

Bloom looks behind Darcy, who's still struggling to loosen her grip, and sees the mirror with a floating face. "Nice mirror, Stella. Got a great beard. Too bad its also got a dark spell it put on you." She throws Darcy into the mirror, breaking it into a million little shards.

Dark purple energy flies off of Stella, and then Brandon stops kissing her. "Ugnhh…Brandon? When did I start kissing you? _And what's Darcy doing in here?!_ "

Bloom firmly plants her boot on Darcy's spine, keeping her from going anywhere, and says "Excellent question. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Staring into this new mirror…that mirror on the ground!"

"It was magic. A gift from Darcy. Sorry I broke a gift, Stell."

"A gift from the Trix? Rare enough as it is, and even rarer that its not dangerous."

Bloom starts laughing, and Darcy takes the opportunity to teleport away.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I felt really bad for Stella sitting on the throne having to deal with stupid requests like the ones in the episode. So I was merciful and had Bloom stay behind with her common sense. And, seriously, I thought she'd had more personal growth in the cartoon than they portrayed - maybe she was letting the power go to her head in the episode. the fact that her parents took opposite sides on every question didn't help though.**

 **PS. got completely moved-in to college today, and classes start on Monday - please be patient for updates, I'm going to have to do homework and such first no matter how much fun it is to write a chapter.**

 **Enjoy! Review if you have suggestions! More chapters coming soon!**


	289. Frankentein and his Bride

_**Frankenstein and His Bride**_

The next day, after a huge feast thrown by Stella for everyone - secretly-from-most-everyone especially Brandon for their anniversary - as the last thing she did as queen of Solaria, everyone's in the Magic Archive in Alfea looking for a book on invisibility spells. Stella is in an unusually determined mode, going through book after book like Bloom did looking for a way to break Daphne's curse - looking through multiple books at a time, frantic, and determined as a dragon is stubborn.

Unfortunately, that determination to not let the Trix one-up them results in her accidentally getting the books angry - she uses a spell called 'Sunlight Stillness' to calm them down. Timmy comes in a moment later, saying he's figured out a solution: they need to get a Spectrographic Localizer. It's a device that can analyze any object invisible to the naked eye - unfortunately, they don't exactly have one laying around.

Techna gets an idea, and says "We can ask my parents! They collect and build all sorts of technology! I'm sure they'd at least know where to start looking for one!" She suddenly blushes and adds "Plus, a visit back home would give you the chance to meet my parents."

Timmy's face goes as pale as Bloom's, and he asks "What?! Me, uh, meet… _your parents?!_ "

His voice got three octaves higher at least, and Techna says "Don't worry, Timmy. I've calculated your chances of approval, and they're sixty-eight point nine percent and rising."

"Well, in that case, let's go!" Timmy still looks nervous, Bloom can tell, but he forces a smile on his face for Techna.

Stella suddenly says "Not so fast! You're not going anywhere yet!"

Ten minutes later, Techna's in Stella's Boutique with the rest of the Winx. Stella conjures up some of Zenith's latest fashion designs and then everyone's dressed in minidresses decorated with what looks like a black scroll pattern and gloves. And decorative wings on the backs.

Bloom summons the Legendarium Key, thinking for a moment. "Alright, I've got an idea for this, Winx. I'll put it in a dimensional storage space that can only be accessed by someone with the Dragon Flame. _Uncorrupted_ Dragon Flame. So, not Valtor. Anybody gets the Legendarium, think of the key and it'll appear in your hand."

Everybody thinks it's a great idea, and they all get the hang of it in a few minutes - and then they're off, Timmy's expression saying his mind turned to mush upon sight of Techna.

* * *

As they walk through Zenith City, Stella mutters "At least this time there's no snow…"

Bloom nudges her in the side as they head towards a particular house, and says "We'll be back in Magix in no time, Stell. Maybe."

Techna presses her hand to a scanner next to the door, and then two green holograms appear - Electronio and Magentha, otherwise known as Techna's parents. Now they all get why Techna was so robot-like in their first year - her parents are even _worse_ than she was! They love Techna though, Zenithians just don't do well with emotions at all - preferring code and logic to messy emotions.

Techna introduces the Winx to her parents, and then yanks Timmy in front of her saying he's her boyfriend - straightforward, right to the point, and giving Timmy no warning. Electronio doesn't seem too thrilled with Techna's choice of wording, and the Technology Fairy has to literally push Timmy through the doorway.

The next thing Timmy knows, they're all sitting at a couch across from Techna's parents - and her father is eying him suspiciously, like he thinks the orange-haired boy is going to steal Techna away from him forever or something. A robot comes with drinks for everyone, but Timmy can hardly feel anything other than the feeling that he may well throw up from his nervousness.

He sees Bloom eying him, and hears "Timmy, listen. You like Techna, Techna likes you. Your brilliant, remember? Electronio is just letting his overprotective-father self show through a bit. Take a sip of your drink if you can hear me." He takes a sip, and hears "Good. Now, quietly take a deep breath and _calm down_."

Timmy tries to take her advice, but ends up taking too much of his drink in at once as the others are telling Techna's parents about him - luckily, Bloom's fast as heck with her magic. Techna's parents never even blink as the liquid evaporates mid-air, and he feels a pressure like a hand on his shoulder leaning him back. "Not quite what I was thinking, Timmy. Lucky you, I'm good at illusions. Act like that didn't happen." He sits back, and feels the slightest warmth around him dissipate.

Magentha claps her hands and says "Time for lunch! And we ordered all of Techna's favorites!"

There's what looks like Jell-O, some custard - and algorithm soup, which Stella says tastes like homework. Magentha says that's the point of Algorithm soup. And then, after learning that people on Zenith pride themselves on doing multiple things at once - and doing them _well_ \- Electronio springs a surprise on Timmy - a test. He has to solve an algorithm while _fencing with a spoon_.

He passes with flying colors, getting a nine in fencing and reflexes and a ten in logic and intelligence. Translation: he fits right in on Zenith, and Techna's parents approve.

Bloom clears her throat and says "Electronio, Magentha, its really been wonderful meeting you. Really, it has. But unfortunately we didn't just come here for lunch. We need to find a Spectrographic Localizer, and Techna says you two might know which way to point us."

As it turns out, _they have one._ Just sitting around in their basement along with twenty other projects in various stages of completion. That would be where their good luck ends, however, as neither of them actually know how to use it - they haven't tried it out yet!

Electronio hands it to Timmy, who presses a button and starts it up. Electronio claps him on the back approvingly, making Timmy cough and wheeze and Techna smile happily. When they get outside, they all hear a loud crashing sound - Electronio pulls out a device and shows them a stitched-together monster with green skin and thick screws in its neck destroying everything around it.

The Winx all let out groans - the Trix and Selina are at it again. They get to the bridge where the monster is now, and discover two things about it: all their attacks don't even slow it down, and it _really_ likes Techna's powers. When she uses electricity from the city power grid and blasts the monster with it, it gets this lovestruck expression and starts walking towards Techna.

Flora says "He thinks you were being nice to him!"

"Get away!" Techna flies further away from the monster, who doesn't seem at all deterred by her yell.

Bloom blasts the thing, not even slowing it down, and says "The Trix are just getting plain old bizarre if they're sending monsters that are going to fall in love with us!"

Timmy tries to protect Techna, but gets his Wind Rider swatted away like he's a fly. The monster jumps impossibly high for something on legs and grabs Techna from behind. The two disappear before anyone can react, stunning everyone speechless for a moment.

Bloom says "Let's go see where in the Legendarium World Zenith is connected to. Mythix!"

* * *

When they get there, they find it's a very dead forest with a castle in sight - and Stormy, who's gone through a very bad change. Her skin is gray-green, her hair is black and standing straight up, and she's in a black dress like she's headed to a funeral - maybe her own, from her skin color. "Hey, Winx. Surprised to see me here?"

Bloom gives her a skeptical look, and asks "In a place made for monsters of all kinds? No, not particularly. What, you get lost looking for Valtor's story?"

Stormy gets mad, and shoots a bolt of lightning at her - giving Bloom an idea. She can sense Techna in the castle, and teleports between Stormy and said place. "Wow, I'm so scared. You look like the dead, and your trying to shock me a little. Well, I guess you'll have to try a little harder - I hear physical contact is good for electrocution though."

Judging from the look on Stormy's face, Bloom successfully pushed her over the edge. She starts running after Bloom, who flies into the castle and starts looking for Techna.

"I said no thank you to the flowers!"

Bingo.

There's a crash, and Bloom suddenly flies right into a freaking-out Techna. "Bloom! I really need you to move, someone is _way_ too lovey over here!"

"Well, I've got just the girl for him! C'mon!" Bloom and Techna fly up, and Bloom does an illusion to that Frankenstien looks like her.

Just in time to, because Stormy flies over and yells "Say hello to a million volts of lightning, Bloom!"

To Bloom and Techna's total delight, she grab's 'Bloom's' shoulders and pours her magic into the body, even calling down bolt after bolt of lightning to strike them both. By the time she's done, a good two minutes later, she's drained herself pretty well - and then whirls around and gapes stupidly when Bloom and Techna clear their throats.

"Yeah, see, that wasn't me, Stormy. I'm over here."

"Wha…how…wait. If you two are over there…" She turns back to 'Bloom' with dawning horror, which multiples by about a million with Bloom drops the illusion to reveal she just electrocuted Frankenstein - who now has that lovestruck expression for _her._ The monster scoops her up, cuddling her to his chest - much to her horror and Bloom and Techna's utter amusement.

Techna whips her phone out and takes a few pictures, and Bloom says "Enjoy your bride, big fella!"

They all leave, listening to Stormy's screams of 'Get off me!' and laughing the whole while.

* * *

They get back to Zenith, where Techna's parents are relieved to see them all safe.

Techna's mother starts making sure she's alright, and Electronio says Timmy was pretty brave out there.

After the family promises to see each other again before 'three time cycles' passes - which apparently translates to three years - the Winx and Timmy head back to Alfea with the Spectrographic Localizer to figure out how to get it to work.

* * *

In Cloudtower, Stormy appears with a highly unhappy expression and her makeup all messed up. "Not. A Word. Any of you."

Darcy's smirk is small, but she can see the one corner of her mouth twitching higher - she's fighting not to have a smirk.

Icy, by contrast, has an ice-cold expression full of fury. "Another ruined chance at destroying the Winx! All because of a stupid monster who likes electricity!"

Selina notices the ice creeping across the floor, and says "There are plenty more pages in the Legendarium to choose from, each with a monster waiting to be set free." _Like Acheron._

* * *

 **AN: Alright, the next chapter is up! For everyone dying to see what I'm going to do with Infinity War, please be patient! I'm writing this stuff between classes, homework, and the other story I'm working on! I WILL get to it, just give me some time! Because I want to get good grades in my classes! Anyway, I just** ** _loved_** **getting Stormy to electrocute Frankenstein instead of Bloom - the look I imagined on her face was priceless. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters will come out eventually! Just please account for lots of math homework!**


	290. Music Cafe

_**Music Café**_

The Winx are all in Aisha's gymnasium, and she tells them she's got a way to take their magics to the next level - they call out what workout equipment they want, it appears made of Morphix. She makes a trampoline-like mat appear, directly under Stella, and soon they all call out equipment to use - Flora and Techna make jump ropes, Aisha herself makes an elastic band, and Bloom makes a pull-up bar that she then hooks her legs over at the knees and starts doing upside down sit-ups.

Musa is about to call something out when Riven walks in and immediately starts training, without even a hello to his _girlfriend_. Instead of saying anything, Musa just walks out - Bloom, on the other hand, swings down from her bar and makes an illusion of Musa over herself. She catches the boomerang as it flies by, and Riven asks "Musa, why'd you do that?"

"Maybe I wanted to see if you'd see me holding it or just a floating object here, Riven." She could snap the thing in two, she's suddenly so furious at him - this boomerang has almost literally become his new love interest, or it's at least more important to him than Musa is.

"Give it back, Musa. I need to focus right now."

She lets the illusion drop, revealing a glare for him as she nearly shoves it into his chest. "I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle, Riven. Or, I swear, I'm going to pound you into the ground." She disappears in a burst of orange, and reappears a minute later with Nabu. "Nabu, you're his best friend. Get his head screwed on straight, one way or another, about Musa and their relationship. I'm going to find her and calm her down."

She storms out, leaving Nabu to ask "What just happened and why did Bloom come out of nowhere looking seriously ticked off?"

* * *

Bloom catches up to Musa, who's got a despairing look on her face. "Hey, Musa, you alright? You know Riven's a jerk sometimes."

She sighs, then says "Yeah, I know. But lately, it's like I don't even exist. All he thinks about is that stupid boomerang - I'm starting to regret they ever got those weapons back on Lynphea, Bloom. Really, I am. No offense to the rest of the guys, or their weapons, but…"

"I get it. And I agree - on the part about Riven, anyway."

"You're lucky, Bloom. Sky cares about you. Cares enough to look away from his sword and over at you during training."

Bloom studies Musa for a minute, then says "Forget Riven for now, I got Nabu in so he'll hopefully talk some sense into him. Or, I can try beating some sense into him if you'd like."

Musa gives a half-smile, and says "Thanks for the offer, but no, Bloom. You'd probably beat it a little too deep and it'd come out the other side. I just…I need something that's mine. Stella's got her Boutique, Flora's got her greenhouse, Aisha has her gym, Techna has Timmy and the Localizer, I need something to focus my energy on. Something positive, something I can call mine. Do…do you hear that?"

The two girls follow the sounds of music they started hearing, all the way to what looks like a blank hole in the wall - Bloom and Musa share a look, then walk right through it. They've long since learned that appearances don't always mean a lot - Bloom's taught them that plenty of times.

Behind the wall, they find a dusty room with furniture under white sheets and instruments lying on top of them - and the sound of music playing is stronger than ever here. As Musa walks by, the instruments start floating and playing themselves - they're magic, and Musa's presence as the Fairy of Music woke them up.

Bloom says "Another room in Alfea that was lost. I wonder how long it's been since anybody was in here."

"I don't know, but…Bloom, this is incredible! Can you feel the magical potential in here?"

Bloom shrugs, and says "Faintly. I'm guessing it's a lot more available to your senses, being the Fairy of Music and all. Like me and heat. Musa, I think we just found your place." Musa grins hugely, and tackles Bloom in a hug.

* * *

Later that night, Musa's writing up some sheet music while Bloom's talking with Roxy on the phone.

 _Seriously? You and Musa found an abandoned music room in Alfea?! Just how many rooms and places are there here?!_

"An excellent question, Roxy. But here's mine. You want to learn to play an instrument? Because even Musa can't play eight at once with only two hands and a single mouth, you know."

 _OMIGOSH, YES! I'll get my roommates in on it to! This will be so great!_

* * *

The next day, Musa's got the room cleaned up and all the sheets put away - and has turned the room into a music café. Roxy and the girls she is sharing an apartment with get in, and then they start playing - it doesn't go so well until Musa tells them to relax and focus on what drives them, and then hours pass by before anybody realizes it.

* * *

In Cloudtower, Icy's pacing back and forth while Darcy, Stormy, and Selina watch - and hope the thin layer of frost on the floor doesn't get any thicker. "We can get past the protective music barrier they made with enough time and a little imagination, but even if we do there's _Bloom_ right behind it with her damn weapons and fists! Bringing down the barrier won't do _any_ good if she just throws us out on our heads right after we get in!"

Selina smirks, and says "I think I know of someone who can get rid of her."

Darcy rolls her eyes, and says " _Valtor_ couldn't get rid of her, and he's the one that's responsible for turning her into a fighting force with the strength of a dragon! Unless you've got something in that book of yours that can resist all magic, we're toast - literally!"

Selina's smirk grows even bigger, and she says "Well, it's a good thing I know a dwarf that fits that description. Rumpelstiltskin, a brilliant, cunning dwarf who lived in Alfea's enchanted clearing for centuries."

Stormy rolls her eyes now, and says "Brilliant, hooray. Is he brilliant enough to get Bloom out of the picture?"

"You're not getting it. He's a master of all things deceitful - I daresay he beats Darcy here in trickery, maybe even Bloom's _Norse god of mischief brother_."

Darcy raises an eyebrow, looking somewhat impressed, and says "Go on, I'm listening."

"And his long exposure to Alfea's enchantments has made him immune to all magic. He's not immune to pain, but something like, say, floating him in the air won't work."

They all stare at her, and Icy finally asks "Why didn't you try him _before_ now?! Pull him out!"

* * *

In Alfea, most of the Winx are listening to Musa, Roxy, and her roommates play, when suddenly a short man in a pointed hat appears out of nowhere holding a large hourglass. Bloom asks "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm not here for the band! I'm here for the strongest girl in all the land!"

Aisha says "Must be our latest fan, referred to us by the Trix. Winx, Bloomix!"

They try to catch him, and discover that magic just slides off him - or bounces back if it's an attack spell, as Bloom finds out. Sky, Riven, and Nabu run in just in time to see Bloom hit the wall with the force of her own attack spell, and hit the floor just as hard.

Rumpelstiltskin jumps over, landing next to her as she rubs the back of her head and looks up. Before anyone can react, there's a flash of light and he cackles out another rhyme about his work being done and leaves.

When they can see Bloom again, everybody's jaw drops to the floor hard, and Techna says "We should get Daphne. Now."

Roxy nods, and says "This is going to be interesting. Because I can tell she's still part-dragon."

* * *

 **AN: Ooh, what'd he do to Bloom? what happened on Pyros can't be reversed, by the way, so that's not it - and Roxy said she's still part dragon. Find out next chapter! As for everyone looking for more interaction between Loki and his siblings - like daphne - your wishes will be granted! Bloom's in trouble, and Loki's got free time since he's off the throne. PS. sorry about the long wait, been trying to balance classes, homework, and fanfiction...and I got hit with about five different ideas all at once, and am trying to make them pan out. I'll finish this story before I start posting any new ones, don't worry - but I'm trying to keep my ideas for all of them flowing and its a little harder then you'd think. Oh well, its a challenge I accept! Enjoy! More chapters coming soon - right along with Infinity War! Just give me a few more chapters to tie up season six!**


	291. Younger Bloom

_**Younger Bloom**_

Daphne, Sky, and Roxy are looking for Bloom, who, for having such tiny legs, can really get around. The tripping notwithstanding.

She disappeared.

Again.

Daphne grumbles "They'd better get Rumpelstiltskin to give up her years, or I swear…"

Sky shrugs, and says "Hey, she's pretty adorable though. And, it turns out, I'm good with kids. Which I'm going to have to be, seeing as the entire magical dimension expects Bloom and I to rule Eraklyon."

"Good point. Bloom! Come on out, Bloom!"

Roxy asks "She couldn't have gone far, could she?"

Loki's voice sounds right next to them, saying "Yes, she could. I know from experience." All three jump, and turn to see him standing there with a worried expression on his face.

Roxy asks "How'd you even get here?!"

"I'm not. What your seeing is an illusion. Bloom's in the Magic Archive she told me about. You definitely want to get to her before she reads off a spell that does something destructive. Also, we can't take her back home. Things are very different now from how she thinks they are. From what I've seen of her, it would be too much for her to handle."

They all start running to the giant library full of books, Roxy asking "Could she really just read off a spell and make it happen? I thought you had to concentrate to do that!"

Daphne says "Bloom's different, remember? Dragon Flame, five years old, _no conscious control of her magic at the moment._ Ringing any bells?"

"All but that last one! What do you mean she's got no control of her powers?!"

Sky takes a corner, and says "People with magic usually don't awaken it until they're older, usually when they hit puberty or so. There's some unusual cases where a person's magic awakens due to extreme danger, but those are rare cases and really hard to do. But the Dragon Flame is so strong, the Holder's magic activates early. Bloom's powers, they started showing when she was around five, according to her."

Loki says "She's right. I was walking down a corridor one night, and found her holding fire from her fireplace in one hand and coming to show mother and I."

Daphne doesn't say anything for a minute, then finally says "We need to get to the Archive now!"

* * *

When they get there, Bloom's got a massive pile of books scattered on the floor and is attempting to read one and cast the spell in the other - it's upside down, which thankfully makes it a bit harder. Because it's a spell to disintegrate anything she wishes.

Daphne floats the book out of Bloom's hands, making her younger sister yell "Hey! Come back here!" and jump to try and catch it while Sky runs over and picks her up.

"Bloom, do you have any idea how worried we've been about you?"

Roxy catches up, panting "For someone with such small legs…she really gets around! What the heck happened here?!"

Bloom innocently says "I wanted to try a spell! They all came flying over to help!" She throws her arms around Sky's neck, and Roxy just stares at her.

They all hear a cough behind them, and everyone turns their head to look at the new person. Bloom's face near-literally lights up with joy, and she yells "Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki!" She immediately starts squirming and wriggling in Sky's arms, so he puts her down and she runs over - and promptly trips halfway to her illusionary brother.

He takes three steps over as she's getting up, and kneels down to her level saying "Bloom, I've been looking everywhere for you. How did you manage to get so far away?"

"I don't know. I woke up and I was here. Wherever here is. He calls himself Sky, she's called Daphne, and she's Roxy! They all have magic! So I went to try some!" She gets up and runs over to the pile of books, but Daphne floats her up about halfway there.

Loki's expression says 'play along' while Bloom's back is turned towards him, and says "Thank you for finding her. My apologies about the mess. My sister here somehow managed to teleport herself outside the Nine Realms."

"I didn't!"

Loki raises an eyebrow, and says "I found another pile of spellbooks like that one there in the library, Bloom. One of those happen to be a book on transportation spells? Such as the magic that powers the Bifrost?"

Bloom mumbles "Maybe…" and starts _pouting_. Roxy can't believe her eyes, that's an expression she didn't think Bloom knew how to do. "Reading a spell doesn't make it happen! Usually…"

"Unless you read it out loud, trying to actually perform the spell, and have a gift for magic that goes beyond anything any person in the Nine Realms has had before."

Bloom's pout actually gets bigger, and she asks "Is mother mad?"

Loki sighs, and says "No, and you're not going to get in trouble. But you do have to come back home. Somewhere in the Nine Realms, at least."

"Yay! Can someone from here come to? I wanna try some of their magic!"

Roxy whisper-asks Sky "Was she always like this?"

"I don't know, probably."

Loki gives them a quick nod when Bloom isn't looking, and then looks at Daphne and asks "Do you know of a place called Midgard? The locals there call it Earth. If you can take my sister there, I'll meet you."

Bloom claps her hands excitedly and says "Yay! Wait, you're not here?"

"It's an illusion, sister. No, I'm not really with you, not physically, anyway. I managed to locate you, and you're not in the Nine Realms."

"Oh. Can you come here?"

"I'm afraid not, Bloom."

"So how am _I_ going to get _back_?"

Daphne picks up her little sister, saying "That's where we come in. I'll take you back to Earth, and we meet your brother there."

"Yay! Let's go!" She wraps her arms around Daphne's neck, looking incredibly eager.

Sky whispers to Loki "Was she this hyper the first time she was five?"

"No, she was hyper but not quite like this."

Daphne casts a sleep spell on Bloom, one that'll wear off in a few minutes, and says "It's because her magic is still active in her system. Rumpelstiltskin didn't reverse time for her or anything, he just…made her five years old. She's still part dragon, still full of magic - she's got access to her full powers, but nowhere near the amount of control required to use them without burning something down. That's why she had her necklace, it had a spell to keep her powers from…well, burning something down to the ground. Like your house, palace, whatever you want to call it."

Roxy says "Why don't you guys take her to the Pet shop in Gardenia? Bloom warded the place, so nobody could get in and attack or anything. And said she fireproofed the heck out of it in case she had a really bad nightmare."

Loki nods, and says "I'll meet you there."

* * *

Daphne's sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Pet shop, watching her now-much-younger sister play with a ball of fire - were it _anybody else_ , that would be the idea to end all terrible ideas. Along with just plain stupid. As it is, Bloom's working at the fire like it's clay, shaping it into different things.

It's keeping Bloom occupied and not destroying everything in sight, which is what she was hoping for.

Loki hurries in, quickly closing the door behind him before Dr. Strange can open another portal to endless falling underneath him. Bloom looks up at the sound of the door opening and closing, and her face lights up immediately - and the fire is completely forgotten, leaving Daphne to put it out before more than a small spot on the floor gets burned.

"Loki!" Bloom runs over to him, tripping twice and not caring either time before she gets over to him and gives him as big of a hug as she can. "Your hair got longer, Brother. How?"

Loki gives her a mischievous grin, and says "I was practicing so I can do it to Thor. But much longer for him. He'll be tripping over his own hair by the time I'm through with him."

Bloom laughs and claps, saying "Is it a spell? I wanna help!"

Daphne sputters out a laugh, and asks "Do you want to do every spell you can find and think up, Bloom?"

To Daphne's total amazement, her younger sister cheers "Yes!"

* * *

Doctor Strange can't open up a portal under Loki this time, for some reason. Luckily for him, he can pinpoint his location - Gardenia city, California. _The same place his sister and her friends were in…_

Given the fact that there haven't been any new news reports on the Winx lately - not from there, anyway - he figures he'd better see what the supposedly reformed God of Mischief is up to.

His portal opens up in front of a shop called the Love and Pet shop, and he can sense the power practically _coating_ the place. _The kind of power you don't want to mess with. Damn._

The last time he faced a being with this kind of power was Dormamu, the guy that killed him twenty times in a row - a moment he thankfully doesn't remember, as he kept rewinding time until the being decided to bargain. He remembers feeling an aura of power coming off the redhead claiming to be the adopted sister of two beings from myths, but he never thought she was _this_ powerful.

He walks in, finding the door surprisingly unlocked, and sees something he didn't think he'd ever see - Loki, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back to him and a blonde girl sitting so she's facing him. The blonde girl is laughing, asking "You two seriously thought telling people you were _dying_ was a good idea? They must've flipped!"

Loki shrugs, and says "We always got in trouble, so we used it sparingly. That and the fact that people would've caught onto the ruse if we used it too much."

"Tell me Bloom doesn't have something like that!"

Strange hears a high-pitched voice innocently say "Nope! There's nobody back home for me to play with like that. That and the fact that I don't really want people thinking I'm _dying_. Who's back there?"

Strange gets a pretty good shock when he sees a head of fiery red hair poke up over Loki's shoulder, and an even bigger one when he realizes it's the same girl who nearly killed him.

Before anyone else can react, Bloom climbs over Loki's body and runs over, stumbling a lot but managing not to trip, and asks "Who are you? I'm Bloom, can you do magic?"

He stares at her, then at Loki and Daphne - who give him slow nods of 'yeah, this is happening, play along' - and then back at her. Before he can answer though, she sees his cape hem fluttering and tries to grab it - she brushes it, and it moves backwards, resulting in a delighted squeal from her and her trying to get a better hold on it. It flies off his shoulders to escape her, which only fuels her desire to get a hold of it - she starts chasing it around, trying to catch the magical cape.

Whatever he thought Loki might be up to isn't even a possibility now, not with the new information of his sister currently a five-year-old kid with an endless amount of curiosity for magic. When it's clear Bloom's too absorbed in her mission of catching a flying cape, he takes Loki and Daphne to the side and says "Explain."

Daphne whispers "Rumpelstiltskin. He turned our sister five years old. Unfortunately, that didn't revert her to the exact state she was back then - full access to the magic she was using yesterday, and she's still part dragon. So she's extremely hyperactive, and likely to set everything around us, including us, on fire if she gets upset. How'd you get here, anyway?"

Loki unsheathes one knife from his sleeve just enough for Strange to see, and says "You hurt Bloom, you're a dead man. Sorcerer Supreme or not. And if you try and take me now, Bloom will lose it and we'll all die."

They hear a crash, and look over to see Bloom laying stomach-down on top of Strange's cape, which is struggling wildly trying to get out of her arms wrapped around it. "I caught it! I wanna fly to! How's it work?" She smiles up at them, then looks down at the cape again - and then, to everyone's horror, she looks out the door and gasps in delight, then let's go of the cape and runs over.

"I made a portal…"

Daphne says "It's not closed."

"Nope. But that door handle is too high for her to-"

 _Click._

"…open."

Loki sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with two fingers, asking "Why did you leave that open?!"

"How was I to know she'd go through it?!"

"She's endlessly curious about all things magical. Why _wouldn't_ she want to go through it?"

* * *

 **AN: Aright, next chapter is up! Loki and Daphne are getting to know each other now - Thor's too busy ruling the Nine Realms, and Bloom doesn't actually know Hela at the moment so she can't come - and Bloom is a five-year-old with all the capabilities of her twenty-one-year-old self! So yeah, either they keep her calm, entertained, and happy, or everything goes up in flames! And, no offense to anyone, but telling a kid that everything they thought they knew is wrong is NOT the way to go. And this kid happens to be a tiny little time bomb on legs! And now Dr. Strange got involved! How big of a mess do you think that temple's going to be by the time the rest of the Winx get Rumpelstiltskin to give up that hourglass? Enjoy! More chapters coming soon! And Infinity War IS getting closer! Just be patient for a few more chapters!**


	292. Getting Bloom Back

Alright, I've been getting a lot of guest reviews about the last chapter, so this is to clear up some questions.

1\. No, Bloom doesn't know Daphne's her sister - She has all the memories she did when she was originally five. If she had all her memories, she'd have simply known Daphne, Sky, and Roxy, and wouldn't have had to been introduced to them again.

2\. It still isn't the Dragon Flame that makes Bloom part dragon - it's mixing her magical essence, what I took to be her magical DNA, with that of Pyros. So no, Daphne using the power of the Dragon Flame wouldn't calm Bloom down or make her obey Daphne to any extent - it may, however immediately grab Bloom's interest and result in Bloom accidentally unleashing the Dragon Flame on them all. And...why would she think Loki's dangerous since at five years old she was already extremely close with him?

3\. Loki's a _**FROST GIANT**_. Why would he be able to survive fire? Bloom freaks out because the complete stranger that walked inn on them is trying to take her favorite brother from her, do you think she'll just catch fire or something? She's basically an all-powerful five-year-old! And then there's a simple fact that Loki was talking to Strange at the time he said that - he might've been exaggerating just a little to keep him from getting any ideas, but it probably wasn't actually an exaggeration.

4\. Daphne gave Bloom the Dragon Flame when she was a baby, which is why, in the cartoon, she couldn't use her magic either. She's still very powerful, but the Dragon Flame is in Bloom. And Daphne's called the 'Nymph of Domino' - and can use spells from fire, air, water, and earth. She's technically not a fire fairy, and so can't just absorb massive amounts of heat and fire like Bloom can. She can manipulate them, but can possibly be harmed by them.

* * *

 _ **Getting Bloom Back**_

When they get through the portal, they find Strange wasn't in the place Bloom traced his magic to last year - that was what seemed to be a mansion, this is a courtyard full of people in robes. And Bloom, even with her head of distinctive fiery hair, is nowhere to be seen. She went this way though, there's several scorch marks where she likely tried a spell or two trying to mimic the others. They all point her in the same direction - the biggest building in sight, which happens to be the library.

Daphne groans, and asks "How big is that?"

"Here's hoping she doesn't wander into the restricted section…"

When they get in there, a man immediately walks over and asks "Strange, care to explain why a five-year-old girl came up to me and asked where the spellbooks are?"

Daphne immediately says "Tell me you told her there were around here somewhere! She's our sister!"

Strange says "It's a long story, Wong. Remember when I said I sensed Loki back on Earth and went to find him?"

"Yeah…"

"Turns out his youngest sister was turned even younger somehow. And I accidentally unleashed that younger sister upon us all."

"Why didn't they take her back to their realm then?!"

Loki quietly snaps "Because Mother and Allfather are _dead_ , that's why. And if she learns that, she'll lose any kind of control she has over her magic in her grief."

"She's a five-year-old! What could she do?"

"She's a five-year-old with more power in her little finger than everyone here put together, and an insatiable curiosity for _everything_ magical. And almost no control over her powers at this point. She learns our parents are gone, there won't _be_ a Realm Eternal anymore. There won't be any Nine Realms, for that matter."

Wong gulps, and says "Right. Let's go find her."

They search the whole library, and Daphne finds a door slightly ajar leading to a set of stairs heading downwards. "GUYS! We've got a big problem!"

Maybe a minute later, they're all standing in front of the door - Strange and Wong looking like this is the worst place Bloom could've gone.

Loki asks "What's down there?"

Wong says "The Restricted section."

Daphne flings the doors open with magic, and they run down - and find lots of empty chains and a pile of books on the floor with Bloom sitting next to it holding an one open to a diagram. "How's it even work?" As they watch in both shock and horror, the diagram draws itself out around her in fire.

Loki runs forward and snatches her up, maybe five seconds before the ritual-circle can complete itself. To everyone's complete relief, the fires die down into nothing and leave only burn marks where they were. Unfortunately, they leave burn marks in the _exact shape_ of the circle - Daphne snaps her fingers and they disappear, because Loki knows that the ones in the Bifrost are still there today.

Strange asks "What were you thinking?!"

"I was gonna try the spell! I can't read it, that means it's really old, right? But there's a picture! I was trying to figure out how it works."

Strange takes one look at the spell and nearly drops the book in shock - she was about to cast a spell that summoned another entity like Dormamu to this realm. And she can't even read it. "Yeah, you don't want to try this spell."

Bloom innocently says "Yes I do! What's it do? I wanna try!"

"It summons a soulless demon entity from another dimension that will immediately try to destroy the planet. How did you even nearly cast that spell?"

"I don't know. Was I casting it? I can't read it though!"

"For one, they put the warnings after the spells. And this is extremely advanced. And dangerous."

Bloom actually goes still at that, and says "So's fighting, but nobody tries to stop a person from training."

Nobody can really respond to that, not effectively anyway, so they don't even try.

Loki sets her down, and she heads over to another bookcase and pulls out a book as tall as she is and half as thick. "What language is it in?"

Wong carefully says "Sandscript."

"Was it written in sand?"

"No, it's a language that long died out."

"Why?"

Strange mutters "And here come the why's. How long until they get here?"

Daphne shrugs, and says "Don't know. Loki, tell me you know how to calm her down!"

"As I said, she's endlessly curious about magic and literally everything to do with it. Wong, I suggest you either find a job to do or prepare yourself for a million questions."

Bloom asks "Was Sandscript written by Sand People?" His expression says 'I told you so' - oh, it's going to be a long wait.

* * *

Two hours later, Daphne's phone rings with Flora's Ringtone - thank the Great Dragon, Bloom's had a seemingly endless barrage of questions about everything to do with the kind of magic they use here.

"What's that?"

"It's a phone, Bloom. It lets me talk to people who aren't here."

"How?"

"I'll explain after. Promise." She goes around the corner, answers the call, and immediately says "Flora, please tell me you've got a way to restore Bloom to her correct age. With all her memories."

 _Yeah, we got her years back from Rumpelstiltskin…_

"Ok, what did you have to do to get them?"

 _We had to trade something for them. And Stella mentioned that we need the Legendarium Key to stop the Trix._

"So he'd only take that, then?"

 _Yeah, pretty much._

"Alright. We'll deal with that later, just _get over here_. We need to get Bloom back to normal before something else catches fire!" Daphne looks over to see Bloom chasing Strange's cape once again. "Bloom, don't chase that!"

"But it's magic! It flies! I wanna fly to _!_ "

 _Was that Bloom?!_

"Yes. Insanely curious about everything magical. It would've been fine except one Dr. Steven Strange had to come and leave a portal open to his place. A place full of spellbooks and people training _._ "

 _Oh. My. Dragon. Where are you?!_

"I'll use some magic for you to lock on to. Be prepared to answer a million questions _._ "

 _Little different than how you met her, huh_?

"Yeah. It's different. Not bad, just…not how I first met my sister. Loki says she wasn't quite this hyper the first time around, but she was pretty close sometimes. I'd highly suggest teleporting outside, changing back, and telling her whatever it is Rumpelstiltskin gave you is magical. And to touch it and see what happens."

Ten minutes later, Daphne lets out a sigh of relief when she feels the rest of the Winx teleport to the sanctum. Bloom is sitting on Loki's legs and drawing on the floor with fire, while he patiently holds up a green fireball in his hand for her to use - and it doesn't escape anybody's notice that the fire turns from green to orange when she touches it. She looks up when Daphne senses the Winx teleport in, and asks "What's going on? I just felt something!"

Loki holds the fireball up and says "I'm sure you'll find out soon. But stay here."

"Oooh, pleeeeaaaase? Please, please, please, please can we go look, Brother?" She gives him an adorable pleading look, staring up at him with the big puppy-eyes expression. Daphne can tell her younger sister is going to win this battle, mainly because Loki seems to be incapable of refusing her _anything_.

Sure enough, she hears a relenting sigh and "Alright, Sister. But stay by me."

"Yay! Let's go, brother!" Bloom jumps off Loki's legs and actually pulls him up, quite the incredible feat if you didn't know she was part dragon, and pulls him in the right direction.

She catches up to them just in time to see Bloom jumping to catch the door handle…and wisps of her orange magic fly out from her hands and open it. _Well, that explains how she keeps getting in and out of rooms._

The sound of her gasp of shock echoes all the way down the hall, right along with her barrage of questions - she should have said to immediately transform back to human form. Oops.

When she catches up - really, how can someone with such small legs get around so fast? - she's just in time to hear "Can you really fly? Why's there sparkly stuff floating from these? Can they feel things like being touched? Can I try them? Are they magic?"

All five girls are staring in shock, likely trying to figure out which question to answer first. Flora whispers "She's _soooo_ adorable. I wish we could keep her like this!"

Daphne whispers "She drew on the floor in fire, and is unendingly curious about magic. We can't keep her like this without all of Alfea burning to the ground. She'll want to go home eventually, and we can't actually let her do that."

Stella mutters "Good point. Hey, Bloom! We've got something to show you! Close your eyes!"

Instead of closing them, she stares up at the blonde girl with a highly confused look, asking "Why? Won't it be the same if my eyes are open?"

Musa laughs and says "It's a surprise! Now, close your eyes already!"

She gives them a pouting look, until Daphne puts her hands up so they've covering Bloom's face. "Hey!"

Stella quickly conjures up the hourglass Rumpelstiltskin used on her, and sets it on the ground. Daphne takes her hands away, and Bloom goes still at the sight of the hourglass that's as tall as her. "What is it? What's it do?"

Daphne, Loki, and Strange halfway expected her to touch it as she was asking - Loki figures she learned not to do _that_ particular action from the Casket of Ancient Winters so long ago. After a moment, she puts a hand to the hourglass - there's a bright flash of light, and then Bloom's back to the age she's supposed to be and holding the hourglass in the hand that she touched it with. "Uh, girls…what's going on?" She looks around in total confusion, one eyebrow rising higher and higher as she takes in her current surroundings and company. Loki's here, they're nowhere she knows, and with Dr. Steven Strange once again. "Somebody want to catch me up on what the heck has happened since we met that tiny little magic-resistant pointy-hat-wearing man who jumped on top of me?"

Daphne tackles her in a hug, saying "You got turned younger. A lot younger. You really don't remember the last few hours?"

"No…why? What happened?"

Loki says "Let's just say you were as curious the second time you were five as the first time. The difference was the amount of stuff to pique your curiosity."

The expression on Bloom's face is priceless, mixed shock and mortification. "How many things burned down? Because I'm fairly certain I'd have still had my magic active…and Pyros can't actually be reversed."

Strange laughs breathlessly, and says "You don't know the half of it. You ever tried chasing down a five-year-old kid who stumbles and trips a lot and still manages to get around amazingly fast all the same? And gets into the places you don't want her in because she's likely to activate a spell that could destroy the place?"

Bloom smirks and says "I've been on one end of that scenario. Very recently, apparently."

Loki snickers, then says "I'm heading back to Asgard, Bloom. Whatever you do, please don't get turned five again. Make it seven, at the earliest, please."

Bloom chuckles, and says "I'll do my best, Brother." She takes him by surprise by hugging him, which he returns after a moment.

Once she pulls away though, a thought occurs to her. "Girls, how'd you get the hourglass from a guy who's immune to magic?"

Musa says "We traded for it."

"Traded _what_ for it?"

Stella lets out a nervous chuckle, and says "Yeah, 'bout that…he kinda wouldn't take just _anything_ for it…"

Musa finishes "Stella mentioned the little detail about needing the Legendarium Key to stop the Trix. And so he wouldn't take anything else."

 _"WHAT?!"_

* * *

 **AN: Okay, next chapter is up! Yes, I actually do have a reason for giving Rumpelstiltskin the Key, don't worry! As for IW, relax, everyone! I will get there, give me just a little more to go! To the guest or guests that have given my last chapter their reviews, thank you! If you'd make an account, I could respond to them better - and it's free, btw. Forgot to mention this before, but, like Stella in Season 5, Bloom was still wearing the clothes she was in before. They just shrunk down to fit her. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters will be posted - just give me some time with school and such! Promise!**


	293. Schools Duel

_**Schools Duel**_

Daphne, Bloom, Musa, Flora, and Aisha are discussing what they could trade Rumpelstiltskin for the Legendarium Key - he's the greediest dwarf in all of history, and has a massive collection of items, so they apparently can't simply trade anything for the Key. Bloom's got an idea of what they could trade for the Key, but Daphne suggests they go to the Alfea underfloors to look for something. Bloom says "I'll go get Stella. If she's not with us, then she's…" everyone else finishes "In her clothing boutique."

She teleports there, just in time for Grizelda to walk out…with Peacock feathers coming from the back of her dress. She quietly snaps a picture of Grizelda, sends it to Stella, and texts 'am I going crazy, or does Grizelda have peacock feathers on?'

Roxy comes up and quietly asks "Bloom, am I seeing things? Or does Grizelda have _peacock feathers_ on her dress?"

"Then it's not just me…good." "What the heck happened?!"

"Roxy, for the first time in a while…I have no idea what I'm walking in on or missed." They share a look and Bloom teleports them up to Stella's room.

Stella's leaning against a wall, dresses floating around her, and looking like the world might be ending. "Bloom, Roxy, you'll never _believe_ what just happened!"

Roxy says "You'll never believe what we just _saw_ then! Grizelda! With _peacock feathers_!"

"She likes my boutique…" Stella slides down the wall to the floor, having a distant look on her face.

"I thought she didn't like anything!"

Bloom says "Neither did we, Roxy. You have no idea how many times we got in trouble for going off to save a planet or some such thing."

"Seriously? Because all the teachers keep telling us to look at you six as role models, 'work hard and you might be as great as the Winx' and all that."

Bloom and Stella share a look, and then start cracking up. Bloom wipes her eyes, and says "They say that after the fact. After all the hard work and fighting is done. But, when we went to Andros to first confront Valtor? It was in the middle of classes, and we left without asking permission because we were sure the answer would've been no."

Roxy says nothing for a minute, then bursts out laughing until she cries and her sides hurt.

* * *

Daphne leads the Winx to the Alfea Underfloor, revealing another wall that's actually a lot more than a wall - how many secrets does Alfea have?! The place is full of stuff, and Bloom says "Don't touch anything, whatever you do, girls. Something tells me this stuff was hidden away for a reason." As demonstrated when Chatta picks up a Speed Stone. Bloom catches her, but then they go flying as well, pulled by the uncontrollable stone - Aisha makes a Morphix Cushion that catches them, and the Speed Stone drops back into the case it was originally in.

Bloom suddenly senses magic being used outside the school - negative magic, and far too much of it far too close to the school to be the Wizards. _Oh, not this again…_ "Girls, keep looking. I've got to check on something outside."

She teleports out, and finds students in a panic everywhere - and lightning attacks being shot from apparently thin air. Bloom can sense them though, the Witches that are attacking. She uses a spell so that she can see the heat they're emitting, like seeing through her powers, and transforms. "Yeah, see, they might not be able to see you…"

All the witches freeze, and one whispers "She's bluffing, she can't see us…"

"But I can. It's how fire magic works, ladies." To prove her point, she grabs a wrist in each hand and smashes their owners together, dazing them enough that they drop to the ground hard.

"Oh shoot, she can see us."

Bloom smirks and says "And I can hear you, you know."

" _Fly!_ "

The Specialists show up to Bloom apparently chasing nothing, but blocking attacks that come out of nowhere. Brandon asks "Invisible witches?"

"Yeah! What was your first hint?"

She suddenly gets hit with a lightning blast, and Sky catches her. "Well, hey. Bloom, can we maybe talk later? After all this is over?"

"Yeah, what about?"

Sky bites his lip, then says "Later. And I promise its good."

"Okay, later."

Techna flies out at that exact moment, having gotten the Spectrographic Localizer to work, and uses it to reveal the Witches and Cloudtower Castle floating there. The Witches run off, or fly off, as Bloom had flown up at that moment and the rest of the Winx flew out to see what the noise was all about.

* * *

Ten minutes later, as everyone's thanking the Winx and the Specialists, the Trix teleport in. Icy says "We, the Trix, come to you in peace. We've got a proposal."

Bloom deadpans "You three wouldn't know 'peace' if a textbook on the concept jammed itself into each of your heads. Just say what you want already, then get out of here."

Icy rolls her eyes, and says "Guerrilla Warfare wouldn't be convenient for anyone, so we propose a duel. Alfea's strongest fairy against our strongest witch."

Bloom rolls her eyes, and calls up "Yeah, now spit out the rules so we know how you're going to cheat. You three don't play by any rules, after all. Or is it 'anything goes' for this fight?"

Stormy's face turns bright red, and she yells "Alright, you cocky fairy! Game on, anything goes!"

Bloom's triumphant smirk says she was aiming for that response, and Darcy mutters "Stormy, what did you just say she could do?"

Bloom puts two fingers to her lips, and lets out a piercing whistle - Ember flies out of a fireball a moment later, landing at her feet and looking like she couldn't do any more harm that nipping at a person's fingers playfully. Darcy laughs, and asks "What, your tiny little dragon is gonna tag along?" She wishes it were possible to stuff words back in one's mouth when Ember grows twenty times her original size and has a wingspan of a good fifty feet at least and teeth that look razor-sharp and the length of a full-grown adult's forearm.

Bloom teleports onto Ember's back, saying "Anything goes, remember? So, you and me, Icy?"

Icy is incredibly grateful she's _not_ the one fighting Bloom, because Bloom's hand is straying dangerously near her sword-hip - Selina is. The green-haired witch's expression turns to shock when she flies out and sees Bloom riding Ember, and asks "What?"

"Didn't you hear, Selina? Anything goes in this fight. And the winner decides the losing team's fate. Hope you know how to sword fight."

Selina desperately thinks _I need to split these two apart if I'm going to do this right._

Just in time, Bloom looks down in horror when they hear an earthshattering cracking noise from the Alfea Courtyard - and the statues of Alfea's Champions rise from the ground and start moving. They were the three strongest fairies in Alfea's history, and considered themselves so strong that they refused Pixie Bonding - and Selina brought them to life and set them attacking the students!

Bloom glares at Selina, and says "You know, I'm not even surprised anymore. Anyone that works with the Trix always has some underhanded scheme up their sleeve. Ember, take care of them!" Ember flies down, and proceeds to take the Champions' full attention on herself - mainly by tossing Reza of the Flame around like a ragdoll.

Selina glances down, and mutters "That wasn't nearly as effective as it should have been." _At least Bloom and Ember are split apart. Now I have a chance to send Bloom over the edge without getting eaten._ "You know, Bloom. I've read every story in the Legendarium's pages. Stories from every planet in the Magical Dimension…and from Earth."

"Yeah, I noticed. The mummies in Alexandria, Set, the Chinese dragons, you've got to be running out of pages by now."

Selina dodges a sword swing, but gets hit with the resulting wave of fire released from the blade. "Not quite. I have yet to get into Norse mythology. And I saw the most interesting story about the God of Mischief. Loki, I believe his name was." She knows she's hit the right button when Bloom's face turns to shock - and then turns to fury.

"No! I won't let you hurt him!"

Selina has to fly backwards as fast as she can to avoid Bloom's furious sword swings - she got Bloom mad, but how to get her to the point of getting close enough that she can get some of her Dragon Fire? Selina smirks, remembering what Darcy said about Bloom and her issues about family and loss - the girl doesn't take losing people close to her well, as seen when Icy froze her birth parents and threatened to break them, and when she discovered they'd frozen Daphne.

The problem with using that particular weakness against Bloom? It'll send her into overdrive, or just get her so angry she'll go further than usual and seriously hurt them. Selina's hoping goad Bloom into doing _exactly_ that, though. Just not with her sword.

"Wouldn't you like to hear the story, Bloom? How the Norse God of Mischief felt so alone, so unwanted by his family, that he went off on his own. With only his magic and his knife to protect himself with, he went and-"

Bloom teleports in front of her, growling out "Finish that sentence, and I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your short life." She punches Selina in the face, giving the girl a bloody nose.

The Witch mockingly says "What, no fancy knifework? And here I thought the sister of the God of Mischief, a being who's known for being a master with knives, would know how to use one."

Bloom's eyes flash orange with fury, and Selina knows she's just managed to tip Bloom to exactly where she wants her - this is going to hurt, but the Earth saying 'no pain no gain' is very literal right now. "You want to see some knifework? Here!" She teleports over and draws her knife, faster than Selina can blink, and buries it in her stomach _._

 _Bingo._

Selina gasps, making it look like she's trying to pull the knife out when she's really keeping it still - nothing gets past Bloom for very long, according to the Trix. She just needs a few moments to absorb some of the Dragon Fire stored in the knife.

Bloom yanks her knife out of Selina's stomach after a moment, but the look on the Witch's face is that of someone who's just gotten exactly what she wants - what just happened?

"You win, Bloom. Bye, now." Selina teleports away, leaving Bloom with a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She looks down just in time to see Aisha returning to Alfea - she left? For where? - with…with the Pixies! _Brilliant, Aisha!_

The history lessons they had on the Alfea Champions said that they were so powerful they refused the Pixie Bonding, so having all the students bond with Pixies should give them enough power to break Selina's hold on them! They bond, and the Trix stare in horror as the resulting wave of magic makes the three Champions of Alfea turn docile again and go back to their pedestals.

"What? How is this possible? Ah!" Icy violently flinches when Bloom's knife whizzes past her head and buries itself halfway into the ground - and they all turn around to see Bloom floating there with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Selina forfeit, which means I win by default. And unless you three want to be Ember's new chew toys, leave. Now. Return the magics you stole, and never even think of attempting anything like any of this ever again."

Darcy's expression turns horrified, and she nervously asks "Chew…toys?"

Bloom snaps her fingers, and a stuffed animal of some kind appears - it's impossible to tell what it used to be though, as all the stuffing was removed, the limbs are torn off, and the head has been torn up thoroughly. You can barely even tell it was blue, it's so destroyed. Emer shrinks down, jumps at the toy, and proceeds to shake it around too fast to track - the fact that stuffing flies everywhere is enough to convince everyone of the rough treatment though.

The Trix teleport away at that. Everyone highly doubts that they'll actually give back any of the magics they stole though.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, next chapter is up! Yes, Selina did push Bloom into losing her cool for a minute - she got what she wanted, and she's smart enough to hide her true intentions from the Trix so she's smart enough to know which buttons to press on Bloom to make her lose it. Can anybody guess what Sky wanted to talk to Bloom about? Find out in a few chapters! Reviews are appreciated - for all my stories, not just this one - and more chapters are coming soon! I've got two tests coming up though, so please be patient! Enjoy!**


	294. Thing to Trade

_**Thing to Trade**_

Most of the Winx are in the library, but Bloom hasn't shown up. Stella asks why, as Bloom's usually the most punctual one after Techna, and Daphne says "She said she had an idea for what to give Rumpelstiltskin in exchange for the Legendarium Key. So, she took Sky and went back to Asgard."

Musa smirks and asks "And you're sure she didn't do that just to get some alone time with him? Or visit your brothers and other sister?"

"Look, she said she'd be back with something that even a guy as picky as Rumpelstiltskin would jump at, alright? And Sky asked if they could talk, but the duel kind of put a hold on it, so she invited him to go with."

Flora says "Aw, that's so sweet!"

* * *

On Asgard, Bloom and Sky teleport into her bedroom - which happens to be painted in an exact likeness of Pyros, specifically the spot where she was staying with Ember up until they found her. "Wow, Bloom, this is amazing."

She smiles, and pulls at his arm saying "You do realize the entire palace is a lot bigger than one room, right?"

"Yeah, but…you did this. Not the rest of the palace."

"So, what did you want to talk about? You know, before the duel started and we got sidetracked?" She pulls him out of the painted walls, semi-distractedly saying "Loki's likely in the Library, Thor's almost certainly in the Throne Room, and Hela's probably sparring in the Training Ring."

"Uh, yeah, talk…it can wait until after."

Bloom raises an eyebrow, getting a worried look on her face, and quietly asks "Something wrong?"

Sky pulls her to him, saying "No, nothing's _wrong_ , I've just got something to ask you. That's all. It can wait until after we get this…what did you call it?"

"The Tesseract. A.K.A. the Space Stone. On the level of the Dragon Flame in terms of power. If Rumpelstiltskin doesn't want _that_ , then I've got nothing." She told him about the Infinity Stones, and about how each of them could cause massive destruction all by themselves - locking it in the Legendarium would solve the problem of that stone.

"Bloom, that's genius. Let's go find it."

She looks up at him, an unusually vulnerable look in her eyes, and asks "So…we're good? You don't want-"

Sky stops her right there by kissing her. When he breaks it, pushing Bloom back a step, he says "I just want to ask you a question, alright? Or maybe 'say an idea' is a better way to put it. Alright? Stop worrying, it's _not_ going to turn out like the Millennium Party." Bloom nods, tries to kiss him again because it's only been about a week and a half since Fearwood, and then gets herself together enough to make herself turn towards the door.

When they walk out into the corridor, the startled guards immediately react and point their weapons at the couple - and then one of them recognizes Bloom. "Princess Bloom? What…how…when did you return?"

"A few moments ago. Stand down, he's with me."

The guards step away, returning to their posts, and Sky says "I guess that's sort of payback for that time in Eraklyon, huh?"

"No!"

"Really? Because the same thing happened in reverse when they saw you after the party until we got it straightened out with my parents and the guards."

Bloom rolls her eyes, and says "Thor's probably in the Throne Room. And, technically, we need to ask permission from the King to take anything from the Weapons Vault."

"Just like getting into the Library on Solaria, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

They get into the Throne Room, Bloom having fended off about twenty different guards reacting to the presence of a total stranger in the halls - despite him being with a girl they recognize as their princess - and find Thor sitting on the Throne with Loki at his side and both of them listening to a man from Vanaheim talking.

After a good ten minutes of him talking, Thor dismisses him with a promise that he'll send some Einherjar to stop the rogues attacking his village - because Loki noticed Bloom and Sky, and quietly nudged him in the side to get his attention. Loki gets the first hug, leaving Thor with a fake-hurt expression on his face. "Bloom, you wound me! Loki gets all the affection, even now?"

Bloom grins, pulls back, and says "Don't think your right all the time, Brother. Just because you're the King of the Nine Realms now doesn't mean you know everything."

"Such as?"

"Such as when I'm sneaking up behind you." She drops the illusion that was in front of Loki for the past few second, and tackles Thor from behind and puts him in a headlock.

Thor tries to get her off him, to no avail, and finally fake-seriously glares at Loki and says "You taught her too well, Brother."

Loki grins and says "She wanted to learn. So much so that she'd have raided the library at every possible moment and possibly blown up the palace trying out a spell on her own."

Bloom grins, completely unashamed of her complete love and curiosity of all things magical, and proudly says "Yes, I did."

Thor finally says "I yield, Sister. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Bloom starts laughing at that, and says "Very well, Thor."

She releases him from the headlock she had him in, and Loki asks "So, what brings you back here?"

"I need the Tesseract."

Their expressions change instantly, and Loki says "Bloom, the guy that held it before me got sent to Thanos. The Red Skull, he calls himself. Now he's one of Thanos' children. Why do you-"

"I want to get it out of Asgard and somewhere Thanos can't follow. Loki, you know he's going to come for it."

"I do, and I know he won't just stop because he can't do the Snap."

Sky asks "The Snap?"

"He wants to kill half of all life in an instant. Collect all six Infinity Stones and use their power to make half of all life, everywhere there is, just vanish."

"But Bloom said she-"

"Destroyed the Aether. I know. And she did, there wasn't a single trace of its power left after that. But he won't exactly _stop_ in his insane quest to 'save' the universe by committing a mass genocide of every planet just because one Stone is already missing. He'll just get furious as Hel and kill her. Or he won't kill her."

Bloom says "Loki, if the Tesseract isn't even on Asgard, there's a chance he'll never even come here. Then, after we lock the Legendarium-"

"No! Bloom, I won't let you go after this madman. You don't know what he's like, what he's capable of, what his 'children' are capable of-" Bloom looks at Loki's increasingly panicked expression, and teleports behind him and clamps her hand over his mouth to stop his speech.

When he isn't attempting to speak through her hand, she walks over in front of him and says "And they don't know what I'm capable of, Brother. Destroying an Infinity Stone, for instance."

They can tell Loki's not going to win this argument, not going to convince his sister not to go and stop Thanos. Finally, Loki gives in and admits defeat on the subject, and they get permission to take the Tesseract - and Bloom promises they'll talk more on this particular subject, making Loki groan softly and Thor say "It was going to happen eventually, Loki."

In the Weapons Vault, Bloom snaps her fingers and a glass case appears slightly bigger than the Tesseract, and she floats the glowing cube into it and seals it with a spell. After putting it in the bag at her hip, she turns to Sky and asks "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

He lets out a nervous laugh, rubs the back of his head, then says "Let's get back to Magix first. So Selina and the Trix don't get any ideas about sending something else after you." He's putting it off, he knows he is - but he was close to doing the same thing when he actually asked to marry her.

 _And she said yes, you idiot. Just tell her you don't want to wait for a time when the Trix and whoever they find to team up with next aren't going around destroying stuff! You've got lives outside of fighting them, after all!_

Bloom says goodbye to her brothers, remembers to go and visit Fenris and gets covered in Asgardian Wolf fur - Sky's amazed that any wolf can be _that gigantic_ \- and then they head back to Magix.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, all! Sorry about the wait, but school is hammering me with Midterms at the moment - which, unfortunately, must come before fun. *Sniffle* Anyway, next chapter is here! Yes, Bloom is fully intending on giving Thanos the beating of a lifetime after the Legendarium is locked for good - and, as some of you doubtlessly guessed, I'm sealing the Tesseract in it as well. Unfortunately, Thanos is quite a bit tougher than any enemy Bloom's faced - in the movie, he takes the Hulk down in about three hits. After taking a few from the big, green guy. So, please, nobody get angry at me if Bloom does in fact get hurt for once - any guy that can take a beating from the Hulk and walk away without even a bruise isn't someone to underwrite. Anyway, enjoy! IW is coming very soon! I promise! Just, please be patient - juggling classes, studying, tests, some of which I still have to take right now, and writing down ideas.**


	295. Wedding!

_**Wedding!**_

All the Winx feel it when Bloom teleports back to Alfea - but, twenty minutes later, she hasn't come to find them. They track her down to her room, where she's staring out the window in shock with Ember sitting on her shoulders. Daphne gets worried, her sister isn't really one for staring out at a window for very long unless she's looking for something specific down there, and asks "Something wrong, Bloom?"

Bloom doesn't even look at her, and says "No…"

That sends alarm bells ringing in Daphne's head, and she walks over and spins Bloom around to face her - with wide, blue eyes full of shock. "Bloom. _What happened?_ "

"Sky, he…" Daphne's about ready to tear Sky a new one, right up until Bloom finishes "He said he didn't want to wait around for the Trix to go into hiding and lick their wounds. Said he didn't want to wait for our lives to settle down long enough to set everything up. And he already asked two years ago…"

"Bloom, you're not making any sense here. What did he ask you two years ago?" Instead of saying anything, Bloom holds her hand up to show Daphne the ring on her finger.

Stella screeches in excitement, busting the rest of the Winx - who were absolutely listening on the other side of the door with a spell of Musa's - and says "Bloom! Boutique! Now!"

* * *

Five minutes later, All the Winx are in Stella's room and there's a bunch of bright white wedding dresses floating around everywhere. Musa and Flora are humming the Wedding March while sitting on Stella's bed, Daphne's all smiles and excitedly telling their parents over the phone, then holds her hand over the phone and asks "Bloom, did Sky say anything about his parents?"

"He said he ran it by them…"

Aisha says "Snap out of it, Bloom! Come on, you're getting _married!_ "

"You ever feel like you're in a waking dream, Aisha? And if you focus on it, it'll all crash and burn in front of you?"

Stella says "Well, it's not! And if you try to suggest ceremonial armor like on Asgard, I'm going to spell your mouth shut until you say 'I do' - got it?"

That gets most of the girl's laughing, and Bloom says "I kinda figured that, Stell."

Stella claps her hands, and says "I've sorta been working on ideas for wedding dresses for us for a while, actually. Ta-da! What do you think, girls?"

Bloom's in a satin sheath dress with an off-shoulder neckline and her hair is tumbling down her back like a waterfall of fire. The dress is glittering with small jewels, and is colored diamond white - and there's a circlet in Bloom's hair with the same small diamonds and pearls. There's a bracelet on Bloom's wrist that's like a smaller version of the circlet, and a necklace of pearls sitting around her collarbone.

* * *

Two hours later - two hours that feel like two minutes to most everyone else - they're all in Domino's courtyard and waiting for Bloom and Daphne to arrive. Sky's fidgeting with his suit, tugging at the cuffs and trying to hide exactly how nervous he is.

Brandon says "Sky, man, relax. You look like you'll snap, you're so tense."

"Yeah, well…"

"Dude, she's going to say 'I do.' You know that."

"Yeah, well, something about big events just has the effect of making you feel like it's all going to go wrong."

"Thinking of the Millennium Party again?"

"How could I not? You think Bloom's thinking of it?"

* * *

Daphne's watching her sister pace frantically, her magic sparking off her skin and making small explosions in the air. "It's all going to fall apart, Daph. It'll be just like the Millennium Party. Everything will be going perfectly until something'll go wrong. Diaspro will get free and destroy everything. The Trix and Selina will send something to ruin it. I'll trip and fall halfway there in these ridiculous heels!"

"Bloom, calm down! Your wearing _Kitten Heels_ , for Dragon's sake! Nothing's going to go wrong, your just nervous. Nervous enough for your magic to react."

"I usually have a lot better control over my magic, Daph. I'll set something on fire and it'll all burn to the ground! I can't go out there! Can't I just send a piece of paper out there instead with the words 'I do' written on it?"

Daphne chuckles inwardly, and says "No, sis, you can't. And Stella will be furious if you don't walk down the aisle with Sky in that dress, you know."

"I know, but…Daph, I'm a fighter, not a model! I know how to not be scared in a fight, but.."

"But this isn't a fight. So it's outside your comfort zone."

"This doesn't even _see_ my comfort zone!"

Daphne walks over and pulls her younger sister into a hug, saying "Bloom, everything will go right. Diaspro's locked up, her magic stripped from her, and there's no way for her to get free. I'll be walking you up the Aisle, as the King and Queen of both parties in a royal marriage will already be standing to either side, so you won't trip. Now, calm down."

Bloom takes a deep, shuddering breath, and says "Alright…"

* * *

Sky nearly jumps out of his skin at a voice casually saying "So, this is what you wanted to talk with Bloom about."

All the other guys jerk and whirl around to see Loki standing there in a suit. Thoren says "Jeez, you are too quiet. How'd you even get here?"

Loki smirks - reminding them all of Bloom's smirk, guess now they know who taught her that - and says "I'm not. It's magic, Thoren. And Thor got a rare break from running _Nine Realms_ , so he's watching as well. In amazement, to be honest."

Sky asks "Where's Bloom?"

"Our sisters are coming. Daphne simply had to convince Bloom that she couldn't send out a piece of parchment with the message 'I do' written on it - something about nerves. Thor's saying that you all had to devise a ruse in order to get the two of you alone two years ago for something similar to this."

"Right…"

Brandon says "See? Told you, Sky."

Loki smiles this time, and says "Born last, wedded first. Our sister truly is something special."

Sky asks "And you're not here to warn me not to hurt her or anything?"

Loki actually rolls his eyes, and eventually says "Thor assures me he gave you that speech two years ago. Besides, I can read people and I can tell you wouldn't. I am here, however, to watch my sister get married."

His expression flickers with annoyance for the briefest instant, and Helia asks "Something wrong?"

"Thor being Thor. Nothing new. The Bifrost doesn't reach all the way to the universe you're in, and would likely hit a few planets or stars even if it could. Theoretically, Thor could fly there - Asgardians can withstand the vacuum of space, after all - but even if he didn't get hopelessly lost it would take him far too long to get there."

"Which is why you've been using the Scyring Bowl so much."

"Well, I do like to keep in touch with Bloom. For years, she was my _only_ sister - or so Thor and I thought."

Suddenly Amorae says "There they are!" She points up to a carriage pulled by a flying horse, and everyone can clearly see Bloom's hair flying in the wind - it's impossible to miss, actually.

Sky quickly says goodbye to the others, and hurries up to the stage where he's supposed to be when Bloom and Daphne land. When Bloom steps out of the carriage, his brain immediately turns to goo in his head - she looks like a goddess standing there…and he's supposed to speak coherently while staring at her?

Her hair is hanging freely down her back, curled slightly and shining like a gemstone, her makeup is perfect, and he doesn't even have the words to describe the dress accurately. He suddenly gets why its bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the actual wedding - he'll lose any and all brain function, miss the wedding altogether, and then they'd have to start all over.

* * *

Bloom's trying to wait out Eldora's speech about how this is a glorious day, feeling Loki, Thor, and Hela watching her through the Scrying Bowl, when suddenly a new voice whispers into her ears.

 _Bloom_!

It's Selina's voice, and Bloom purposely blocks her out.

 _Bloom, I know you probably hate me, but I'm in trouble. Acheron is free, and he's very dangerous. He trapped the Trix in the Legendarium…forever._

She's two seconds away from shutting down Selina's scrying of her, when suddenly Acheron's voice says _You got that right. And now it's time for me to rule the entire Magical Dimension!_

A few seconds later, a wave of powerful magic sweeps through the universe…and then, everyone but the Winx loses their magics!

 _I knew it!_ Bloom quickly says "Alright, looks like we're out of time! Sky, do you take me to be your wife?"

"I do. Uh, Bloom? What are you doing?"

"And I take you to be my husband! You may kiss the bride!"

She pulls him close and kisses him for a moment, and Erendor asks "What just happened? Did Princess Bloom just marry herself to my son?"

Oritel says "Yes, I believe she just did, Erendor."

Bloom says "Selina just freed Acheron. And I'm betting he betrayed her."

Eldora says "From what I know of him, he's strong enough to take away the magics of anyone - except for those of the Dragon Flame. In the entire Magical dimension, only you six, and Acheron himself, have any magic now!"

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, I finally got around to updating this story again - sorry about the wait, I've been having trouble with math class lately. As for the story, I simply found it _hysterical_ that Bloom would be the type to speed things along. And that she'd have a massive case of nerves right before she got married - she's stared down certain death plenty of times without blinking, so why not? Anyway, enjoy! More chapters will be coming soon - just...maybe closer to Christmas, what with my math troubles. Plus, I had an idea for a crossover with HTTYD, but I want to finish at least one of the stories I've already got going before starting a new one. Enjoy! Reviews much appreciated!**


	296. Stopping Acheron

_**Stopping Acheron**_

Selina's falling through the air, having accidentally fallen through the open window behind Griffin's desk - note to self, always close windows in a flying school even when all the students can fly. Acheron cornered her as she was contacting Bloom, and was likely going to kill her to take the Legendarium from her. Unfortunately, she didn't exactly want to give it up - its hers now, in her view, and she won't let him have it after he promised her power and then turned around and betrayed her.

 _Bloom was right, damn it! She told me how evil people are - they act all nice and interested in you and what you have to offer until they don't need you anymore. She said it about the Trix, but she likely meant it about Acheron as well. Right, Acheron. And I'm falling. And can't fly_.

Suddenly, her fall is halted by a glowing orange bubble, and she twists around to see Bloom glaring at her with her sword in hand. "You couldn't have waited a few hours, could you? No, you just _had_ to free Acheron in the middle of the ceremony. Couldn't have waited until the party afterwards like with Daph's coronation."

"I'm sorry! The Trix cornered me and asked what I was doing in the duel, so I couldn't really just not do it!"

Stella says "The one time I manage to get Bloom in a dress and have it maybe have a chance of surviving, and you have to go and yank out a guy like Acheron as a wedding gift? Seriously?"

"I can explain everything, I swear!" She's decided she's through with evil people. And she's not pulling the Trix out of the Legendarium either.

Bloom sets her down on a nearby rock, and says "You'd better explain. Later though, we've got a school to save." They fly up, catch the school before it crashes into the ground, and set it back where it originally was before the Trix threw it into the air.

Acheron flies out, saying "Well done, Winx, what a show. But I'm afraid you'll have to try much harder than that! Rise, Great Lizard Spirit! Rise and dominate any power that dares to oppose you!"

From underneath Cloudtower, three giant heads appear and start shooting lightning beams at the Winx, and Aisha says "Oh, great. What next?"

Bloom tries to attack Acheron, but discovers exactly how Selina freed him - she took some of the Dragon Fire stored in her knife, and used it to free the wizard from his book! He absorbs her attack, then hits her with one of his own.

She ends up lying in a sore heap on the ground near Selina, who says "No! This…this is all my fault! Everything…"

Bloom groans, and says "You think? I've got an idea though."

"What is it? Tell me what to do, Bloom."

"Where did the Trix keep all the magic they stole?"

"In this dragon skull in the center of the school, why?"

"When Acheron follows me into the Legendarium, I'll kill him. That should restore everybody's magic. You go in there, release all the magics and return them to the schools they were stolen from."

Selina nods, then asks "How are you going to get him to follow you?"

Bloom smirks, and says "I have my ways."

Acheron lands, and asks "You just don't give up, do you, Bloom?"

Bloom laughs, takes out her sword, and says "Nope, don't know how. And, even if I did, I'm too stubborn to." She summons her Mythix Wand, flies up, and says "But, seeing as your too big a coward to face me here, let's take this battle to the Legendarium World. After all, you were _so_ afraid of being shown up, you tried to take away the magics of the entire Dimension." She waves her wand, and disappears just before Acheron can hit her with a blast of magic.

Selina privately thinks Bloom signed her death warrant - she has her ways, alright. Get somebody so angry at her that they won't think twice before following her, a highly effective way of getting them where she wants them. Unfortunately, Acheron happens to be incredibly dangerous.

* * *

Acheron gets into the Legendarium World, finds its Rumpelstiltskin's part of the world…and Bloom's nowhere to be seen. "Show yourself, Bloom!"

He's suddenly hit hard from behind, knocking him into the ground - and around Rumpelstiltskin's traps. He gets knocked around by them for a minute, then flies up out of the way and looks around angrily. "Rumpelstiltskin's traps? Is that the best you've got, Bloom? Selina and the Trix were weaker than I thought then, complaining constantly about you."

She appears out of thin air, saying "No, not even close, Acheron."

A second Bloom appears directly opposite him, saying "I'm just getting started."

"Better get ready, I know a few things you don't."

"Like illusions, learned from the best. And the best isn't Darcy by any means."

He ends up surrounded by a circle of Blooms, who all dodge his attacks easily - he's got no idea who the real one is. Right up until he hears a sound of a sword being drawn - a polished sword, sharpened to perfection, and making barely any noise when it leaves the sheath. He makes a sword of his own out of magic, but finds he's outmatched by Bloom's skill.

Eventually, he gets knocked to the ground…and he doesn't even have time to register Bloom's lightning-fast movement or the flash of white-orange as her sword slices through his neck like butter.

There's a giant eruption of magic from the dead wizard's body, which Bloom completely ignores in favor of calling out "Rumpelstiltskin! I have something to trade you!"

He comes out, still rhyming away, and is incredibly impressed by the Tesseract. Calling it 'top-prize' and all that.

He gives her the Key, and she says "Whatever you do, don't take it out of the case. The last guy that held it for any length of time in his hand got sent to space." He gives her a bow and leaves, and she tucks the Key in her bag.

Icy's voice suddenly squeaks "You killed him!"

When she turns around with a smirk on her face, she sarcastically says "Yeah, I killed him. Why's that such a surprise?" None of them really have a good answer for that, and Bloom takes advantage of their momentary shock to say "Well, as great as its been to catch up, I've actually got somewhere to be. And it doesn't involve you three in any way. I'd say 'see you later' but I won't."

Before they can respond, wanting to know what she means by that, she's already gone.

* * *

When she gets back out of the Legendarium, she finds the giant lizard is gone, the rest of the Winx aren't staring completely hostilely at Selina, and everything _seems_ back to normal.

Selina hands over the book upon seeing Bloom's outstretched hand, but the Key won't turn when Bloom tries to lock the Book. Selina says "Maybe…it's not the Key, but the hand that turns it. What if I gave it a shot?"

Bloom stares at Selina with a level gaze, then says "Sure, give it a try."

She hands the Book and Key over, and Selina doesn't hesitate to put the Key in the lock.

Icy's voice suddenly rings out, saying "Selina, think about what you're doing for a minute!"

Selina smirks, opens the book up to the page that formerly had Acheron in it, and says "Oh, didn't you know? I was using the piece of Acheron's power that he gave me years ago to summon things from the Legendarium…and he was controlling me, through that piece of power. And now that I'm free…we're through." She snaps the book shut and turns the key in the lock.

The Key disappears, and Stella says "We finally did it! You think this means the Trix are gone for good?"

Bloom shrugs, then gets hit with a vision like a knife to her head. She comes back to reality to realize her throat hurts and everyone's asking what's wrong. "I have to go home!" She disappears in a burst of orange embers before anyone can ask what's wrong or why she has to go back suddenly.

* * *

 ***Asgard***

Loki and Thor are facing Thanos and about five of his 'children' - Hela's currently being restrained by another three, three of Thanos' strongest, built-like-the-Hulk 'children' and they're barely holding her down.

Sif and the Warriors Three got the people to relative safety at Loki's hasty command, so luckily there were minimal casualties.

Loki says "You won't win, you can't."

Thanos smirks, and says "I have my children."

"We have our sister."

"Who, her?" He nods his head at Hela, who's glaring up at him defiantly.

They hear a piercing whistle, and everyone turns around to see Bloom standing there with her big wings that look like they're made of fire and her sword coated with red in a section of the blade. "Actually, he'd be referring to me. Their youngest sister."

* * *

 **AN: Yes, Infinity War is starting! For everyone worried about whether I'll kill Loki - RELAX! I've grown WAY too attached to his character in this story to kill him, and Bloom would never get over it. Ever. Decided I'd skip the fight scene, only because I could write a never-ending scene and I've got classes to go to and such. More chapters coming soon - and no, Thanos can't do the Snap in this story. He cant get two of the Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone and the Space Stone. He's got the Power Stone, and I'm currently debating whether or not to let him get the Soul Stone. Chances are...probably not. Bloom does end up getting hurt in this fight, though - he beat the Hulk, after all. That warrants some injury on Bloom's part - though, not without giving him a little pain as well.**


	297. Meeting the Guardians

_**Meeting the Guardians**_

Gamora looks at the beeping alert on the ship's console, and feels her eyes widen in shock. "Peter, look at this."

The half-terran - or full-terran now, ever since the fight with Ego - looks over, and his expression turns to utter shock. "What? How's that even possible?"

Rocket snickers, and asks "What, there's a big pile of cash floating in space? Or a big ole weapon?"

"No…the ship's detecting an energy signature. High-level, like…"

Gamora finishes "Like an Infinity Stone."

Draxx asks "What? The things Thanos wants?"

Gamora bites her bottom lip and nods, saying "He attacked Xandar for the Power stone some time ago. Now…if he finds this…"

Teenage Groot says "I am Groot." Rocket stares for a minute, then asks "When did you learn language like that? Yeah, we can't let that happen, but…we'll worry about that later."

Peter locks onto the coordinates, and they take off. When they get there though…it's not an Infinity Stone. At least, they don't _think_ an Infinity Stone would make a giant sphere of fire in the middle of space.

Peter taps a few buttons, and the screen turns on - zooming in on the object, whatever it is. "Uh, guys….there's people in there."

They see the fire's continuously moving, and then all get the shocks of their lives when they see three people floating inside the ball of fire. And then again, when what looks like a face turns towards them. A face made from the fire.

Rocket nervously says "You guys are seeing this to, right?"

Gamora says "A face in the fire? Yes, Rocket, I'm seeing that to."

Peter heads out, putting on his protective mask and equipment so he doesn't die in the vacuum of space, and flies about ten feet away from the…he's not sure what to call it - that'd be the distance when he starts feeling the heat radiating off of it. _In space_ , no less. "What is this, a mini star with people trapped inside it?"

The face turns towards him again, looking suspiciously alert - and then it apparently sees the ship…and _uncoils_ into the body of what looks a bit like a Chinese Dragon from Earth. And flies straight in, nearly cooking him in the process when it goes past him. When he gets back in, and the doors are shut, he finds everyone else pointing their weapons at the newcomers - and, the _instant_ the doors are shut, the dragon-like being disappears. Leaving three people behind.

One girl, two guys - the girl's a fiery red-head, and the two guys are blonde and black-haired wearing armor. And the girl was recently in a fight, and _lost_ from the looks of it - ugly-looking bruises, several scrapes and cuts, and she's currently unconscious.

The blonde groans, and says "Bloom, next time you decide to send a genocidal maniac away from home, don't take yourself and us along for the ride…"

Gamora points her sword at his forehead, asking "Who are you? What are you doing here? And what was that thing?"

He looks first at the sword pointed at his face, then at Gamora - taking a full minute to take in her green skin and red-black hair - and says "I am Thor Odinson. And you are?"

She puts the tip of the blade just under his chin, saying "You didn't answer the rest of my questions. What were you talking about?"

The black-haired man groans now, and sits up, saying "That was one powerful spell…" He looks up and sees Gamora, then goes even paler than he already is upon seeing her.

Gamora, for her part, gets a look of pure shock and drops the blade in her hand. "You…"

Thor looks between them, asking "You know each other? Loki?"

The black-haired man, apparently called Loki, immediately says "She's one of Thanos' kids!" He scrambles up, making a dagger appear out of nowhere, and pulls the redhead away from Gamora protectively.

Thor nearly shouts "What?!" His hands start sparking with electricity, and Gamora yells "Not by choice! You know that!"

Peter asks "You know him, Gamora?"

"He was Thanos' prisoner for-"

Loki darkly says "A _year_. A year, spent getting broken in every way possible. And I remember seeing your face."

Rocket suddenly says "Alright, somebody tell me what's going on here! You two know each other, great! Mind filling in everybody else?!"

Groot adds "I am Groot."

Thor and Loki both raise an eyebrow, and Loki says "If we used language like that, Allfather would have had us punished so bad…"

Thor nods, and says "Alright, time for some questions of my own. Like why you claim to not be one of Thanos' 'Children' by choice."

"He invaded my planet, killed half the population - likely my mother as well - and took me because I was a fighter. Trained me to be a ruthless assassin. I hated my childhood after he took me, so I left. I want nothing more to do with that monster!"

Thor and Loki share a dark look, and Loki says "You may not get that wish of yours, Gamora. In fact, you likely won't. Thanos attacked Asgard earlier, looking for the Space Stone. And me, in all likelihood. Had Bloom not moved it before he arrived, he'd have made a dozen other stops by now. As it is, his face turned about royal purple with rage when she told him he would never be able to get two of the six Infinity Stones and he tried to kill her. Just as she used a spell to send him far away from Asgard. She blacked out as it was being cast, and her magic took over - attempting to take her away from the danger as well. And us as well, since we had physical contact with her at the time."

Rocket nudges her with one paw, asking "So, why isn't she waking up then?"

Thor shrugs, and says "You're the expert in magic, Loki."

Loki snaps out "I don't know why our sister isn't waking up, Thor!"

Peter suddenly asks "Wait just a minute. Asgard? As in, home of the Norse gods? And you two are Thor and Loki, the gods of Thunder and Mischief?"

Loki rolls his eyes, and says "Yes, that's correct."

"Since when do you two have a red-haired sister named Bloom?!"

Thor says "Since she appeared in the Bifrost when her own Realm of birth was attacked and destroyed by three evil witches seeking ultimate power around two decades ago."

"Oh, I can see this is already getting complicated."

Loki picks Bloom's limp body up and sets her on a nearby table, mutters "Come on, sister. Wake up, for Entities sakes." If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of her chest, they'd think she was dead.

Mantis says "I can wake her."

Both Thor and Loki give her skeptical looks, and Gamora says "Mantis has Empathic abilities. And she can put people to sleep - and wake them back up."

Loki steps a few paces back, giving Mantis a wary look, but lets her put a hand on Bloom's forehead.

"She is…far. Very far away. Not dead, awake somewhere…but not here."

Draxx asks "What?"

Rocket rolls his eyes, and asks "And that means what, exactly?"

Thor and Loki trade looks, and Loki says "It means her consciousness is currently somewhere else."

Mantis says "Wake up. She's…resisting. I'm trying to wake her up, but she's resisting my powers!"

* * *

 **AN: Alright, next chapter! Yes, I did skip the fight with Thanos - decided this story is going to be three hundred chapters long, and this is technically 297. Quick head-count of the Infinity Stones real quick: Time Stone, with Dr. Strange still; Space Stone, in the Legendarium which is currently locked forever; Reality Stone, destroyed; Soul Stone, unaccounted for in the story - yes, I know its on that alien planet in the movie, but all but Gamora don't know that in the story - Power Stone, Thanos' gauntlet; Mind Stone, Vision's forehead. Getting things wrapped up with the story, hope everyone enjoys - want to start some new stories, but I promised myself I'd finish the ones I've already got going. As it is, I've got around a dozen ideas for other stories to try. Including some for another game, though I'm still working that out as well. Enjoy! Last few chapters coming soon! Happy Holidays!**


	298. Waking Bloom

_**Waking Bloom**_

Dr. Steven Strange looks up at the alien being who's currently demanding to have access to the Time Stone - apparently, he should be thankful that Thanos himself isn't here, as the trip made to get the Space Stone ended…badly. It wasn't on Asgard - the very thought gives Strange some hope, knowing exactly _who_ lives on Asgard - and Thanos is currently being retrieved from deep space. "Give me the Time Stone, and I'll make your death quick, human."

Strange gives the being a long look, and says "Never. I swore an oath to keep it from your master at all costs."

"So be it." He moves his index finger, and then a long silvery needle-like object enters his cheek - torturously painfully. "I remember the last person I used this on. He lives on Asgard. Told us where to find the Space Stone originally - Earth. And then it was moved. And moved again. Somewhere ' we can never get it' the girl said."

Three needles later, and then Tony Stark and a kid in a spider-suit appear and attack the creature. Strange suddenly realizes he can feel the heat around him increasing, spiking…and then, to his shock, the needle in his face suddenly flies out and spears the alien in his forehead. All three look at him, but he can only say "I didn't do that."

The other two needles fly out of his body and embed themselves in the telekinetic alien's body - and then, so do the rest of the dozens of needles. A female voice angrily whispers from thin air "That's for my brother, you monster."

The kid says "That was incredible! Oh, I'm Peter Parker. Spiderman. And Mister Stark says you're the Sorcerer Supreme. How'd you get those needles to fly out of your body and into his if you didn't move?"

Stark gets him down, and he says "That wasn't me. But…I think I know who it was."

Stark asks "Oh yeah? Who?"

"You ever talk to Thor about his siblings?"

Stark's eyes go wide, and he says "I know both of them. But…none of those three are here!" Nevertheless, he does a thermal scan of the room - there's an accumulation of heat in about the middle of the room, for no apparent reason. Stark incredulously ask "Bloom?!" The faintest outline of a girl with hair like fire appears, and Stark mutters "That's all the heat in the room, condensed and made visible in a specific form. Definitely Bloom."

 _Stark, you brought a kid into this life?!_

Peter looks at the transparent girl in front of him, and says "I'm not a kid!" She gives him her trademark 'I'm-not-believing-that-for-a-second' look, raised eyebrow, crossed arms, all of it, and he says "I'm fifteen! I can make my own choices!"

 _You're a fifteen-year-old human who should be in class rather than on a ship heading for who-knows where._

"When did you start this life then?"

 _That's different. I was trained to fight. You were trained to take tests and pass classes. I'm turning this thing around._ The visible form almost literally falls apart, but they can hear Bloom's voice saying _I took the Space Stone somewhere Thanos will never get to it earlier today, and he attacked Asgard…not long ago. I don't have an exact time frame. I sent him off into space, but ended up in a bit of a situation myself. Get the others, Stark. Not a fifteen-year-old, the Avengers. Get them ready for Thanos' attack. The Mind Stone is on Earth, that's where he'll go next, likely. He's got the Power Stone, I've got no idea where the Soul Stone is, and the Time Stone is heading back to Earth as well. He'll hit Earth next, so we need to be ready for him._

Peter suddenly says "Wait, I know her! She was on the news for months! She and her friends! She's the leader of the Winx!"

Stark says "And the adopted sister of Thor and Loki. The Norse gods of Thunder and Mischief."

Parker gets a look of shock on his face, and actually sits down at the news.

Bloom's got no idea how long she has until she wakes up in her body again - so she's saving berating Stark until she sees him face-to-face instead of with her being a ghost. She uses a spell Techna taught her to reset the coordinates on the computer and get the ship heading back to Earth.

Stark says "Ah, Bloom, I don't know how much of the news you've been watching, but the Avengers…don't exist anymore. We split up. A while ago."

Bloom uses her magic to smack him over the head, and hears a muttered "Ouch."

 _Wake up!_

She grits her metaphorical teeth, resisting the pull that's trying to tear her away from here and back into her head.

 _Wake up! You need to wake up!_

Not Ember, not anyone she knows, so she's isn't exactly inclined to answer this particular call. Not until she's finished getting these three guys back to Earth so they can _reform_ the Avengers and be even slightly prepared to face Thanos - she left him fairly injured, but remembers taking some _big_ blows as well. And she isn't even hoping that he died in the vacuum of space - he's tougher than that, just like Thor and Loki are. Her…not so much, she needs oxygen to survive.

She's just gotten the ship turned around and heading for Earth when the call tugging at her suddenly turns to yanking at her…and then pulling at her with a level of strength that would dislocate her arm if the grip were on her wrist.

* * *

Bloom sits up with a gasp, looking around to see she's on a different ship…with Thor, Loki, and the group that calls themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. Thor and Loki practically crush her in a hug, and the raccoon with a very big gun for his size says "Alright, now why doesn't somebody here explain what the heck happened earlier?! The giant fire-creature, for instance?"

Bloom stares at each of them, then says "Thanos has the Power Stone. You should have destroyed it."

Gamora says "You can't destroy an Infinity Stone - it's impossible!"

"I did. Years ago. I do the impossible on a regular basis."

Quill says "Back to the creature that was floating there with you three trapped inside it, please! What the hell was that?!"

"How I - at least - am alive. It's the physical manifestation of my magic. Aside from fire, that is. Now, where are we and how do we get to Nidavellir from here?"

Everyone looks at her, and Rocket asks "What? That place is a legend, they make the most powerful, horrific weapons to ever torment the universe. Why do you want to go there?!"

"Because Thanos is on the move, and Thor needs a new weapon. The dwarves of Nidavellir once made Mjolnir, they can make something else. And Thor, before you say you don't need a weapon, Thanos wasn't exactly beaten when I showed up."

Rocket says "If you're heading to a world that makes the biggest, most badass weapons of mass destruction there've ever been and have ever been thought up, I want in."

"I am Groot!"

Bloom says "Fine. Let's go. Thanos is going to be heading for Earth, may already be on his way if someone's found him by now, so that's where we'll be headed next."

Gamora asks "Why Earth?"

"Two other Infinity Stones are on Earth. Well, one currently is, the other is going to be there soon. The Mind Stone, and the Time Stone. We'll meet you guys there."

Quill asks "Is she always like this?"

Bloom rolls her eyes at him and says "Deal with it. We've got a genocidal maniac on the loose with the Power Stone in his Gauntlet and the ability to ravage a realm of people who live five thousand years and could drink Earth dry of all its alcohol and not even get tipsy. And his army of deadly kids who've apparently been trained to be ruthless assassins. Am I missing anything there? Get any part of the description wrong?"

Gamora shakes her head, then says "He has to be stopped. And if he tries to take me…kill me."

Everyone stares at her in shock, and Bloom slowly asks "Why?"

"Because I know where to find the Soul Stone. And he can't get it, no matter what."

Bloom gives her a serious nod, then gets into a secondary ship on the Guardians' ship with Thor, Loki, Groot, and Rocket.

Of course, about five minutes out, Rocket asks "Do I smell food?"

The others look over to see Bloom holding her bag and digging around in it up to her shoulder with an apple in her mouth already.

"I am Groot?!"

Loki says "It's a magic bag, that's how."

Rocket says "It's going to be a LONG trip!"

* * *

 **AN: Alright, people, Thanos is going DOWN! Sorry about the pace, but I REALLY want to start posting some of my other ideas. As for Thanos' current condition...he's hurt. Which, people, is nearly impossible in the movie - about six people barely managed to scratch the guy after what must've been a half hour in the movie time. He very likely got stabbed, most definitely got burned, etc. Yes, Hela's alive - sorry I didn't put that in, but I meant the departure to be extremely sudden.**

 **PS. quick question: I've got lots of ideas for new stories, which would you all like to read next?**

 **Winx Club X HTTYD?**

 **Winx Club X Young Justice?**

 **Guild Wars 2?**

 **Thank you all so incredibly much for sticking with me for so long - it's been a true joy, really it has. Enjoy! Please review - hopefully with an answer for this question!**


	299. Killing Thanos

_**Killing Thanos**_

They get to Nidavellir, Bloom having spent half the trip eating food from her bag, and Rocket whistles and says "You know, for a place that's said to have produced the biggest, baddest weapons of mass destruction in the history of the known universe…this place is looking really dead."

Bloom leans forward, and says "This isn't right…Nidavellir should be alive and warm. There's a single heat signature down there, guys."

Rocket asks "And you know that how?"

"I can sense heat, so I can sense living beings that give off heat."

* * *

When they get down there, they find its Eitri, the King of the Dwarves. Apparently, while Thor was flying around the Nine Realms ending uprisings and pillaging, Thanos made a quiet little stop to the legendary forge of the dwarves. He made them make his golden glove, something capable of safely harnessing the power of all six Infinity Stones.

Bloom mutters "And then, once it was finished…"

Eitri nods, and says "He killed us. All but me. He said 'your life is your own, but your hands are mine.'" Sure enough, when he holds his arms up, his hands are coated in metal.

Thor says "Eitri, hope is not lost. All the weapons you've ever designed, they were made in your head first."

"You want to kill him."

Bloom nods and says "Yeah. He attacked Asgard, nearly killed my brothers…I want the guy dead. Very, _very_ dead."

Eitri looks at Thor and Loki questioningly, and asks "You two have a sister?"

Loki grins, and says "Not quite. We've got _three_."

He shrugs, and says "I want that purple-skinned murderer dead as well, but I can't help you. The forge has gone cold, the star has gone out. Unless you can free the rings that make up the forge, and re-light the star…"

Bloom grins, and says "You guys take the rings, I'll light the star up brighter than it ever was."

Eitri gives her a skeptical look, and says "You seem confident."

"I've got fire powers. You got a weapon to make?"

"Yes. The most powerful in Asgard's history. Said to be able to summon the Bifrost itself. Stormbreaker."

To his utter amazement, they actually do get the rings freed and the star working once again - and then the iris of the forge closes shut.

Bloom mutters "There's always something…I'll hold it open. How long?"

"A few minutes, but its suicide!"

Bloom grins, and says "Not for me, it isn't. Heat doesn't affect me. What is suicide is going into battle with Thanos when Thor doesn't have that hammer."

Rocket crosses his arms, and says "'Heat' like in a heatwave on Earth is one thing, 'heat' as in the full force of a neutron star is another thing entirely!"

"Ten bucks says I can."

"I don't even have a ten-dollar bill on me!"

Bloom rolls her eyes, and says "Whatever. I'm still doing it. Bloomix!"

Eitri, Rocket, and Groot all stare at her in utter shock, and she flies up as Groot breathes out "I am Groot…"

Rocket says "You can say that again."

She holds the iris open, much to Eitri's shock, like it's _nothing_ \- not like she's getting blasted face-first with the heat and fire of a star. And when she comes back down…she's looking a lot more awake than before. Everyone but Loki and Thor are dumbfounded, and Eitri asks "Exactly what are you the goddess of? Fire?"

"I'm not a goddess. Wasn't born in the Nine Realms. My magic makes it so that any and all heat doesn't affect me. It's energy to me, energy I can manipulate. I might've absorbed some of it for the fight with Thanos though."

Eitri shakes his head in shock, and gets the handle for Stormbreaker - the axe that's Thor's new weapon. Hammer-like on one end, sharpened to a wicked edge on the other, and almost as big as one of the Hulk's arms.

* * *

Everyone's fighting in Wakanda, Steve and Tony back to back and fighting some of Thanos' kids and their army of…creatures. Similar to the Chitauri, but different. Bigger, for one, and no weapons.

Doctor Strange is flying around, casting spells and making general mayhem for the other side, and a ship showed up and started shooting at these creatures…while blaring music from the eighty's, for whatever reason.

Suddenly, they see a familiar beam hit the ground, and Stark says "Told you they'd be here."

Rogers says "Yeah, yeah, I know you said that!"

A giant axe comes out of the rainbow-colored beam, instead of Thor's hammer, and then Thor, Loki, Bloom, a gun-wielding raccoon and a tree-person are standing there. Bloom focuses for a minute, and then a giant fireball comes through the air - Ember flies through it, and steps on some of the creatures. Much to the Wakandans' shock.

And Bucky's, as well. He yells "Steve! What the hell is going on here?!"

"Remember when I told you about Thor and his siblings?"

"Yeah! You never said anything about a _dragon_!"

"One of his sisters has one! Bucky, meet Ember!"

As they watch, Bloom grabs onto Loki's wrist and pulls him onto her, and Bucky asks "Those two can ride that thing?"

"Bets are Bloom taught him. Hey, Thor! Quick question!"

Thor bashes his way over to Steve, and asks "What is it?"

"What the hell is Loki doing here?!"

"It's a long story - the short version being Asgard was attacked."

"And he's on our side?!"

"That's the long version! Yes, he's on our side! Thanos had him prisoner for the year between New Mexico and New York!"

Bucky winces, and says "Ouch. That gets my sympathy." Steve and Stark both give him questioning looks, and he asks "You two ever been someone's prisoner? I didn't think so."

Stark incredulously asks "Seriously? That's why New York happened? That purple-skinned mass-murderer was behind it all?"

Thor nods, and says "You want to kill him, get in line. Bloom and I are up front."

When the massive, rolling machines come and start tearing up the battlefield, they see one start floating in the air and go flying into two others - Bloom's handiwork, they can guess. Wanda is still up guarding Vision, as she can handle one of Thanos' kids on her own, but they can all guess whoever is in charge is trying to draw her out - honestly, they should focus on Bloom, Loki, and the _dragon_ they're currently riding. Because, as Steve, Tony, Bucky, and Natasha face two of Thanos' kids, Ember suddenly lands right on top of them - _literally_ right on top of them, she just stepped on them. Killing them instantly.

Loki's voice calls down "Ta-da!"

Bloom asks "Need a hand? How 'bout a massive claw or four? By the way, you all are _so_ getting a day-long rant on the _utter stupidity_ of disbanding when you know a guy like Thanos is out there!"

Steve yells up "Good to see you to! Where've you been all this time?!"

"Fighting Thanos on Asgard, getting Thor a new toy on Nidavellir, getting married, you know. The usual - 'cept for that last one, that is."

Stark flies up, and asks "You got _married?!_ "

"Surprise."

He points at Loki and asks "And you were Thanos' prisoner?"

Loki facepalms, and mutters "Here it comes. Yes, I was that monster's prisoner for the better part of a year. Satisfied now?"

"And you didn't say anything, why?" "Would you have actually cared? Because, in my experience, most wouldn't have."

Bloom slides down Ember's back, and says "What's past is past, let's focus on staying alive _now_ , people!" _I'm not most, Loki. You should've known I'd care!_

She whips out her sword and knife, then goes still and looks across the battlefield for a moment before moving. "Shoot! Ember, fly!"

Loki's protests are lost to the wind, and Stark asks "What's wrong?"

"Thanos is here, that's what's wrong! He's only got the Power Stone, but it still makes him real damn hard to fight!" She transforms and then flies up as one of the creatures charges her - she jumps onto its head, and starts running across the battlefield that way.

Steve and Tony stare, and Steve says "Only Bloom."

"Definitely."

* * *

Loki looks across the battlefield desperately - there's only one reason why Bloom would put him up here with Ember, and that reason has purple skin, a golden glove, and an obsession with universal genocide.

 _She's kept two Infinity Stones from him, likely a third if you count the Time Stone. And the Mind Stone makes four - he won't forgive that. Thanos has to be here somewhere…_

He suddenly spots the maniacal purple figure, and says "Ember, land! Step on him or something!"

Ember growls, almost apologetically, but just sends another fireball down into the battle.

"Ember, he'll kill Bloom! He already tried to once before, he'll finish the job this time!"

She sends a fireball a lot closer to Thanos this time, but still doesn't land.

"What, did Bloom tell you to keep me up here at all costs until he's dead or something?!"

Ember nods her head at that, and Loki smacks one hand to his face in frustration. "Bloom, you're going to get yourself killed…"

Lightning's coming down rapidly, destroying the giant wheel-like machines destroying the battlefield, and then…there's a massive explosion of fire. The firedragon he's come to recognize as the physical manifestation of all Bloom's magic flies up into the air, only to come right back down - right on top of Thanos' head, Loki can guess.

 _I hope it eats him._

Ember roars, and heads straight down to the ground - right into the giant, smoking crater that was created. All that's let of Thanos is his golden glove, along with the Power Stone - which actually has a few cracks in it, much to everyone else's shock - and Bloom is lying in the center of the crater unconscious.

 _Bloom, you'd better be unconscious or I swear…_

Loki jumps off of Ember's back, ignoring the fact that the area feels like Muspelheim to him, and picks Bloom up. Ember nudges her body, but she doesn't react at all.

Thor slides down the crater, taking a full minute to get to his siblings from the sheer size of the explosion, and asks "Is she-"

Loki immediately snaps "I don't know, Thor!" He checks her pulse, and mentally thanks each of the Entities individually when he can feel her heart still beating.

Then, Thor puts a hand on her arm and says "Loki, she's cold as ice."

"Must've used all her remaining magic. You saw that explosion, right?"

Rocket asks "Saw it? Who _didn't_ see it? I bet Eitri back in Nidavellir saw that! I bet people back on your Asgard saw that!"

Loki picks Bloom up, letting her face rest against his armor, and Ember shrinks down to fly up and jump onto her body and continue to nudge at her face. Thor holds Stormbreaker up, and summons the Bifrost once more to take the four of them back home.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, everyone! Thanos is DEAD! Yeah, I know, I didn't make some gigantic fight that would take an hour if it were real - I thought I'd make it like the ending of Avengers. The Mothership died, the fight was over. I will be posting plenty more stories, not to worry - I actually forgot to mention one I'm working on at the moment - Winx Club X Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Anybody want to read that one next? HTTYD won out with a landslide, so I might start posting those two after finishing Psychic Watcher. Merry Early Christmas, everyone! Happy Holidays!**


	300. The End

_**The End**_

Thor's leading Sky down a hallway of Asgard's palace - no wonder Bloom didn't seem fazed by the size of any castle in Magix, this place is _gigantic!_ \- saying "She stopped Thanos, killed him. But…she hasn't woken up yet from it."

"You said that was three days ago, Thor."

"True. She's still sleeping, however."

Sky sighs through his nose, trust Bloom to pick the guy behind all that and kill him. He mutters "She just had to go all out, didn't she…"

Thor chuckles, and says "I've been thinking that for the past three days, Sky."

"Where's Loki?"

"He refuses to leave her. I've actually had to make him lay down to sleep and bring him food."

"I knew they were close…"

Thor looks at the floor for a minute, then says "It's due to me. Bloom's likely told you as much, but…I was a very different person when she was growing up. Harsher, younger, stupider. Loki says I was a brainless oaf back then, especially when it comes to Bloom - I know for a fact that he's correct in that. My pride and arrogance, and my obsession with becoming King of the Nine Realms, pushed Loki away from me after some time. Bloom as well, along with my rather low view of magic. Pushed them away from me and close together. Now that I think about it, I don't believe Loki could refuse Bloom anything back then - or now, for that matter."

Sky chuckles, and says "I can imagine."

Thor snorts, and adds "The only reason he didn't take the Bifrost down to Midgard back when you all were living in Gardenia and fighting those four men is because he was filling in for Allfather at the time. Lady Sif and I had to talk him down from it several times, in fact."

Sky cracks up, and says "I can just imagine the looks on the Wizards' faces if Loki actually did that. Horrified, shocked, and then probably very dead."

Thor opens a door Sky recognizes as Bloom's, and walks into her room on Asgard for the second time.

When he gets into the room she first brought him in, he finds Loki sitting in a chair next to Bloom's bed and Bloom lying unconscious on said bed. Breathing, occasionally twitching in her sleep - but not waking up any time soon, he can already tell. "Hey. Loki, you look shot."

He blinks at Sky, then says "No, I was spared that fate in the battle."

"It means you look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?"

Loki just shrugs, and says "Not sure. No clocks on Asgard, after all."

"Look, I'll keep watch, how about you go lay down for-"

"No. Not until Bloom wakes up."

 _Now I know where Bloom learned to be so stubborn._ "Look, I doubt she's going to wake up any time soon - she looks too out of it. You could at least, I don't know, grab a blanket and a pillow or something."

Loki waves his hand, and suddenly one of each of those things is lying on the ground next to him. Ember picks her head up from next to Bloom's head, having been completely camouflaged in her hair, and thrums at Sky for a minute before nudging Bloom's face - and getting no response from her.

* * *

About another week later, both men are sitting in their seats on either side of Bloom - both tired, but neither giving in just yet to sleep. Bloom suddenly sucks in a breath through her teeth, mumbling a few words neither of them understands - they don't really need to either, because both try to be the first one to crush Bloom in a relieved hug. Sky gets there first, but only by two seconds.

"Hey, guys…"

Loki immediately says "Bloom, next time you get the idea to use all your magic to defeat a person, pick _anyone_ other than someone as indestructible as Thanos!" He then sees Bloom holding an arm out towards him, and then buries his face in her hair as she wraps it around his neck. He mumbles into her hair "Don't you ever scare me like this again, sister."

Sky says "Same goes for me! Tell me there'll be a few-months-long break between new enemies and all that!"

Bloom says "Hopefully. Planning the honeymoon?" Sky laughs, for the first time in days, and Bloom says "I've got two ideas. We could go to Pyros for a while…or stay here…"

Loki immediately near-screams "Stay here!"

Bloom chuckles, and asks "How'd I know that'd be your answer?"

Loki nearly breaks down laugh-crying, and finally asks "How do you feel?"

"Like I could beat Volstagg in an eating contest. How's everyone else doing?"

"Hela's glad to be not in charge of people since we returned from Wakanda, Thor's been sending our friends every five minutes or so to see if you were awake yet, I've been here since we got back to Asgard…"

Sky adds "The girls have been going nuts since you haven't been answering your phone - not like you could, you were sleeping after all - and your voicemail is probably full by now. Daphne's been worried sick, Thoren's been trying to keep her calm - her and your birth parents - and I've been practically frothing at the mouth at times." Both siblings give him blank stares, and he says "It's an expression. I've been worried to."

"Right…"

She swings her legs out of bed, and Loki says "Bloom, I don't think that's such a good-!" He's around the bed in a flash, and he and Sky catch her as she nearly collapses to the floor.

"Yeah, Pyros is out…"

Sky and Loki nearly get into an argument about who's going to stay with her and who's going to tell Thor Bloom's awake. She groans and rubs her temples, saying "Please don't make me pick between you two. Your both worried about me, and that's great! Really! But guys, I'm not exactly in much danger of getting attacked out of nowhere at the moment." Loki opens his mouth to protest, but Bloom says "Loki, the Trix are locked in the Legendarium. They're _never_ getting out of there - ever! That's why I took the Tesseract there - once the book is locked, it can't get unlocked! They're freaking _gone!_ " She laughs a little, adding "It's about time, honestly. One place they'll never get out of, no matter who they meet in there. Did I tell you about how I got Frankenstein to like Stormy?"

Sky snickers, and says "Yes. Yes, you did. It was hilarious. You'd be proud, Loki."

Loki smirks and raises an eyebrow, saying "Now I've got to hear this."

"I pushed Stormy over the edge, then made an illusion so Frankenstein looked like me. She electrocuted him, which he just loved."

It takes a full minute for Loki to stop laughing and get a decent breath in, and then he says "Brilliant. Truly brilliant, sister."

Fandral walks into the room, saying "Loki, don't throw a knife at me, Thor sent me to ask if…." he sees Bloom's awake, and promptly turns around and runs out the room.

Loki mutters "That answers the question of how Thor will know your awake."

Bloom says "Wonderful. Here's hoping he brings food." After a minute, she adds "You know, I told Steve and Tony I'd yell at them for disbanding the Avengers. Something tells me I'll never find Bruce and Natasha now, though."

Loki chuckles, then says "You're not exactly up for tracking them all down and going off on them or that particular decision either, Bloom."

Thor comes in after about another minute and a half, and nearly crushes Bloom in a hug of his own - and then informs her that he'll put her on 'room arrest' if she tries to even leave the palace unless she's being attacked or is with someone - like Loki, Sif, Fandral, etc.

Bloom fakes some outrage, and says "So, I'm to stick around until you say otherwise?"

"That about covers it. My next command for you is to eat something. Which I brought with, it's on your desk. I'll go get it."

As soon as Thor leaves the room, Bloom completely loses her fake outrage and bursts out laughing hysterically. Sky and Loki join in after a moment, and Thor comes back to find his siblings - and sibling-in-law - all laughing so hard tears are running down their faces.

Hela comes in later, and also says something along the lines of 'never scare me like this ever again, Bloom.'

And so do Daphne, the Winx, and the Specialists, over the phone. Daphne, for about five minutes straight.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, here it is! I can't believe I finally finished it! Three hundred chapters exactly, to! Now, I'll be free to work on some other stories! Once I finish Psychic Watcher, I'll be posting my Winx Club X HTTYD fanfiction - no spoilers, but Bloom will be only slightly different than in this one. As it turns out, I like writing Bloom as a kick-butt girl who can handle herself and gives some funny sarcastic remarks. Surprise, surprise - just in case nobody figured that out from reading this story. Thank you all for sticking with me this far, it's been wonderful! Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, all of it! Until the next story!**


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